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I have a question,
in the mornings I do a stroll, usually on a 6 foot leash, on a harness, my dog can do whatever he wants as long as he's not pulling me. This is usually my "stimulate the dogs before I do work" sort of walk. I do throw out commands since I want my dog to still listen even in a situation where we aren't activily training (even though 100% of my day is dog training, lol)
In the afternoons I do structured walks. I ask for a heel and sporadically give out commands and shape them as I need as we're walking. I usually put the dogs on a shorter leash. I do this to make sure they are both sharp on more polite walking for the public rather than casual walks down the street
evenings i repeat what I did in the morning.
Here is where I am wondering, my dog is starting to think every walk is a focused and engaged walk. I don't want this. I know some people always expect their dogs in a loose heel, but I want the automatic expectation when my dog is on a leash to just not pull me. I don't want a focused heel unless I specifically ask for it. I find a more relaxed walk with no expectations to heel is more mentally fufilling to my dogs.
I've been trying to shape situations where my dog walks ahead of me and casually sniffs around by saying the work "break" as he starts to break the heel, but he isn't getting it and me saying something perks him up and he puts himself back into a heel and it brings his focus back. Would just ignoring him as he walks ahead work better? I'm not sure what to do.
Thanks.
in the mornings I do a stroll, usually on a 6 foot leash, on a harness, my dog can do whatever he wants as long as he's not pulling me. This is usually my "stimulate the dogs before I do work" sort of walk. I do throw out commands since I want my dog to still listen even in a situation where we aren't activily training (even though 100% of my day is dog training, lol)
In the afternoons I do structured walks. I ask for a heel and sporadically give out commands and shape them as I need as we're walking. I usually put the dogs on a shorter leash. I do this to make sure they are both sharp on more polite walking for the public rather than casual walks down the street
evenings i repeat what I did in the morning.
Here is where I am wondering, my dog is starting to think every walk is a focused and engaged walk. I don't want this. I know some people always expect their dogs in a loose heel, but I want the automatic expectation when my dog is on a leash to just not pull me. I don't want a focused heel unless I specifically ask for it. I find a more relaxed walk with no expectations to heel is more mentally fufilling to my dogs.
I've been trying to shape situations where my dog walks ahead of me and casually sniffs around by saying the work "break" as he starts to break the heel, but he isn't getting it and me saying something perks him up and he puts himself back into a heel and it brings his focus back. Would just ignoring him as he walks ahead work better? I'm not sure what to do.
Thanks.