regarding walking your dogs off leash. As you may have noticed we do allow our Sighthound dogs to run free at the park, in the forests and trust them to return always, but there are some tips and tricks that we follow and here are some I'd like to share with you.
Before we start I would also like to mention that both Chico and Haggis are walked and trained on leash about 3 - 4 times a week, to maintain good behaviour and encourages our good 'dominant' owner and dog relationship.
The first thing you must have uppermost in your mind:
No matter what "crime" your dog may have committed,
how long time he took to come when you called, or how worried and angry
you got when you called in vain - you must ALWAYS show true love and a
hearty warm greeting (preferably with a small treat or two) when the dog
finally does come back to you. You may need to be a good actor/actress
for this!
In other words: Your dog MUST be able to be sure of a
warm and loving welcome AT ALL TIMES, no matter what he did prior to
coming to you. He must learn from his earliest days, that to be by your
side is the most pleasurable situation! He must know that you, without fail, are always glad to see him again. He must look forward to being with you again if, as and when he runs off - and he will!
Far too many owners make the fatal mistake of showing
their quite natural anger when their dog has been disobedient or in some
way let them down. They also feel the dog should be punished.
But it's impossible to explain to a dog that, whilst
he did right here and NOW when he finally came when you called for the
100th time, he did wrong prior to this by delaying coming.
There's just no way you can explain this subtlety to any dog.
Punish him and be angry when he finally does come and
next time he'll put off the evil moment of rejoining you, perhaps even
learn to dread coming, next time as he knows this will only be
unpleasant.
Never reproach a dog for being slow to return - he'll then only be even slower next time!
I have seen many a dog slinking along TRYING to come
its angry owners, tail down and hating and scared of the situation and
nervous of the scolding or maybe even blows that will ensue. I have seen
hunters hit their dog when it was disobedient.
So do not ever fall into the trap of showing your
negative emotions. Never punish a dog for finally doing the very thing
that you have after all, been trying to get him to do for the last 10
minutes or more!!!
The
point to keep in mind is, that the moment when the dog has come to your
feet, he has done the right thing! He's done what you wanted! His
behavior is at that moment in time is 100% correct.
For this, he must be instantly rewarded.
If you were very annoyed, perhaps even feeling murderous,
(!!!) then HIDE YOUR FEELINGS AT ALL COSTS! You can instead, make him
sit on command so that he "earns" the treat by being obedient yet again,
and then you must immediately give him praise and a tit-bit. In other
words: He must be real glad he came to you, no matter what he's done or
how you feel about it. This is vitally important.
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Training:
From the first moment you bring your new dog into
your home, have some dry puppy food always at the ready in your pocket.
(I say puppy food, as the pieces are very small - do NOT use something
unhealthy like chocolate, which is poisonous for dogs! Rather use a
brand of dog food that you reserve only for treats.)
Call his name in sweet (but commanding) tones and
reward with praise and a single piece of the puppy food every time he
comes. Do this often - but not so often he gets bored with it! This is
the first important step. Takes just 5 minutes to learn!!!
The place where you will walk the dog:
The next step is to choose with care the area where you will take the daily walk.
There must not be busy roads too near or too many wild
animals. Open areas are best for Sighthounds as they CAN crash into
trees - they look back to see what you're doing or if other dogs are
chasing behind and at high speed, suddenly - wham! It happened to Chico the other day, not a very nice sight.
Take the walk five or six times or more (if it's an
older dog who's new to you, then MANY times over 2-3 weeks), whilst
keeping the dog on the leash. (Once a day, not 5-6 times a day!) Let him
examine the route the whole time. The idea is that he learn the route thoroughly before
getting his freedom. By learning the area, he won't get lost or panic if
suddenly he runs off the beaten track. It's best to always take the
same route each time.
Always walk at the same time every day:
Wild animals learn quickly and will scram out of it
fast, prior to your coming each day - if they have a chance to get to
know you! Fix something on to the dog's collars that rings or tinkles
and the sound of this will act as a warning to all the wild creatures. A
hare only has to be chased after once and it will make quite sure it
doesn't happen again if it can recognize the same collar bells ringing!
You can whistle, sing and speak unnaturally loudly to the dogs or stamp
or clap occasionally - anything that will scare wild animals far away!
Believe me, the wild animals soon learn to keep away from your dogs!
I'm of course
assuming that you, as I do, have the dogs as pets living in your house
together with you. For those of you who have their dogs shut away
somewhere the most of the time or permanently, this close bonding
between owner and dog is impossible and you may never be able to trust
your dog in the same way when, if ever, it runs free. It will no doubt
ignore you and make full use of the freedom and refuse to be caught. I
know I would do the same, if I was a dog who never went on regular
walks!
WARNING:
If it's an older dog you've taken over from someone else, who is not
used to having his freedom, take an extra long time getting him used to
the area where you walk whilst keeping him on the leash, and be sure he
has become devoted and faithful to you and comes enthusiastically every
time he is called. I'd take several weeks to be on the safe side. I
always train my dogs to come to a whistle as well. A soundless whistle
carries further, especially for men whose voice is usually isn't as
effective as a womans! A whistle can also be used by others, should they
walk the dog for you one day - so he's not just used to just one or two
particular human voices. And it's more discreet than plain standing
hollering, should he disappear and other people are around!
Note:
Never underestimate how different you may look to a dog when he sees
you from a great distance - and maybe for the first time! Remember that
moving objects are easier to spot than stationary, so don't just stand
there calling, run to and fro! You can also wave a large white
handkerchief. I always do. He will also tend to run to look for you
where he last saw you - so don't wander too far away.
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When out on the walk, it's
important to occasionally call your dog to you and praise, love him and
give a treat - and then just let him go again. This way, he'll never
know the moment when you plan to "capture" him permanently and put him
on the leash. Dogs CAN play up when they sense that the end of a walk is
nigh - which is usually all too soon in their opinion! I have never had
a sighthound who did this, but the possibility is there.
You can also occasionally walk on for 5 minutes
and then release him again. He should get a relaxed attitude to being
restrained on the leash - and a relaxed attitude about running free. Dogs who rarely get the chance, cannot be blamed
for playing up and trying to prolong the fun - much to the owners
frustration. Such owners often swear: "never again!"
But one should rather take the dog for a daily
run, give him time to get used to the situation and enjoy it like it's
no more special than his dinner each day. A dog who runs free every day,
will always be attentive to his owners wishes - and happy and well
balanced in himself. (And a good mover at shows!) He'll find running
free no big deal and will always be willing to come to you again. You
will get a lot of pleasure from seeing him run around. Sighthounds are
simply beautiful in motion and you can see all their muscles flexing!
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Don't be deceived by a sighthound:
If
you get a puppy and start walking short distances every day - this is
great and you'll have few problems. But I have heard sad stories of
several "beginner" owners of older re-homed or rescued sighthounds who,
despite warnings from the breeder, let their newly acquired dog run free
straight away - without any of the precautions I mention above.
Sighthounds
are easily bored and therefore can appear very docile, quiet and sweet,
often moving slowly most of the walk. This is deceptive. A new owner
can believe that all is well and go off on a walk in the countryside
with the dog off leash. But the docile sighthound can, faster than
anyone would dream of, turn suddenly into a bullet shot out of a gun and
race off at such a speed that it can in seconds be up to a mile away
and perhaps out of earshot!
It will run straight back again just as fast, if dog and owner both
love each other and are "bonded together" as they should be. (Even
experienced owners can have their heart in their mouths occasionally -
but that's all part of the fun of owning such a breed of dog - you get
the "adrenaline rush" regularly!!!)
But what happens to the inexperienced, newly placed dog? He panics.
The unknown new situation scares him out of his mind.
He's maybe never seen his new owners at such a distance, (perhaps they
are dots on the horizon or even out of sight). They are suddenly
complete strangers and he becomes afraid of everyone. He runs wildly
around and is soon totally lost.
THIS is why you should spend a week or more familiarising him with the walking area BEFORE letting him run free.
If you have several dogs, start the first time by having
them on the leash when the new one is set free to run loose. They will
act like magnets to ensure he keeps nearby. The first time all dogs are
let free, choose a rainy day or a day that is too hot - this puts a
damper on all stupid flying around antics, drunk with freedom - they
will just want to get home again!!!
If
your dog has run off and you have waited a hour calling an whistling,
then what do you do? Well, never stop looking and calling and if
possible get hold of someone he knows, who can help. Get the police,
local dog rescue involved. Put up notices in schools, on trees, notice
boards in shopping malls etc. He's out there somewhere dying for you to
rescue him. But all this worry need not happen if you take the precautions explained above.
