Motivate Your Dog to Walk with You
2008-08-13

Motivate your Dog to walk with you

Necessary of motivating your dog with you Just like people who aren't used to exercise, dogs should start off slow, walking with you is a common start. Moderately paced walking is a good way to start--they let canine athletes build their cardiovascular and muscle strength without putting undue stress on their joints. A daily ten- to 15-minute walking session is a good start; you can build to an hour a day if rover seems up to it.

Keys to motivate dog walk Do you want to motivate your dog to walk nicely next to you? Yes! There are some strategies you can take. Take a few precautions: • Get the right equipment. Before venturing anywhere, be sure you have a properly-fitted collar and the right leash. Gentle leaders, or head halters, can be favorable at this stage of re-learning how to walk. Sometimes it's easier to teach dogs what not to do at first, and then build up to the proper behavior techniques. • Keep a close eye on your dog: watch for any unusual signs of fatigue or trouble breathing. If your pup wants to stop, let him. Dogs that overdo it can suffer strained tendons or ligaments or other orthopedic problems. • Don't expect your fuzzy buddy to be a weekend warrior, even if you only get exercise on the weekends yourself. After a long week without exercise, your dog may be ready to get out and burn off energy. But because of their enthusiasm, many of the popular breeds, such as Labrador and golden retrievers, will overdo it. • Safety first--keep Rover on a leash when you run. Even the best-trained dogs can run into the path of a car or a territorial animal. And if you have to run when it's dark out, put reflectors on your dog's collar as well as on your clothes. • Concrete and asphalt are tough on the paws, especially on hot days. Try to run on dirt paths or grass as much as possible. Gravel, cinders, and road salt can also irritate paws. • Take it easy in extreme weather. If it's freezing cold or hot and steamy out, either keep your run short or play a little indoor fetch instead. • The more active your dog is, the more water he'll need. Make sure he has plenty of fresh water before and after your run. If you're going for a long run, take some water along for him.

Train your dog 1) Start by working within the home Some dogs jump up and get excited at the mere prospect of discovering a walk may happen. Teach your dog to be calm when putting her leash on, and use the "sit-stay" command. She's got to learn to contain herself before even heading out the door. 2) Make the course interesting You should try with your dog to be more interesting so she is motivated to walk near you to see what other fun activity is going to happen! • Bring an outside-only toy with you. Give it to your dog when she is walking nicely. Gently take it away when she pulls. • Talk more. Enthusiasm is a way to keep your dog focused on you as well as provide information to her that she should continue doing what she is doing because she might get a treat or a toy.  • Quick, gentle changes in direction. • Change speeds. If your dog wants to run, run with her for short spurts when she appears by your side. • Change your tone and volume of voice. Try something like, "Hey. What's over there? Let's go check it out" and then start running towards something as soon as your dog looks at you, in order to motivate your dog to pay attention to you. • Toy exchanges. Teach your dog to drop toys on cue and then practice toy exchanges on walks by asking for "Drop", and then throwing another toy within the length of the leash. • Reward eye contact. The more your dog is motivated to look at you, the less she will pull towards other distractions.

3) Detailed course There are three steps to successful training, Motivation, praise, and correction. Start your walk around the inside of the house and praise your dog for not pulling. It's important for the dog to know that she has to obey your verbal commands and body language, or the walk stops. Pulling will simply not be tolerated. Every time she pulls, stop walking. By continuing to walk with her after she pulls on the lead, you are rewarding the undesirable behavior. Keeping the leash on your dog and then placing a cookie on the floor, some distance away from her. Teach her the "leave it" and "release" or "go get it" commands, which will come in very handy when confronted with outside distractions. When your dog seems to be behaving on lead within the home, it's time to head outside. Remember - don't proceed with the walk if the dog pulls or lunges! Your stroll around the block may take a little longer than expected, but the results of this trial will be worth it.

After a few months, he will do well and can handle long, fast walks without fatigue; he can graduate to jogging with you. Once he's adapted to the exercise, you and your dog can run and walk to your heart's content .