Walk the dog

Zinc - Boston Terrier

Max - English Bulldog/Pug Mix

Walking a dog on a leash was something I didn't really think about before I worked at the animal shelter.  I grew up with dogs, so I knew how to walk a dog on a leash, right? That's partially true. I knew how to walk my dog. But every dog is different. At the shelter, I've learned how to approach an unknown dog for a walk. Staying calm and having a lot of patience is key. Many dogs respond to treats and praise and me making absolutely ridiculous noises to get their attention. Some dogs just have to be waited out; given time to trust you. We even have some puppy mill dogs who know nothing about the world beyond the cages they've lived in and have to be carefully introduced to everything. (I'll touch on puppy mill dogs in a later post.)

Through my work with Out-U-Go!, I get to know the particular idiosyncrasies of each dog. This is exciting because along with walking the dogs, I do some very rudimentary training. Here are 2 examples:

1. Zinc, the Boston in the picture, can be a pretty stubborn little fellow. He will sit on his haunches and refuse to move. The fortunate thing with Zinc is that he's treat motivated. I will show him his treat (actually, half of one of his treats), let him sniff it, then point to the next corner. At the corner, I give him the treat. It took him a few walks to trust me, lots of stopping and starting with me putting the treat up to his nose each time he sat down then pointing at the corner, but he now will trot happily to the corner and await his treat! Sometimes, he even forgets the treat and we just keep going with lots of encouraging words.
2. Max, the other dog pictured, is just over 2 months. He's a little pup just learning how to walk on a leash. For him the world is huge and exciting and can be a little bit scary. My job is to help his family reassure him that the world isn't a scary place.When I first get him out, I talk to him excitedly and give him lots of pets. Once he has started walking, I use the "AA-AH!" sound to stop him from chewing on the leash then praise with words and treats when he walks nicely. He LOVES my high-pitched happy voice so he responds very well. He still has many things to learn, but he's on the right path!