BlackLabbie
Posted : 12/8/2008 10:08:49 PM
Walks with Apollo are a lot of fun. I really enjoy taking him out.
Leash walks...he heels, never pulls (anymore! he used to pull like a truck!). He auto sits.He may mark a few trees or telephone poles, not a serious marker. Our only problem is when we see another dog, one that is out of control. That aggrivates him (hackles up, whining), so when we see dogs pulling like nut cakes toward us we turn and walk in a different direction before he starts whining. Dogs that are relaxed, and their owners have control over them, he's not phased by.
Off leash walks....awesome. I LOVE them, he LOVES them. He will heel if I tell him, and he auto sits. Whatever dog we see he ignores, and if the dog runs up to him he's super friendly (wiggly tail, play bows, butt sniffin';). He's will "leave it" if I command it. I really love off leash walks. If we're at a park I let him do his own thing, but he's never too far from me (I can always see him), and he has a rock solid recall.
He is better off leash than on. Off leash I tell him to "heel" once, and he does it until I say "ok" (release, go sniff, go play). On leash I might have to tell him to heel a few times during our walk, or I say "eh eh" when he starts to get ahead of me and that usually reminds him to "heel".