Foley wants to have fun!

Working with Foley a one and a half year old Springer Spaniel and his owner today! Foley likes to wander far and wide when on his walk and i was asked to offer some advice to his owner to get him to stay a little nearer!

We had a walk in Sutton Park and I lent a 50 feet long training line so that we could work on giving Foley a 100ft circumference around us which is more than enough! We made steady progress and slowly but surely he got the idea that he shouldn't stray to far but was still pushing it.

We did some play and some obedience with him to break it up and try to make it fun but the dog was having none of it! It then dawned on me that Foley's owner is keen to have a controlled and obedient dog and he takes an obedience class and is on his silver award! This was the problem, the dog was always being asked to sit or to do some obedience work even for a treat! I advised that the obedience work be shelved on the fun walks and only a lower level of control used for the sits and stays that are routine when walking through gates, crossing roads etc.

The obedience would be at a specific location or time when the dog was clearly advised of the purpose of the training by use of a routine that the dog could link to a period of work related play! On the way back the owner relaxed and began to enjoy some gentle and relaxing time with her dog at which low and behold, he decided of his own free will not to travel quite so far away!

Not cured yet but a work in progress, the moral of this story is, don't spend more than 20 to 30 minutes training your dog at a time and do it in a way that the dog understands he is training. When you are out walking, relax, enjoy the scenery and the company of your dog, reward with a game, the odd tidbit or just some good old affection and they will want to be around you and do your bidding! Any problems feel free to contact me or comment on this post.