how do you work around exercising a dog vs training them to walk properly?
i found it hard trying to train my dog to not pull and giving her enough exercise, how do you balance it? i feel with training, being a tree etc that we don't walk very far in our short sessions, but the only alternative is to let her away with pulling. how do you work it out?
Walking with humans isn't much exercise for most dogs, although it certainly can be for Toy and other small breeds. Loose leash walking is a training exercise; it begins at home inside the house, sans leash, then continues out in the back yard. THEN the leash is applied. I've noticed a lot of people seem to think that their dog should walk in the HEEL position when walking their dogs. This is SO unfair for the dog! I have different leashes for the type of walk I'm doing with my dogs. There's the 6' leash for loose-leash walking, which means just that. My dog does not have to be on my left side in the heel position for this, just walking along and NOT pulling. A long line lead means they can wander about and explore, but not pull. A 4' lead is our power walk, which is in the heel position, and the dog is required to pay close attention to me, so s/he can move in tandem with me, not missing a beat. I also use a 6' leash for heeling, giving the cue "heel" to communicate what it is I want and expect. Whenever I'm out walking the dogs, I mix it up; it's all in the communication, and keeping their focus on me.
Exercise is something alltogether different. Free running, interactive games, board walks, jumps, etc.
