28 Mar How Dog Walking Services Can Help with Common Dog Walking Behavior Problems
You have the best-trained dog in the world at home, but they might be a nightmare when it comes to walking time. This can be incredibly embarrassing when your entire neighborhood can see your pooch pulling, jumping, and even running away when they get the opportunity. It is important to get started as early as possible fixing these behaviors and working on them at all times. Even when you are not home, dog walking services can help with the training of your pup for when they are out in public. Here are some of the most common behavior problems, and how to work on fixing them.
Jumping Up
Some dogs just jump up once and put their paws on someone walking by. Other dogs jump up and down repeatedly as if they are bouncing. Whatever your dog does, jumping up is not just embarrassing, it can also be a safety issue. If he decides to jump on a child or even on a stroller, there can be massive consequences. This action must be trained out of them quickly, or else their actions could cause harm. For some dogs, it is pure intuition to jump up, since it is part of their greeting pattern. To train against it, try using positive reinforcement. When the dog does something else, like sniffing a hand or not jumping, reward with a treat. At home, you can also reward with a toy or something else they like. If you use a local dog walking company, provide them with treats so that they can continue with the reinforcement. If you make strides training but do not tell your dog walking services, then some of that progress may be lost.
Not Listening
There may be nothing more horrifying to a Chicago dog walker than to see their pooch running away. They might be running towards traffic. Or, they might be running towards another dog or people. Either way, the potential for injury or massive embarrassment is high. Even when you call them or offer a treat, they keep going. This can prevent you from taking your dog to the dog park as well since you don’t know if you will be able to get them back. Dogs often do not listen to commands because they have gotten used to bad things happening when they are called, like discipline, or even just being put on a leash. It is important that you reward when they do come every time. Dog walking services can help with this and work on it at the dog park and even in your backyard.
Leash Pulling
A dog that will not stop pulling at the leash makes walking very frustrating. You can simply never just relax and enjoy the walk. The pulling can also hurt your dog’s neck. Your local dog walking company can help by practicing good walking techniques. They keep the leash slack until the dog moves too far, at which point they pull back. That way there is not constant pressure, and the dog learns that a slack leash means they can move, which a tight one means they have to stop.
Canine Care Dog Walking Services
Canine Care is a full-service local dog walking company in the Chicago area. We can help your dog socialize and get the exercise and activity they need to stay healthy. We can also help you to eliminate some of those bad behaviors associated with walking your dog.