Great Ideas To Help You
Win The Battle Of The Walk! 2
By Martin McKenna
Do you remember
the Pretend Mouse
Technique?
Turn
your back and
walk to the
end of the
leash and suddenly
get very excited
and pretend there’s
a little lively
mouse trying to
escape from your
cupped hands. Make excited
exclamations, like, “Oh my goodness – look at
that! Don’t escape little mouse! Look
out!”
Totally
ignore your dog
as you start
pretending the mouse
is escaping from
your hands. Pretend to
catch it in
your cupped hands
like this:
Most dogs
will be far too curious
not to come
and see what
you’re doing. They’ll stop their
sit-down rebellion and
come and investigate. Pretend to put the
mouse down your
shirt or in
your pocket and
keep calmly walking
as though nothing
unusual is happening. You can
bring out that
pretend mouse again
if need be. For
a doubting, suspicious dog – pretend
that pesky mouse has escaped
into a bush or the
grass and root
around for a while hunting
for it, trying to
cup it in
your hands. Get excited
and totally ignore
your dog on
the end of
its leash. The Pretend Mouse
Technique is surprisingly
effective with most
clever, stubborn dogs –
though you may
have to put
on a bit
of an Academy
Award act with
some very suspicious, cunning individuals.
It was some very wise lead
dogs
who taught me this trick
of pretending
there’s something exciting
happening to regain
control of a
situation. It’s an easy
way to slide
a challenging dog
out of a
stubborn mood. It’s also
an easy way
to make yourself
the center of
attention again – which is
where the leader
should be – right in
the spotlight holding
everyone’s fascinated attention. I
find some dogs
are so cunning
and pushy that in the
end, they’ll only hand
over the leadership
to a truly
ingenious, fascinating leader. They
enjoy having you
in charge only if
you’re interesting and
slightly unpredictable in how you
solve problems.
So if
you feel your
usual plodding, boring training
techniques are getting
you nowhere with
a really tricky
dog – then
it’s time to add a
real dash of charisma to
your problem-solving skills! Only
the wisest lead
dogs I’ve known
understood the power
of charismatic leadership – and I
picked up as
many tricks as
I could from
these ingenious individuals. The Pretend Mouse
Technique is a fun,
easy way
for anyone to start being
fascinating and mesmerising
to their dog. I’m
sure you can
think of other
ways too. Why not
pretend to catch
a butterfly? Or a little song
bird? Just remember to
instantly behave in
a calm manner
as soon as
you can and
act as though
nothing unusual just
happened. That will give
your dog something
to think about!
Don’t take Submissive
Steps towards your
dog.
This
is a subtle
challenge almost all
dogs will try
on you at
some stage. Always get
a challenging dog to come all
the way to you.
Otherwise it will
try to trick
you into taking
Submissive Steps towards
it.
If you have no
choice
but to walk
over to your
dog to fetch
it – do so in
a very aloof
manner with your
chin raised and clip
it
on its leash. Now win
back some points
by walking away
to the end
of the leash
and making your
dog “COME” to
you. Say it in
a calm, firm voice
with your chin
raised and pulling
a little on
the leash if
you need to. Repeat
until your dog
is coming to
you smoothly.
If your dog refuses
to come, try this. Face a
little away from
dog, crouch down and
tap the ground
with the palms
of your hands
as you sway
from side to
side playfully. Stand up
the second your
dog comes over
and raise your
chin and cross
your arms, as you tell it
to “SIT” or
“STAND” quietly in front of
you. After a few
moments, move off with
the dog respectfully
at your side.
If
that fails, use the Pretend
Mouse Technique to lure
your dog over
to you.
Some
people may prefer
to use a
yummy food treat
but make sure
your dog sits
for the reward
or it’ll soon
be training you to feed
it on demand.
Your
greatest weapon in
the Battle of
the Walk is an attitude
of calm determination
that you’ll win.
Without
a doubt, if you have a
calm attitude that’s
extremely determined – your dog
will eventually come
to respect you. Calmness
and determination are
qualities only very
wise lead dogs
have. It’s very difficult
for most dogs
to remain calm
in all situations
and this is
why they’re so
impressed by humans
who stay relaxed
no matter what
happens.
Usually, dogs don’t
see much determination
in humans out
on the walk – so
impress your dog
with your new “super calm, never-give-up” attitude.
Your worst enemy
is when you
get flustered and
have doubts you’ll
ever solve the
problem.
Unfortunately, if your
dog senses you’re
getting flustered and
frustrated it will
keep getting extra
energy to test
out your leadership. Don’t shout, curse, get angry
or upset.
Most of all, try
not to be hesitant out on the
walk. Get in the habit
of moving in
a smooth, relaxed and
confident way. Know exactly
how you’re going
to respond when your
dog starts testing
you. Then without any fuss or
doubts, instantly slide into
fixing the problem.
If you walk
with someone and get
distracted, your dog will
see it as
weakness – and may grab
the chance to
misbehave.
You
may notice that
if you stop
and talk to
someone, your dog will
start misbehaving. This is
because it sees
a perfect opportunity
to grab some
control from you
while you’re distracted.
The solution? Before you
stop and talk, make
your dog very aware
that you’re taking
control of the
situation. Raise your chin
high, shorten the leash
and firmly saying, “LEAVE IT”. This
gives your dog
a calm warning
to leave the
other person alone. Don’t
allow your dog
to jump all
over the person. In
fact, stand between the
other person and
your dog and use your
shortened leash to
control the dog
like this:
Say
“SIT” in a
firm voice and
calmly jerk the
leash in warning
if it ignores
you. If it refuses
to sit, I’m happy
if the dog at least “COME”’s a
few paces towards
me and “STAND”’s
quietly and calmly. All
we’re after is
a polite dog
who’s behaving calmly
and quietly.
What we don’t
want
is a dog
who’s barking, whining or pulling on
the leash at all.
This is
a dog deliberately
trying to throw
lots of challenges
at the person
you want to
talk to.
You can
ask the other
person to help
the situation by having
them totally ignore
the dog and
pretend it doesn’t
exist. It will help
if they raise
their chin a little
too and don’t
pat, talk to or
look at the
dog at all.
If your
dog refuses to
be ignored and starts barking
in a demanding
way – try this. Raise your
chin high, fold your
arms and start
walking straight into
your dog in
a brisk manner, forcing it
to move out
of your way. Pretend
it’s invisible and you’re acting
as though everything’s
perfectly normal with
your chin raised. You’ll
win valuable points
as your dog
makes way for
you.
Win
enough points, then firmly
say, “SIT” or “STAND”. Then
turn your back
on your dog
and ignore it. The
second it tests
you again, calmly repeat
walking into your
dog with your
chin high so
it submissively keeps
getting out of
your way. Stop when
it gives in and
acts in a
more respectful way. Then
get it to
walk at your
side back to
the person and get
it to stand
or sit quietly. Turn
your back on
it and ignore.
What I’m
looking for is the
dog to give a head
or body shake
and then relax
much more. If your
dog lies down
and snoozes with
its chin on the ground (such
lovely polite behaviour!) then you
can reward it with a
sleepy yawn and
closing your eyes
for a long
2 seconds.
If
your dog refuses
to give in
at all, then it’s
saying you haven’t
yet earned enough
points to be
the leader – and is
reminding you of
the fact. If this
is the case
go through both these walking
sheets and the
sheets, “The 25 secret
ways dogs become
our Boss” and
work out where
you’re still losing
too many points. Once
your overall point
score is high
enough, your dog will
stop challenging you
when you stop
to talk to
people on the
walk.
Also you
might make your
job easier if you practice
walking straight into
your dog around
your home with
your arms folded
and chin raised. This
will remind it
again and again
that you’re its
leader. Be relaxed and
pretend the dog
is invisible. Act as
though nothing unusual
is happening at all.
We want
your dog getting
used to giving right
of way to
you smoothly and
instantly. Each time it
backs up or
steps aside for
you it’s admitting
you’re in charge
and won’t feel
it has the
right to bark, whine
misbehave or use
aggression. After testing you
out for a
few days, we want
a dog who
melts away from
you if you
step into it’s
personal space. It’s a
polite sign of respect
– and a
very important one
in the Dog
World.
If you walk
with someone and
start disagreeing, your dog
will see an
opportunity to challenge
and test you
both.
Dogs
are very clever
opportunists. Whenever you have
a disagreement with
your partner or another family
member out on the walk – your
dog will see
this as the perfect
chance to throw
challenges at both
of you. Often while
you’re arguing, you’re so
distracted – your dog gets
the chance to win a
surprising amount of
points.
WARNING:
Human stress makes
most dogs challenge
even more than
usual!
If
there’s human tension, arguing or
intense debating on
the walk – be aware your
dog may be notching up
points while you’re
busy with the
other person. This can
be an issue
because all dogs
absorb tension like
sponges – and that tension
comes out again
later. Some dogs will
explode when they
absorb too much
attention by lunging
out aggressively at
another dog. Others will
run around, bark or
ignore you when
you call them. Some
dogs run off to chase
something so they
can get rid
of that build-up
of tension.
Another thing
to keep in
mind is this – if members
of the family
pack start fighting amongst
themselves – then it instinctively
causes the lesser-ranking dogs
of the pack
to start throwing
out lots more
challenges. It’s a survival
instinct in all
dogs. Your dog is
getting ready to
take over if
the pack falls
apart or a
member leaves.
To regain
your dog’s attention and
remind it you’re
back in control
after a tense
tiff – firmly say it’s
name and give
the command, “LEAVE IT”. This
will remind dog you’re back
on track, keeping an eye on its
behaviour. It’s a calm
warning to not
misbehave.
Then make
a genuine effort
to calm down
everyone’s energy and
tension levels. Breathe calmly and
deeply. Sleepily close your
eyes. Ignore your dog
and don’t fuss
or baby it. Yawn
slowly and sleepily. Keep your
chins slightly elevated. I
find if the
human tension is still pretty
high when you
get home, have everyone
sit around a
few hours and
watch a comedy
DVD together or
alone in your
private rooms. Comedies are
great for draining
all the human tension and
stress out of
the home. Never forget – undercurrents of
human tension quickly
lead to more dog behaviour
problems!
Don’t be embarrassed
if someone else’s
dog seems effortlessly
well-behaved.
Does
it sometimes seem other people’s
dogs seem to be wonderful
dogs who never
do anything wrong? While
yours is constantly
being a brat
on the walk? Don’t
lose heart. Some dogs
are naturally pushier than
others. Mother Nature simply
gave your dog
an extra squirt
of domination in
its genetics and
it’s this that keeps triggering
all that challenging
behaviour in your
dog.
If
you do happen
to have a
naturally pushy dog, stay
calm and determined. Practice winning
all the challenges
set out in these sheets
so you win many more
points than your
dog. That’s the secret
to success with
pushy dogs – learn how
to win a
high point score
every single day
for the rest
of your dog’s
life.
Your dog
will sense any
embarrassment you have
and will see
it as weakness.
So don’t
make your job
any harder than
it has to be. Ignore other dogs
and just focus
on winning as
many walking challenges
as you can
so you can
steadily notch up
a really impressive
point score.
I
find it helps
if you just
shut everyone else
out when you
have a really
pushy dog. Calmly apologize
to other owners
if you make
a few mistakes
and say, “I’m sorry – just
doing some much
needed training with
my dog and
I’m afraid we’re
both learning” as
you keep walking
along briskly.
Act
confident and your
smell will be
confident too. Your smell never
lies about how
you truly feel
inside – so we want
your dog to
be impressed by
your calm, determined and
confident leader smell. No
more feeling embarrassed!
Do you know
all the secret
battles we have
to win on
the walk as
we leave the
house?
For
the best walking
results – get to know
the different battles
or challenges that
your dog has
to lose before
you get out
in public. If you
get in the
habit of winning
these important tests
every single walk – your
dog will come
to respect you
as a worthy
leader who can
be safely left
in control once
you leave the
home territory.
Battle
1: When the Leash
comes out.
Dogs sure love
to win this
challenge! They bounce and
slide around in
a manic way. They
fill the air
with their invasive
barking. They love deliberately
working up their energy
and adrenalin to
chaotic levels.
From
now on, teach your
dog to remain
calm and quiet
when the leash
is brought out. Use
the mat
and secured leash
technique I’ve already
explained at the
beginning of these
sheets to calm
down and gain
control of a
pushy, noisy dog.
BEWARE: If your
dog keeps racing
around and barking
now at the
very start of
the walk – then it’s
not going to
listen to you
later on the
walk either.
Battle
2: Clipping the
leash on.
This is the
perfect chance for
dogs to prove
from the start
who’s really in control of
the walk. They can
bounce up and
bump your chin. They
can invade your personal
space by stepping, jumping and
leaning all over
you. They try to
lure you into
taking Submissive Steps
towards them – ESPECIALLY that
powerful last step. They
can move their
head in awkward
ways so it’s
difficult to clip
on the leash. They
won’t stay still. They
wiggle around and
make it very
difficult to clip
on that leash
Teach
your dog to
sit calmly while
you clip on
it’s walking leash. The mat
and secured
leash technique will
help you get
success if you practice.
Battle 3: Walking to the front door.
In the Dog
World, who gets out
the entrance of
the den (your
front door) before anyone
else means you’re
the winner in the race
for the leadership. This is
why many dogs
try to drag
their humans through
the door and get outside
first. The winner is
earning the right
to be the
Boss of the whole
walk.
To
avoid this from
happening, get your dog
to walk “BACK”
behind you all
the way to
the front door. If
it tries to
pull you, use the Opposite
Way Technique I’ve
already described to
stop your dog
from pulling ahead
at all.
Practice
until your dog
walks calmly and
respectfully at your
side but slightly
behind you all
the way to
the front door.
At the
door ask it
to sit for
you and wait until
you give the
command to continue
through the door
slightly behind you.
Practice this until
your dog stops
trying to lunge
ahead through the
door ahead of
you. Getting your dog
to sit 5
to 10 times
at the door before it
goes through will
help slide your
dog into a much more
submissive mood.
A pushy dog
will also want
to be the
first through the
gate. This is because
if it wins this challenge – then it
wins the race
to leave the
territory first – and should
be in charge.
This
means you should
have the dog
walk at your side, slightly
behind you all
the way to the gate, especially through
narrow thoroughfares like
hallways, stairways, gateways
and verandahs. If it
tries to lunge
past you, smoothly slide
into the Opposite Way
Technique.
Battle
5: Walking through the front gate.
This is a
very important challenge
so treat your
front gate like
the front door – and
don’t let your
dog pull you
through. Have it walk calmly behind
you through that powerful gate.
Get
your dog to
walk calmly and
respectfully at your
side, slightly behind you. Keep
repeating until your
dog is behaving
politely.
Battle 6: Getting
past your gate
or letterbox.
Don’t let your
dog take over
now!
Once
you’re past your
gateway, your dog will
really want to
leave a strong
scent-mark around your
letterbox or gate
area – however this is
a very dominant
thing to do
so firmly and
briskly walk your
dog further away
down the road
before allowing it
to urinate. Walk along
briskly with your
chin up and
firmly drag the
dog along as
it urinates. Your dog
will test you for
several weeks before realizing
that you’re completely
serious about stopping
this dominant scent-marking
habit.
Battle 7: The first
10 meters outside
the gate.
This is when
many dogs slow
down and stop
to sniff too
much. They’re testing
to see if they can
make you stand
and wait for
them while they
take their time. If
they can get
you obediently waiting
for them – then they’re
proving who should
be left in
charge – them!
I
believe the best
thing to do in this
situation is to
drag a dog
along who’s stubbornly
trying to stop
and sniff. Whatever you
do, don’t stand there
waiting obediently for
it to finish.
If
your dog really
digs its toes
in and anchors
its feet to the ground, instead of
dragging it along – pretend it’s
invisible and with
your chin up
high – march through the
dog so it
quickly moves out
of your way. Smell
confident and ignore
any drama it
makes, then keep on
briskly walking as
though nothing unusual
just happened.
Dogs who regularly
travel in the
car to the
walking area will
often try and win
lots of challenges
before they get
in the car.
So if you
take your dog
in the car
to the walk
area, make sure you
follow all the steps up
until this point, keeping your
dog on a
leash. Practice having it
walk at your
side, slightly behind you
all the way
to the car. Then
get it to
sit 5 or
10 times for
you before you
allow it to
jump inside on your command, “IN”.
Practice leaving
the car door
open
and walk your
dog calmly around
the house, the yard
and your driveway
in the polite
“BACK” position. Hold your
chin high and
have a very
aloof attitude. Make sure
your dog learns
to walk calmly
and quietly at
your side, slightly behind
you. Keep using the Opposite
Way Technique if
your dog tries
to pull you
along or tries
to lunge past
you and leap past you
and get inside
the car before
you say “SIT”
and “IN”.
Battle
9: As you drive
in the car
with your dog.
Some dogs find
the drive in
the car to
the walk area is
the perfect place
to grab control
from you. Think about
how helpless you
are. You have both
your hands glued
to the steering
wheel. You’re distracted by
having to drive. Your
eyes are mainly
focused on the road. Most
people get very
flustered and frustrated
if their dog
is misbehaving in
the car and
of course your
dog will pick
up on this
straight away!
Decide how you’ll
stop the dog
from barking as the
car drives along. I’ll
leave that decision
up to you. Some
people use a
water bottle to
squirt their dog. Others
have someone in
the car with
them and tug
the leash firmly
as they say, “ENOUGH!”. Others try
a yummy food
treat. Some people tap
the dog in
warning on the
nose as they
say, “ENOUGH!” Work out what
works best for
you. Don’t turn the
ignition on until
the dog is
calmly waiting, not barking.
I believe
it’s much safer if for the first
10 trips or
so you have
an adult in
the car to
handle the dog
while someone else
drives.
You’ll get better
results
if you keep
your energy very
calm and no-nonsense
and your chin
raised high. Don’t keep
looking at the
dog helplessly or
say frustrated, angry things. If
it’s behaving calmly
and politely, reward with
a slow, sleepy yawn turning your
head away from
the dog and
close your eyes for a
long 2 seconds. If
you give it
any more attention
that that, it will
start getting over-excited
and will start
throwing challenges at you again.
If you don’t win these car
challenges – then your
dog will arrive
at the walking
park feeling very
self-important and will
certainly be in
the mood to
challenge you even more
– especially if you
let it free
off-leash!
You may come across
some
tricky moments
out on the
walk
…so what do
you do if…?
You’re walking past
other ‘enemy’ dog
properties where there’s
a barking dog
behind fence.
Pretend there’s nothing unusual happening so you help relax your dog. Ignore both dogs and walk along briskly with your chin raised high. Keep your dog on a firm, short leash at your side. If your dog is on a leash and the other dog is behind a secure fence, the situation should be easy to control. Whatever you do – don’t let your dog scent-mark around this area as this will make your dog feel far too important – and will drive the dog behind the fence crazy with frustration!
If you
know the enemy
dog fence well, get your
dog to “COME”
and “SIT” 5
to 10 times
for you before you
get there. This will
help slide your
dog into a
much more submissive
mood. It will also
let you see
how challenging your
dog is being.
As you
approach the fence – don’t stare
helplessly at your
dog to see
how it will
react to the enemy dog
behind the fence
as this will
make it feel
too important. If your
dog starts pulling
and leaping around, lunging towards
the enemy barking
dog – smoothly start using the
Opposite Way Technique.
Gain control
before you walk
past. It
will make a
huge difference if
you can get
your dog to
stop pulling on the leash
and walk calmly
and quietly at
your side, slightly behind
you. Keep firmly saying
“BACK” as a
calm reminder to
stay well-behaved.
You may
consider carrying a
yummy treat and get
your dog to
keep strong eye
contact with you
as you walk
past. Reward once you
get past.
If your
dog keeps lunging
at the fence – stop still so your
dog is facing
you with it’s
back to the
fence. Hold its leash
short so it
can’t ignore you. Say
firmly in a
deep voice, “LEAVE IT!”
Glare
in serious warning
down at your
dog with your
chin raised like
this:
For dogs
who refuse to
stop lunging at
the enemy dog:
You
can start walking
smoothly into your
dog with your
chin high so
it submissively melts
backwards out of
your way. This will win you
powerful points and
distract your dog. Ignore
any barking and
wriggling it does
on the
end of the
short leash and
keep smoothly walking
it backwards until
you sense it
getting more respectful
and polite.
Ask
yourself at all
times – “Who’s taking
control of this
situation – is it me
or my dog?”
Do
what you have
to do to
stay in calm, firm
control of any
situation.
When you
feel the dog
is acting in
a calmer, more respectful
way
and isn’t trying
to take over – smoothly walk off with
your chin high, calmly
saying “BACK”.
If your
dog keeps trying
to grab control
by lunging at
enemy fences, it’s a sign
that you really need
to work on
getting more control
over your dog
at the earlier
stages of the
walk and at
home. If you win
control of all
the other smaller
challenges in your
dog’s life – then you’re
going to have more success
now when it
really matters.
What we
want
is a dog
who trusts your
leadership skills enough
to walk calmly
at your side, slightly behind
you – even if there’s
another dog barking
aggressively at it.
NOTE: If your dog
gets so stressed
by the situation
that it becomes
aggressive at you
for asking it
to sit calmly
and quietly, then you
need to get
professional help or
contact me for
further advice about
slower methods.
If you
haven’t been practicing
good leadership skills
until now, it may take
a while for you
to prove that
you can be
trusted to be your dog’s leader.
Don’t be
surprised if you
don’t get immediate
success. Stay calm, confident,
aloof and firm. We
need you to
have an calm, firm
attitude of determination
rather than upset, frustrated anger.
Walking
past loose dogs who run
out their gate
to aggressively guard
their territory:
This
is one of
the most difficult
situations you’ll encounter. In
the Dog World – if
you scent-mark regularly
on it – then you
own it. This means
a dog can use scent-marks
of poo and
urination to deliberately
stretch it’s home
territory right outside
its property to take
in the road and footpath
outside its gate. According to
the laws of the Dog
World, it’s genuinely earned
the right to
stop you from
walking through its
territory and some
dogs will guard
this area very
fiercely.
After a
lot of experience, I
now believe the
safest thing to
do in this
situation is to simply contact
your local council
and let them
deal with it. I
understand this is
often the last thing you
want to do, but
I’ve found in
the end, it’s the
only thing that
actually works. It also protects
you if there
is a serious incident – because afterwards
an attack, the police
officer, council ranger or
judge will ask
you why you
didn’t immediately contact
the official authorities
if you were so concerned
about your safety.
If you
feel bad for
contacting the authorities,
console yourself with
the idea that
you may be
protecting someone else
from being seriously
attacked – such as a vulnerable small
child or another
dog. In the meantime, while you wait and see whether
the situation is
improved by official
intervention, it would probably
be best to start walking
your dog in another safer
area. You may need
to drive to
a dog park
or free exercise
area to avoid
the dogs guarding
the public areas
outside their gates.
Walking
past people your
dog doesn’t like.
This
is very serious, so
try to put
in plenty of
practice controlling your
dog on the
leash so it
never pulls and
that it always
sits on command. Do
this practice training
inside your home and in
your back yard. HAVE YOUR
DOG UNDER PERFECT
CONTROL BEFORE YOU
LEAVE YOUR HOME
TERRITORY.
Out
on the walk if your
dog growls at
someone, raise your chin
high and in
an aloof, extremely confident
manner walk your
dog off the
footpath or across the
road away from
the person. When you’re
a safe distance
away, get your dog
to sit 10
times briskly in
a no-nonsense way
for you. Put yourself
so your dog’s
back is to
the person. We want
the dog not
looking at the
person.
You should
be able to
snap, “LEAVE IT!” and
your dog will
instantly stop growling
or lunging. Jerk the
leash in warning
if it doesn’t
stop, hold the leash
short so it
can’t look away
and glare down
at it from
the side of
your eyes with
your chin raised
high like this:
Practice doing
this around your
home and many
times out on
the walk, by pretending there’s
something you want
it to ignore. What
we’re looking for
is your dog
to turn away, chin
down and be
calm and submissive
the moment you
say, “LEAVE IT!” in
a firm voice.
Don’t let
your dog off
the leash until this
issue is well
and truly solved. Personally, I would
advise you consider
keeping your dog
always on the
leash when you’re
out in public. Never
risk your dog
biting somebody.
If your
dog still shows
aggression after you
command it to “LEAVE
IT!” you’ll
have to carefully
review the sheets, “The
25 secret ways
dogs become our
Boss”. If your dog
is growling too
often and is
becoming unsafe, then it’s
clearly notching up too high
a point score.
This
means you have
to stop allowing
your dog all
those little privileges
that make it
feel too important
around your home – like
sleeping on your
bed, eating when it
feels like it, having
dog toys, getting up on
the couch, freely roaming
around the house
and barking whenever
it feels like
it, and so on.
Really
make an effort
to win every single one of
the 25 classic challenges
on the sheets – otherwise you’re
letting your dog
win far too
many points than
is healthy for
it. You’ll know you’re
winning enough points
when your dog
doesn’t growl at
other people out
on the walk
and always listens
to you. If you’re
the true leader
of the walk, your
dog doesn’t have
the right to
use any aggression – especially if
you tell it
to stop.
If this problem
continues or you
have any concerns, please seek
professional help or
contact me for
more ideas. I cannot
emphasise how serious
a problem this
is. You need to
stop it as
soon as possible.
If your dog
wants to lunge
at cars, bikes, wildlife or
passing cats.
Keep
an eagle eye
out and when
you see a potential problem
approaching – get your dog
to sit facing
you with its
back to the
‘enemy’ thing. Hold it
on a short
leash so it
can’t look away
from you and
say “LEAVE IT!”
and hold it’s
gaze with your
chin up high.
If it
tries to bark, whine
or wriggle free – walk towards
it so it has
to give ground
to you, melting backwards
out of your
way as you
keep glaring at out of
the corner of
your eyes it
while keeping your
chin high as you keep
firmly saying, “LEAVE IT!”
in a deep, no-nonsense voice.
We want
the dog focusing
on you and not
anything else. If it gives in
and yawns or
looks away in
a different direction
from the thing
it wanted to
lunge at – reward with
slow, deep breathing and
a sleepy, long 2
second closing of
your eyes. Then move
off briskly, saying, “BACK!”
Getting to the
public park where
lots of dogs
are loose.
Public
parks are quite
neutral places for
dogs as it’s a large territory not
really owned by
any one dog. However
dog fights can
still happen so
if you have
any concerns at all about
the safety of
your dog – keep it
on a leash.
If you’re
going to let
your dog off-leash it’s
important to remind
your dog before
you release it
that you’re a
leader worth listening
to and respecting. For this
reason it will
help if you
win all the walking challenges
up until this
point – the ones you
have to win
at home and on the
walk or that
all-important drive to
the park.
I also
like to have
the dog sit before
it enters the
park’s natural gateway
and walk in
through the gate
behind you. I pull
it along and
don’t let it
scent-mark around the
gateway as this
will make your
dog feel too
important.
Before you
unclip the leash:
A
good idea is
to get your
dog to come
and sit 5 to 10
times for you
while it’s still
on the leash. You
might also like
to show your
dog a bag you have that has
the most marvelous
treats inside – say cooked
chicken pieces free of
bones that have
been fried in
garlic. Make it a
truly SPECIAL treat
that your dog
will sell its
soul for!
I find
it sometimes it
helps to have
these extra-special treats
on you in
case your dog’s
tempted to ignore
you out in
public. Now you only
have to hold
up the bag
and shake it, then
pretend to eat
from it to
remind your dog
why it’s worth
coming back to
you. However – make sure it’s
a treat your
dog truly loves – indeed craves!
Warning
– is your dog
being too pushy
today to be
released off-leash?
Some
days you might
sense your dog
is feeling unusually
pushy and testing
you to the
limit. If you’re sensing
trouble ahead – listen to
those finely tuned animal instincts
of yours.
My
advice is to always err
on the side
of caution. Keep an
unusually pushy dog on a
leash – or a retractable
leash – and avoid unnecessary
drama. If a dog’s
being unusually pushy
I like to
give it extra
exercise to tire
it out and use up
all that challenging
energy bouncing around
inside it. Better out
than in!
If your dog
wants to chase, herd
or hassle other
dogs.
Some
dogs have breed
instincts that naturally
make it want
to herd or
chase other dogs. I
believe this is
one of those decisions about
how much you
believe in polite
manners. If you can
see someone’s getting
annoyed by your
dog’s behaviour – then I
believe the polite
thing to do is clip
your dog on
a leash. Perhaps you
can find a
place or time
when there won’t
be any other
dogs around and
you can let
it go free then.
For most
herding dogs – this instinct
is simply too powerful
to resist. I don’t
believe you can
train relentless herding
dogs out of it.
If an annoying
loose dog is
hassling your dog.
If
on the other
hand, someone else’s dog is hassling
your dog – you
can politely ask
them to put
their dog on
a leash to
avoid a potential
fight from happening. Otherwise, just clip
your own dog
on a leash and move
to another part
of the park
or go for a walk
somewhere else. Best not
get in an
argument with the
person or try
to scare away
their dog as
your own dog
might think it
has to become
aggressive too. Once a
dog gets it
in its mind that
other people are
the enemy – it can be a
very difficult attitude
to change. Stay calm
around other people
in public – no matter
how aggravating and
rude they are! The
world is a
big place – swallow your
frustration and ego
and find a
more peaceful place
to walk!
If a loose dog lunges
aggressively at you
or your dog.
In
this difficult sort
of situation you
can only listen
to your instincts. If
you have a
small dog pick
it up and
turn away. Keep your
chin held very high as
you keep firmly
saying in a
deep voice, “GO AWAY! GO
AWAY!” repeatedly and keep
walking away. Don’t run
or scream. Try not
to hit the
attacking dog with
your hands or
legs or wave
your arms at
it.
If a loose
dog
attacks your own
dog and a fierce fight
starts – and you’re
worried that your
dog is getting
badly injured – get behind
the other dog
and kick it
around the private
parts and belly until hopefully
it releases your
dog. Keep saying loudly
and firmly, “LEAVE IT! LEAVE
IT!” Don’t scream and
don’t get up
near the dogs
heads in case
you get bitten. What
we’re trying to
do is make
the enemy dog
worried that it’s
getting attacked on
too many sides
so it eventually
let’s go. Hopefully other
people will come
and help you.
As soon
as you can
safely get your
dog by the
collar, pull
it out of
there and clip
the leash on
it and walk away with
your chin high
to a very
safe distance before
examining your dog
for injuries.
Unfortunately,
there’s not much
you can do to
stop some dogs
from grabbing hold
and hanging on
in a fight
situation. My first concern
is always to protect
the safety of
the humans – so don’t
take any risks. Dog
teeth are very
serious weapons and
can maim and
kill. Always put your
own safety before
any dogs.
There is
a trick I’ve
seen others use successfully before – if you
can get a
leash around the
back legs of a dog
and lift it
up high so both its back legs
are off the
ground, it will uneasily
let go. Dogs dislike
having their balance
disturbed in this
way. However, it all depends
on the dog – some
are simply unstoppable
when the killing
rage comes over
them.
I
always say to
people when you
choose a dog – would you
be able to
pull your dog
out of a
fight and physically
control it while
it’s being extremely
aggressive? Some people have
no idea what
their dog is
capable of doing
in a fight
until it’s too
late. Ultimately as your
dog’s owner and
leader – it’s your job
to control your
dog no matter
what its mood
or how it’s
being provoked. Always understand
what your dog
was bred to do.
Guarding, hunting and fighting
breeds were bred
to kill if
necessary. Please take their
breed heritage very seriously.
I believe
if you’re at the
park and you
see a pushy
sort of dog
who’s being very
dominant – and it’s getting an
aggressive feel about
it – especially if it’s loose
– be aware that
you have a
potential attack situation
on your hands. Play
it safe and
leave the area
and walk somewhere
else. Often their owners
won’t accept their
dog has a
behaviour problem until
it actually attacks
something. Listen to your
animal instincts – it’s better
to be safe
than sorry. For this
sort of problem – the
safest thing to
do is spot
the problem before
it develops into
a tragic fight. Consider contacting
your local council
for advice.
OK, now
I know all
the walking challenges…how long
will it take
for my dog to give
in and stop
testing my leadership
on the walk?
This will
depend on how
pushy your dog’s
personality is and
how many challenges
you consistently win. The
more points you
win by winning
all these walking
challenges – the faster you’ll
get success. Ultimately it
will be your
calm confidence and
determination that will
get your dog
trusting you enough
to hand over
the leadership to
you.
When
can I let
my dog walk
on a loose
leash in front
of me?
As soon
as your dog
proves it can
walk calmly and
respectfully at your
side on a
short leash without
pulling at all – and
I do mean without pulling at all
– then you can
allow your dog
the privilege of
walking on a
longer, loose leash in
front of you.
First practice doing
this in your
back yard:
Get your
dog walking beautifully
at your side
in the “BACK”
position for several
circuits around your
yard. Check it’s in
a submissive mood
by getting it
to sit constantly
for you on
command.
Now say, “WALK ON” in a
calm, happy voice as you
let the leash
go loose. Keep your
chin held high
and ignore your
dog – just keep walking
along briskly. If your
dog moves in
front of you,
calmly say “GOOD
DOG. WALK ON” and
reward with a
sleepy yawn and
ignoring it.
However, just because your dog
is walking in
front of you
doesn’t mean to
say it can
pull at all.
The moment you
feel any tension
on that leash, raise
your chin high
and smoothly start
using the Opposite Way
Technique. That is, calmly turn
and walk off
in the opposite
way to your
dog. Repeat until your dog
stops pulling on
the leash to
test your leadership.
Although your
dog is on
a longer length
leash and can
walk in front, keep
using this technique
until your dog
understands that you still
won’t accept any
tension on the
leash.
If
your dog gets
in your way – just
walk straight through it
as per usual. Keep
repeating until your
dog is walking
out in front
of you but
not pulling on the leash
at all.
NOW YOUR
DOG DOESN’T PULL
ON THE LEASH
IN THE BACK
YARD…it’s time to
take your dog
out in public
and let it
walk in front
of you.
However,
make sure you
first win all
the walking battles
that we’ve discussed. From when
you clip the
leash on your
dog, to when you’re
about 10 or
20 meters down
the road from
your gate. Only when
your dog is
sitting respectfully on
command and not
pulling on the
leash at all – do
you finally say, “GOOD DOG. WALK
ON”.
The second
your dog starts
to pull, go calmly and
smoothly into the Opposite
way Technique with
your chin raised. After
testing you out
in public quite
a bit – and in
all sorts of
distracting situations near
other people, cats and
dogs – your dog will
either be impressed
by your leadership
skills – or unimpressed.
You’ll know
the instant your
dog respects your
leadership
because it will
walk nicely on
the leash without
pulling. It will look
to you to
see how to
react to new
things. It will show
no aggression. You’ll know
the moment your
dog is unimpressed
with your leadership
because it will
instantly start misbehaving. This is your dog’s
way of testing
you with lots
of challenges!
You now have
lots of ideas
of how to
win almost any challenge your
dog throws at you on
the walk.
The
power to be
a great leader
out on the
walk is in
you. Know how to win
your
leadership points. Be super-confident. Remain calm
yet determined. The secret
is to keep
asking yourself, “Who’s
in control of
this situation right
now?” If it’s your
dog – then calmly and
smoothly take back
control. I’ve given you
lots of suggestions
in these sheets
of how you
can do this.
It really is
that simple. Remember – if your
dog’s been winning
millions of walking
challenges for years – then
it obviously won’t
give up the
leadership in minutes – so
stay calm, patient and
determined.
Practice
makes perfect. Let me
know if you’re
stuck on a
tricky stage of
the walk and
I’ll do my
best to help
you. I really do
want you to
enjoy lots of
wonderful walks with
your dog.
Good
luck!
Martin
PS. Before
you contact me
with a problem – I
recommend you first check
the
following list of
reasons why your
dog might not
be listening to you out
on the walk
yet….
Damn
it! Why won’t my
dog give in
easily on the walk?
Some dogs
are incredibly difficult
to walk. Even when
you carefully follow
the ideas in
these sheets it may seem
as though your
dog is determined
to fight you
every inch of
the way. Here’s some
helpful tips if you aren’t
having any success
yet...
1. Your
dog is getting
away with winning
too many points
around the house
and home territory
to behave out
on the walk.
A naturally
pushy dog who
wins too many
points around the
inner den (inside your
house) or around your
home territory is
going to believe
it’s far too
important to bother
obeying your commands
when you go
off territory. So it’s
vitally important you
win as many of the
25 classic dog
challenges as you
can every day. This
will make a
HUGE difference to
your success. It will
win you lots
of points so
you earn the
right to tell
your dog what
to do out
on the walk.
Some people, for example, accidently give their dog
far too much
attention around the
home. They
watch it almost
non-stop. They touch it
constantly. They talk to
it every few
minutes. Some dogs can
cope with this
amount of attention
without misbehaving – but most
pushy dogs can’t
cope with it
at all! They win
a point per
moment of attention
and notch up a very high
score quickly.
Unfortunately, later when
you take this
sort of dog
out for a walk
– it will probably
refuse to listen
to your commands. It
won’t want to
obey you if it sees
you being too
weak to be
a true leader
around the important
den area. True Leaders
simply don’t have
low point scores.
2. Your
dog is a
teenager.
Teenage dogs
are victims of
intense hormone surges. They
really can’t help
challenging you constantly
when one of
these hormone surges
happen. A dog is
a teenager from
6 months to
about 18 months
to 2 years.
Teenage dogs
will really test
your leadership out
on the walk. Long
after you’re exhausted – they’re still
bubbling with energy! I
find it helps
with teenage dogs
to ‘drive them
to boredom’ into
behaving. Don’t feed their
excitement at all. Give
them less affection
and attention. Instead – reward good
behaviour by sleepily
closing your eyes, breathing deeply
and occasionally yawning.
Another idea
is to slow
the walk right
down. Keep stopping and
correcting your teenager
for the little things. Become very
picky – a perfectionist! Get them
to sit 20
to 30 times
out on the
walk until them
give in out
of boredom. Get them
doing things again
and again until
they’re perfect before
you go on
to the next
stage of the
walk.
Whatever you do
– don’t let your
teenage dog push
you around or
hurry you along! They
love trying to
get you flustered
by creating chaos – so instead
develop a talent
for turning their chaos into your really
boring sense
of training and
routine. They’ll soon learn
that when they
behave calmly and
politely they get to walk
along briskly. However, as soon
as they misbehave, they have
to keep stopping
every few paces
and do boring
training techniques. The great
thing about teenagers
is that they
quickly get bored – so
use this to
your advantage!
3. You’re
giving your dog far too
much attention and
affection on the
walk.
If this
is you – and your
dog isn’t behaving
as well as
it might – I suggest
you dramatically cut back how
much attention and
affection you give
your dog on
the walk. Stop watching
it all the
time. Stop touching it as
much. Stop praising it
so often if
at all.
Instead, act in
a more aloof
manner and raise
your chin high. You
can still reward
your dog – but instead
of verbal praise
and pats – give your
dog the gift
of calmness by
sleepily closing your
eyes, breathing deeply and
occasionally yawning.
Don’t worry – this
isn’t forever. When your
dog is impressed
by your new
leadership skills and
lets you take
over the Boss
job – you’ll find it
stops challenging you
as much. Once your
dog is treating
you with calm, polite
respect and behaving
on the walk, you
can gradually start
handing out more
affection and attention
again.
4. Your
dog was born
with a naturally
pushy, dominant personality.
Some dogs were
simply born dominant. If this
is your dog
you’re going to
have to really
get to know
these sheets well. Practice winning
every single walk
challenge and battle
until you win perfectly. Learn all
the little tricks
I mention that
will impress even
the pushiest, most dominant
dog. Become brilliant at
using the Opposite Way
Technique. Become an excellent
actor when you
use the Pretend Mouse
Technique. Think of ingenious
ways to be
a charismatic leader
who’s worth watching
to see what strange or
unpredictable thing you’ll
do next. Then when
your dog’s baffled
or impressed, slide effortlessly
into taking control
of a situation. Become the
calmest, most determined and
confident version of
yourself you can
be.
I fully
understand how difficult
some pushy dogs
can be to
walk – believe me! The good
news is that
I’ve found it’s
actually the difficult
dogs who are
often the most
rewarding to own. They
certainly teach you
just how amazing
a leader you
can be! Without the
difficult dogs I’ve
met – I’d certainly be a much
weaker, less determined man
than I am
today!
5. You’re
not acting in
a confident leader
way.
Most people
who have no
success with these
sheets are simply
lacking true leader
confidence. Instead of thinking, “Oh no – it’s not
working – this is
probably never going
to work!” – try thinking
like a true
leader instead.
A true
leader is always
discreetly watching a
misbehaving dog to
see where it’s
weaknesses are. Try different strategies
and work out
what works and
what doesn’t. Act in
a brisk, no-nonsense manner. Insist in
a firm voice
that your dog
does as it’s
told every single
time. When you start
taking charge like
this – you act different, you sound
different and you
smell different.
Now you’re
acting like a confident leader – not
a helpless victim. Dogs
trust confident people
to be in
charge and that’s
basically what these
sheets are doing – persuading your
dog to trust
you to be
the leader when
you’re both out
on the walk. It’s
a big deal
for dogs to
let you
be in charge
of the walk. They’re
placing their lives
in your care – so
work out why
your dog isn’t
trusting your leadership
skills yet.
6. You’re
not giving off
a confident leader
smell.
A dog
can always tell
how you truly
feel by the
smells you give
off. Your smells change
with each new
emotion you’re feeling – and
smells never lie. This
means that you
can’t just pretend
to
be confident.
The secret
is to start
actually being confident. These sheets
have enough information
to help you. Practice
until you’re getting
small successes – then try
for bigger successes. Keep overcoming
each new challenge
until you gain genuine
confidence in your
own abilities!
7. Your
dog is a
super-fit breed and
isn’t getting enough
exercise.
If this
is the case – increase your
dogs exercise. Walk further
and longer or
start jogging. I find
swimming really tires
out a super-fit
breed. Or perhaps throw
a tennis ball hard along
the ground. Super-fit breeds
really need fit
owners who love
exercise!
8. You
haven’t got a
calm routine in
place yet.
Dogs who are
difficult to walk
will start behaving
much more when
you start keeping
to a strong
daily routine. Dogs find
routines very
reassuring and we
want to make
good walking habits
that will last a
lifetime.
9. You
aren’t being consistent
enough with your
behaviour.
If you only follow
the ideas in
these sheets some
days, then ignore them
other days – you’re going
to find your
dog doesn’t trust
you to be
its leader. Do every
stage of the
walk in the same way
every day! Practice
until each stage
is perfect. As you’re
going to have
your dog for
years – you’re creating walking
habits that will
last your dog’s whole lifetime.
10. You’ve
adopted a rescue
dog.
Rescue dogs
usually challenge their
new owners a
lot to see
if they can
be trusted to
be in charge. I
have some really
helpful sheets that
will help you
understand how rescue
dogs think called
“The first 24
hours with your
new rescue dog”. The secret
to walking a
rescue dog is
to prove with
calm, steady determination that
you can win all the
walking challenges no
matter how they
test you. Only then
will a rescue
dog hand over
the precious leadership
job to you.
I have
a soft spot
for rescue dogs
and have had
great success with
even the trickiest
personalities using the
ideas in these
sheets. As you can imagine, many
rescue dogs have
learned not to
easily trust the
leadership skills of
humans! It’s up to you
to persuade your
rescue dog that
you are a
human worth trusting
to be in
charge. Rescue dogs are
extremely rewarding when
you turn the
walk into something
fun and drama-free!
11. You’ve
got another new
dog.
If you’ve
recently got a new dog, your
old dog will
feel uneasy about
this new addition
to the pack. As
they work out
where they rank
in the pack, they’ll
test each other non-stop
– including out on
the walk.
To help
fix this issue – work
out who will
be Number 1 dog
(the dog
you feel is
naturally more dominant)
and Number 2 dog.
Always get the
Number 1 dog
to do everything
first so the
Number 2 dog
gets everything last. This
will help reduce
the tension between
them. Don’t worry about
being unfair to
your dogs. They only
understand this strict
ranking system. Anything else
stresses them. It’s the
way their unique
canine mind works
and was designed
by mother Nature
to reduce conflict
as much as possible. Sometimes we
humans accidentally treat
our dogs as
equals and this
causes fights or
tension.
From now
on, act more aloof
until they both
settle down. Be tough
and don’t let
them start any
chaos or even
get over-excited at
all. Insist they both
act calmly and
politely. As soon as
one dog tries
to start any
trouble – stand still, raise your
chin and glare
in warning at it.
Raise your chin
and sniff suspiciously
at the air
near it like
this:
If you’ve
won enough points, both
dogs will settle
down fast – but don’t
over-use this signal. Keep
it for special
occasions.
You can also
say the naughty
dog’s name in
a low warning
voice. If
it continues to
misbehave raise your chin and
walk into it so it
steps backwards or
melts out of
your way. Then after
a moment when
it’s showing very
polite, respectful behaviour –
calm the
dog down by
breathing deeply and
sleepily closing your
eyes. Taking control like this will
help slide both
dogs into a
more submissive mood. They
need you to
take charge and
will respect you
for acting like
such a good, responsible leader.
Dogs actually find
it very reassuring when
you bring order
to the pack. It means
they can relax
and leave you
in charge. But beware – some
pairs of dogs
will really test your
leadership out first!
Note – the more dogs
you have – the better your
leadership skills have
to be! I find when you
have over 5 dogs
– you really have
to watch the
dogs don’t deliberately
cause extreme chaos
every now and again to
test how good
you really are
as the pack
leader. Most lead dogs I’ve known
control large packs
by staying a
little more aloof
from everyone. They give
out affection only
sparingly so it
becomes more precious. They also
keep a constant
but discreet eye
out for any
trouble brewing in the ranks. Don’t
allow any play-fighting
to happen out
on the walk. This
is a deliberate
ploy to try
and wrestle control
from you!
I’m
baffled…why does my dog behave
better on some
days more than
others?
There are going
to
be days when
your dog seems pushier and
worse behaved than
usual. Here are some
common reasons why
your dog might
drive you crazy
out on the
walk some days:
12. Someone
in your household
accidentally handed your
dog too many
points today.
Even if you’re carefully
making sure you
win plenty of
points against your
dog, other people in
your household may
be accidentally letting
your dog notch
up hundreds or
even thousands of extra points. For
the best results
on the walk – make
sure everyone in the
household is working
together to win
as many of
the 25 classic
challenges around your
home territory as
they can.
13. You
had visitors and they handed
your dog too
many points.
Visitors are notorious for
handing dogs hundreds
of extra points
during their visit. They
often make most
dogs slide into
a more challenging, ambitious mood. After
they’ve gone – your dog may still
feel too important. An
easy way to
deflate that ego
is to tie it up
for a few
hours on a
mat inside or
outside and ignore
it.
While on
the walk be
more aloof than
usual. If you feel
like your dog
is being extra
challenging – I wouldn’t let
it off the
leash for a
few days in
case it causes
trouble out in
public. Always err on the side
of caution.
If your
dog is always
a nuisance after
visitors come – you may
consider tying up
your dog in
future so it
doesn’t get a
chance to notch
up big point
scores. You can also
ask your visitors
to ignore it
and pretend it
doesn’t exist. It’s hard
to feel like
the Boss if
everyone’s ignoring you
and you’re tied
up in a
corner on a mat!
14. Is
there tension in your household
at the moment?
Dogs are
extremely sensitive to
human emotions and
tensions. They instinctively
become more challenging
as they slide
into survival mode. Fights, petty bickering
arguments or simmering
undercurrents amongst the
humans in your
household will make
a dog test
you much more
when it goes
out on the
walk.
The solution? Try
to solve the
human issues so
the tension goes
away. Be more aloof
with your dog
as it will
find this more
reassuring than having
you fuss over
it. Give your dog
plenty of calming
signals like sleepily
closing your eyes, breathing deeply
and occasionally yawning. Pretend nothing
unusual is happening
and walk along
briskly and confidently
with your chin
held high.
Don’t let
your dog see
you mooching along
miserably with your
chin down low. If
your dog feels
your emotional energy
is strange and
wrong – it will really
test you out
on the walk. Maybe
you might like
to walk for
longer so you
walk all the
tension out of
your body. Your dog
will certainly appreciate
it because dogs
are like sponges – they helplessly
absorb all human
tensions – and a long
walk will help
empty all the
tension out of
their mind and body again
too.
15. You’re
feeling tired, pregnant, distracted,
ill, depressed or have
an injury.
All these
things mean one
thing to dogs – YOU’RE
WEAK SO TAKE
OVER THE LEADERSHIP!
As soon
as dogs spot
any weakness in
their leader – they have
an inbuilt survival
instinct that switches
on. They start throwing
lots of challenges
at you to
find out exactly
how weak you
are.
If you’re feeling
unusually under the
weather – win each
walking challenge more
carefully than usual. Give
your dog less freedom
around the house. Maybe
tether it on
a leash on
a mat inside
of an evening
for hours at
a time in
a corner of the room. Be
more aloof. Give your
dog less affection
and affection until
you’re stronger. Consider not
letting your dog
off leash until
you think it
can be trusted
to not misbehave. Raise your
chin much more. Give
calming signals rather
than pats for
rewards. If you have
a clever, cunning dog – be
aware that it
will try to
surprise you with
unexpected challenges. This is why
I suggest you
play it safe
and keep pushy, clever
dogs on a
leash when you physically and
emotionally feel under
the weather.
16. Your
female dog is
on heat – even if it’s de-sexed.
I find
that even when
a female dog
is de-sexed, it can
get hormone surges
that make it
misbehave more. It will
test you more
than usual and
also ignore you. If
this is your
dog at the
moment, be more aloof. Give
less affection and
attention. Don’t stare at
it too much. Raise
your chin more. Take
extra care to
win each walking
challenge. Consider not letting
it off the
leash until it
stops being so
pushy and comes
off heat.
17. There’s
been a significant
change in your
household.
Dogs are
natural creatures of
habit. If anything significant
changes in your
household, it can really
slide a dog
into a survival
state of mind – and
that means your
dog will start
throwing many more
challenges at you – both
at home and
out on the
walk.
To fix this – create
a new strong
routine as soon
as possible. Try to win
as many challenges
as you can. Give
your dog lots
of calming signals. Tether it on a
leash and mat
in a corner
of the room
to help calm
it down. Don’t give
your dog extra
attention and affection – just calmly
ignore it until
it settles into
the new routine. Don’t worry
if it looks
like it’s sulking – it’s not. That’s
actually your dog
displaying very exaggerated
polite, submissive behaviour as
it tries to
do the right
thing. Your dog will
relax as it
becomes used to
the new routine
and the big changes in
your lifestyle.
18. The
weather is natural
hunting weather.
I find
that dogs really
tune into their
hunting instincts out
on the walk
when the weather
changes to the
natural hunting weather
for your region. You
can tell when
this happens because
your dog will
want to run
off more and
will be more
reluctant to come
back to you
when you call. It
will be trying
to search out
prey in the
bushes. Consider keeping your
dog on a
long leash if
it seems like
it’s suddenly switched
into a high-alert
hunting mood.
What
happens if you
want to use
your own training
methods to stop
your dog from
pulling?
Sure, no problem. Most training
methods are designed
to take control
from dogs in
some way to win you
valuable points. Every trainer
has their preferred
methods and different
owners have different
levels of energy
and time to
put into training.
No matter
what training style
you use, my only suggestion
is you take
a look at
all the different
stages of the
walk I mention
in these sheets
and check that
you’re not losing
points in some
way. The more points
you win – the easier
your job will
be.
As long
as you can
take your dog
out for daily
walks – that’s the important
thing. It’s what most
trainers are trying
to help people
achieve. All trainers know a tired
dog is a
well-behaved dog – and good
regular walks are
a vitally important
way of tiring
out your dog.
So
good luck winning
all the challenges
out on the
walk with your
dog!
Congratulations on
getting to the
end of these
sheets! I hope you
find lots of
helpful ideas in
them to help
make your daily
walks as easy
and enjoyable as
possible. Walking my dogs
is one of
the most relaxing
parts of my
day and I love seeing
my dogs enjoy
themselves. Good luck!
If you found
these sheets helpful, here’s three great books I’ve written
to help you
learn more about
dogs…
Buy now as a paperback from ABC Books Australia here!
Buy now as an e-book from Amazon here!
Buy now as an e-book at Amazon here!
My other book, “What’s Your
Dog Teaching You?” is a
fascinating book too. This
shares 60 life
lessons of how
dogs can teach
humans to lead
a happier, more inspiring
life. I believe dogs
are some of
the most influential
teachers we’ll ever
have in our
life. They’ve certainly transformed
my life completely. What’s your
dog trying to
teach you?
Many people tell me they buy my books as great gifts for other dog lovers. You may also like to share these free sheets with other friends who have dogs. I believe in sharing free information around as much as possible!
Now I'm really excited - my memoir about my time living with a pack of street dogs in Garryowen, Ireland as a boy is being published in New York. The book's called, 'The Boy Who Talked To Dogs,' (SkyHorse). This is the story of how I really started translating what dogs are saying - a great book - I'm very proud of it!
Many people tell me they buy my books as great gifts for other dog lovers. You may also like to share these free sheets with other friends who have dogs. I believe in sharing free information around as much as possible!
Pre-order now as a paperback from Amazon here!
Now I'm really excited - my memoir about my time living with a pack of street dogs in Garryowen, Ireland as a boy is being published in New York. The book's called, 'The Boy Who Talked To Dogs,' (SkyHorse). This is the story of how I really started translating what dogs are saying - a great book - I'm very proud of it!
Extract from Amazon:
When Martin McKenna was growing up in Garryowen, Ireland, in the 1970s,
he felt the whole world knew him as just “that stupid boy.” Badly
misunderstood by his family and teachers, Martin escaped from endless
bullying by running away from home and eventually adopting—or being
adopted by—six street dogs. Camping out in barns, escaping from farmers,
and learning to fend for himself by caring for his new friends, Martin
discovered a different kind of language, strict laws of behavior, and
strange customs that defined the world of dogs. More importantly, his
canine companions helped him understand the vital importance of family,
courage, and self-respect—and that he wasn’t stupid after all. Their
lessons helped Martin make a name for himself as the “Dog Man” in
Australia, where he now lives and dispenses his hard-earned wisdom to
dog owners who are sometimes baffled by what their four-legged friends
are trying to tell them.
An emotional and poignant story seasoned with plenty of Frank McCourt–style humor, The Boy Who Talked to Dogs is an inspiration to anyone who’s ever been told he or she won’t amount to anything. It’s also a unique, fascinating look into canine behavior. In these pages, Martin shows how modern life has conditioned dogs to act around humans, in some ways helpful, but in other ways unnatural to their true instincts, and how he has benefited enormously from learning to “talk dog.”
An emotional and poignant story seasoned with plenty of Frank McCourt–style humor, The Boy Who Talked to Dogs is an inspiration to anyone who’s ever been told he or she won’t amount to anything. It’s also a unique, fascinating look into canine behavior. In these pages, Martin shows how modern life has conditioned dogs to act around humans, in some ways helpful, but in other ways unnatural to their true instincts, and how he has benefited enormously from learning to “talk dog.”
You can also find Martin McKenna on
Facebook here!
Or you can find him on Youtube here!
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