This weekend we participated in Sirius Dog Sanctuary public dog walk event. It was a lovely day in the green fields surrounding Sirius facilities and down by the ocean. We got to meet great people and dogs… We even manage to squeeze in some dog training for some very special dogs that are up for adoption.
To see our full image gallery from the event, please visit:
https://goo.gl/YUPkrK
Last weekend we participated in German Shepherd Rescue Cyprus (GSDRC) first public dog walk event. It was a lovely day and we got to see amazing views over Limassol with great people and dogs.
To see the full image gallery, please visit:
https://goo.gl/S4aWNR
There can be many reasons your dog bites or keeps mouthing the leash, for example they can be bored, overexcited, frustrated or just like having something in their mouth. You can prevent this by letting your dog have a stick or a toy to carry on the walk. You can also teach your dog the “out” command to let things go.
Some dogs might think the leash is a toy, therefore it might be useful to take away the “charm” of it. By putting the leash in front of your dog, wait until they switch focus onto something else (preferably you) and reward immediately for not being interested.
Pulling can become a big problem if not dealt with in time. If you are experiencing difficulty controlling your dog on walks it’s best to book a training session with us. But here are a few quick tips:
*Keep your dog on a short leash. Don’t worry, they will still get the exercise they need.
*Use small subtile corrections often rather than hard “pops” of tugs on the leash a few times. Sometimes you might need to give a less subtle tug initially to let your dog know that you only accept a certain distance from you.
*When they start pulling change direction. This will throw them off balance a bit and forget what they were pulling towards. Walk a few steps in the other direction and turn around again and continue your walk.
We hosted our second dog walk last weekend together with Stray Haven! It was a warm and beautiful midday. We feel so happy that so many came. Money was raised to support Stray Haven and we all had a great time. Thank you everyone that joined and stayed for the picnic and snacks. And we hope that the demonstration of pulling the leash while walking has come to use during your dog walks at home.
For pictures from the event, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/petspotpro/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1585908824770350
For more information about the event, please visit:
http://www.petspotpro.com/event/dog-walk-2-picnic-pikni-forest/
For pictures from the event, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/petspotpro/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1537510872943479
For more information about the event, please visit:
http://www.petspotpro.com/event/dog-walk-1-bbq-pikni-forest/
Last weekend we visited German Shepherd Rescue Cyprus – GSDRC again and spent some time walking and training a few of their dogs. This is what we call a two finger walk, meaning you shouldn’t need more than two fingers to hold the leash during the walk.
When we walk our dogs we want to avoid losing control over them. We often see dogs controlling the pace and usually give their owners a hard time holding on. Walking should be peaceful for both dogs and humans.
There are no excuses for pulling behaviour. The dog in this video is a rescue, living in a kennel and was super excited to get out for a longer walk, yet the walk is calm and the pulling is minimal.
Overexcited dogs most likely lack stimulation or are just plain bored, and there are different ways of correcting this. First off, ask yourself what role you play in your dog’s behaviour? Dogs will sense their owners energy and reflect back. If you are full of energy, stressed, worried, sad, nervous or anxious you will see a changed behaviour in your dog. If you come home and the first thing you do is get your dog excited over the fact that you are home by greeting and cuddling them, they will learn that overexcitement is acceptable because they are being rewarded for it. Ignore them for just a few minutes until they settle down, then give all the love and affection you want. A dog doesn’t understand hello and good bye the same way humans do. They understand attention and no attention. Attention while presenting bad behaviour=reinforcement of that very behaviour. Also make sure that when you intentionally get your dog excited – follow through! Don’t wind them up and then call it quits when you’ve had enough. Follow through with the “play-time” until it is out of your dog’s system. Hyperactivity in dogs can come from psychological needs as easily as it can from physical needs. Take them out for a walk or give them a task to preform. Giving your dog a mission can change their state of mind completely. You will notice a sense of pride when you put a little backpack with your water bottle for your dog to carry. The hyperactive behaviour will redirect from being unfocused or easily disrtacted into getting this job done! Remember that even though you take your dog out for a walk to get rid of built-up energy it’s not an excuse to pull or walk uncontrolled. They will still get tired by walking nicely next to you.
This is from today’s session with Fiona at German Shepherd Rescue Cyprus – GSDRC
She is a highly trainable GSD looking for a home.
Kennel life can be boring and once outside she was all over the place but we quickly turned her excitement into focusing on simple everyday commands. She did such a good job today and we really hope she finds a good home soon.
