Accidentally “Mastered the Walk” for 15 minutes

I like the idea of a waist leash.  The thing about dogs that pull is that there is usually a human on the other end pulling back.  Vicious cycle.  But, the waist leash is pretty benign, and there is no yanking, the dog simply comes to a stop.  They learn pretty quickly where the end of the leash is.  In fact, some dogs get so good that they walk about 5 feet 10 inches out in front, not 6', the length of the leash - so they don't have to feel the "stop".

On this morning's outing with Ixa, I used the technique Liesje mentioned, I envisioned myself somewhere calm: a warm carribean beach, mmmm. I went out the door wearing that image []

I also spent time gazing at particualr things in the enviroment and noticed that simply doing so would call Ixa's attention there, too. When I saw a cat, I confidently focused my attention on a tree on next hill we were going to walk over, Ixa noticed the cat, but then turned her gaze to where I was looking, too.

WoW!

ORIGINAL: espencer
your dog looks at you waiting for the next thing to do, if there is another dog around you then your dog will look at you first to see how you will react to it (since she is not feeling anything thru the leash) something like "ok what do we do now, attack? oh my leader is not even looking at the other dog, i guess its fine then to keep walking"

Ya, I see it! []

ORIGINAL: Ixas_girl

On this morning's outing with Ixa, I used the technique Liesje mentioned, I envisioned myself somewhere calm: a warm carribean beach, mmmm. I went out the door wearing that image []

I also spent time gazing at particualr things in the enviroment and noticed that simply doing so would call Ixa's attention there, too. When I saw a cat, I confidently focused my attention on a tree on next hill we were going to walk over, Ixa noticed the cat, but then turned her gaze to where I was looking, too.

WoW!

 
Yay!!![sm=clapping%20hands%20smiley.gif]

Earlier in this thread, I said that I was using the walk as a guage for Ixa's followership with me. That being able to observe her choices, whether to walk ahead of me or next to me, gave me information. Well, that may have provided a learning moment I needed, but I finally am getting the idea to ... well .... provide leadership there! []

Lately I've been walking Ixa, consistently, at my side. I've been wrapping the leash around my waist, and holding it at my back, so she pretty much has to be at my side. It's odd, and I kinda don't like it, though. If she's wearing the backpack, we bump into each other. I'm in an older part of the city, and the sidewalks are narrow, so we often have to walk single file. Sometimes I use the narrowness to reinforce our walking poisition, I'll walk real close to a wall/bush/whatever so Ixa has to stay behind me (like I'm herding her!)

As uncomfortable as it feels, I do think it puts her in a stronger position of followership, to look to me. It offers me more chances to be on my calm assertive game, and set the right tone for exciting encounters, like other dogs.

I hope, though, that we'll learn to walk about 4" farther apart, so we stop bumping into each other. I hate stepping on her foot []

You know...I have found this to be true...this is an excellent piece of info here.

One time we were outside and we saw the pom looking at an injured baby bird. He would look at us, then the bird, then us... Like....ya want me to kill it?  So instead of ignoring it, we freaked and went into no no no no NO!  No!

...what do you think the pom did?

It wasn't pretty.

He was also doing this with the iguana (who weighs more than the pom).  If she would come off of her perch  he would go into frenzies.

Of course I would freak.

No Jess!  No!

and go into helter skelter trying to get him away from her.

When I started averting my eyes (not looking at either) and leaving the room when the iguana came down, ( I would also use a leave it command) he would circle her a few times, notice that I didn't care, and go about his business. c/t.

So the moral of this story is...an it is an excellent one...if you focus, your dog will focus. Or like Anne says, ignore the behaviors you don't want, reinforce those you do.

. When I saw a cat, I confidently focused my attention on a tree on next hill we were going to walk over, Ixa noticed the cat, but then turned her gaze to where I was looking, too.

WoW!

ORIGINAL: espencer
your dog looks at you waiting for the next thing to do, if there is another dog around you then your dog will look at you first to see how you will react to it (since she is not feeling anything thru the leash) something like "ok what do we do now, attack? oh my leader is not even looking at the other dog, i guess its fine then to keep walking"

Ya, I see it! []

My little success story with the walk!

Just as a background, we started walking our dog off leash in the field by the river were we usually play. While playing fetch or running exploring things, we kept Jack near us by verbally notifying him "Here", "eh-eh", etc., if he is off too far, and giving praise and games of chase if he is right next to us. When he was very tired, we'd start walking back without the leash. He still thought it was a game or work of sorts (he was still in that mode), so he kept his attention on us; we were able to easily control him verbally. Then we'd *slowly* shift our attention to just being oriented forward, and he just trotted along. Closer to trails we'd put his leash on. Soon, we were able to continue the walk without his leash even on trails. He was still in the zone ignoring bikers and roller-skaters, he wouldn't even go to the side to pee unless we tell him to.

Now fast forward to the city where, once he knows he is going towards the river trails, he'd not only pull like a maniac, he'd run in place (moon-walk) pulling your arm out. For the life of me I couldn't understand why is he so crazy about it now; but, as we'd get there and take his leash off, there he is a nice little doggie trotting along. I mean there was actually a clear line between the "city walk" and the "trail walk", i.e. mad dog vs. good dog.

I thought about how was it that we taught him to walk nicely off leash... We slowly and SNEAKINGLY (sp?) erased the border between the field and the trails. I really think he didn't even notice when he was out in the middle of all these people because his attention was on the walk. I realized that all I have to do is exactly the same thing! Be sneaky and erase the boundary between the "city" and the "trail"; he shouldn't even notice. Today was our second day of a perfect walk!

I acted like the leash wasn't there. I even held it with my other arm to signify that I want something different form him - not his mad "city walk". I used the same verbal "Here","Staying with", etc., boundary words - the ones I only use when he is on a "good walk".
I was acting as if he was already doing it, and when he started out jumping like a goat, he looked at us a few times, and immediately switched gears to a "trail walk". My husband was like this: [sm=eek.gif]. I think I got it.

I understood what CM means when he tells people to think back to where they are strong, etc., and act that way. I don't know about "being strong", he doesn't explain it well (but then I don't know how to explain it either). It's just thinking back to where you have a some control over your dog - at least some (for me it was on the trails), and then acting and letting the dog know that everything is a trail. So, I am not thinking about it as taking on a different obstacle (as in - "Now lets try heeling in the city"), I am just erasing the boundary, I am just CONTINUING. He didn't even notice - I tricked him. [8D]

For those of you who are natural with all this, this is probably useless info, but for me, it was - Yey! []
I got it (at least for now). [8D]