How to improve your dog walk!
Circuit training - Lets make your dog’s daily exercise more interesting.
We’re going to look at seven different things you can do on a walk.
As you walk along, find seven different spots to stop and do something with them.
Here we go:
1. Watch - Getting your dog to watch you
Count to 5 and treat.
Count to 10 and treat.
Count to 15 and treat.
Here is how:
Show your dog what you’ve got as a reward. Bring it up to your eyes and when they focus on you – say watch and then reward. Increase the time they keep watching and reward after the desired time.
As always do everything three times before moving on to the next stopping point/station.
Whilst walking to the next point. Allow your dog to sniff and lead you!
2. Play tuggy -and teach the word stop.
It is important to play with your dog whilst out and about with them. They do not need to just go off and play with others – and at the moment, this is a definite NO. So, you must become their best friend. For this game you need two toys – preferably tuggys’ but if you don’t have any, then a couple of tea towels with a knot in are fine. Keep one in your pocket and then tease your dog and make the toy alive. Play, play, play with your dog – on lead of course. Now you need to say STOP, and your dog should stop pulling on the toy and drop back into a Sit.
Great now you need to produce the other toy, and play with that one. Play, play, play and then say stop! Your dog should move away and go into a sit. Reward with another game with the first toy and when you finish this game, put the toys away and move on with your walk.
Whilst walking to the next point. Allow your dog to sniff and lead you!
3. Using the same toy just toss it to the end of your dog’s lead getting to go and find it – it is important for you to keep your dog on the lead as you want to make sure that your dog will bring it back to you.
Make sure you say FETCH, when you let your dog get the toy. Use the other toy which you should have in your pocket to encourage your dog. As your dog is on a lead, use this to bring them towards you. If they drop it, tell them to pick it up and bring it to you. Use the other toy to bribe them if need be.
Do this three times at least and then move on to the next stopping point.
Whilst walking to the next point. Allow your dog to sniff and lead you!
4. Sit stay and walk all the way around your dog.
To begin with we get our dog to sit.
Carefully walk away from your dog and see if you can walk around your dog.
To begin with you may find them moving round with you. Simply stop and go back to beginning – put them back into a sit and start again.
Your goal is to walk around your dog without them moving.
Reward if they do. Do it three times.
See which way they prefer you to walk around them.
Is there one way they feel more comfortable? - remember which way that is, you will need that information later on.
Reward your dog and then moving onto the next stopping point.
Whilst walking to the next point. Allow your dog to sniff and lead you!
5. At your next stopping point, get your dog into a sit in front of you.
Now get your dog to get up and walk around you and come around and sit by your left hand side.
Now come and stand in front of your dog, and then repeat the whole thing. Get your dog to get up and walk around you to sit by your left. Reward.
Repeat once more before moving onto your next stopping point.
Whilst walking to the next point. Allow your dog to sniff and lead you!
6. Figure of eight now let’s get the dogs to move in and out between your legs doing a figure of eight following something.
We tend to use treats or toys for this
First, you need to stand astride and then using your treat/toy guide your dog to move in and out around your legs. Try and do a figure of 8 around them.
Do this at least three times and you may find your dog feel happier going one way rather than another. Try and remember which way your dog prefers.
Reward and then move on to the next point for your final game.
Whilst walking to the next point. Allow your dog to sniff and lead you!
7. Middle - Let’s teach the dog how to find in between your legs and sit there face in the same direction as you
You have already got your dog happy to move around your legs, so instead of them going all around your legs, use your toy/treat and encourage your dog to come through from the back of your legs and get them to sit in between your legs. When they are in the right spot, reward your dog.
If your dog does it well and learns quickly – then try and get them to lie down instead.
Now lure your dog out to the front and get them to repeat it three times before moving on to finish your walk.
Use different places/stations as you’re walking so if you go to a similar place, you do something with your dog at places along the journey.
The idea is to make the walk more interesting for your dog and stimulating for us but you are also building a good bond between you and your dog, which will be a benefit for everyone when we finally get back to some sort of normality.
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