Tips for Obedience Training – Keep Your Pup On Leash First!

Tips for Dog Obedience Training – Why You Shouldn’t Start Off Leash Right Away with Your Puppy?

It’s lovely to watch a puppy to discover the world and happily run around to check everything out. This is a very common thing to do and if you are lucky you might get away with it. But I can tell you that most people aren’t that lucky! Too much freedom early on very often causes problems that become obvious later on. Here’re my tips for dog obedience training.

 

Too Much Freedom Too Soon Leads to Taking Off

I have met many people that can not enjoy some of my classes, such as agility because they have no control over their dog off-leash. This is due to the dog learning early on that running up to other dogs and people is ok and fun. Dogs don’t understand that we might not want them to do it all the time. If they learn to do it as young pups, they will do it as grown-ups as well. This is why a young pup shouldn’t start their walks off-leash, we should train them on lead first to come back when called and not to approach everyone in sight.

 

Not Everyone Wants Your Dog Around

Just yesterday I saw an out of control dog running up to every person and dog in Sydney Park ending up stealing and eating someone’s lunch. The owner was no where near first and even when he showed up he didn’t even try to control the dog in any way, he was simply following the dog around. This is not the way to do it. Off-leash areas are not just for the dogs, they aren’t for out of control behaviours. If you read the sign at the start of the park, you’ll find advice that says that all dogs must be under the owner’s control at all times. Training a dog is not optional if you wish to enjoy off-leash fun.

 

Environment Can Be Rewarding Too

Your best training efforts can be completely wasted if the environment is rewarding your dog. A puppy jumping up on people is usually considered cute and rewarded with attention, running off to other dogs is often rewarded with playtime and stealing someone’s picnic is simply delicious! This is why a long recall lead is a great tool for training!

 

Check Out More Tips for Dog Obedience Training Here in My Blog!