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Canine Behavior/taking walks....

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Expert: Lee Charles Kelley - 1/1/2008


Question
.... my 2 dogs, (one almost 10 yrs old and one 3 yrs. old.) get soo overwhelmed when we head towards the gate to go on walks, we have tried taking them away from the gate while the leash is on, and then the other person not holding the dogs opens the gate (the dogs are not able to see the gate opening. Hoping they will think they are still in the gate while really walking out, possibly being more calm when exiting the fenced in area.) But they still don't seem to be any calmer then before we tried that. Could you possibly help me w/ this problem? PLEASE!!!!  

(I am only 12 yrs. old, so everything might not "flow" or make sence.)

Answer
Hi, Melissa,

Have you tried using treats to distract them? Will they sit still for a treat?

If you haven't used this approach before, try taking treats with you, and as you get to the gate, make them stop and sit for a treat. Then walk them back toward the house, luring them with the treats. Then back to the gate, where they have to sit for a treat. Do this several times.

Then, once you can get them to sit patiently for a treat at the front gate, tell them "Wait..." and open the gate slightly. (You might need a second person to handle the gate while you handle the dogs.) If they get overly excited, the gates closes as you remind them, "Wait..." Keep doing this until they can stay fairly relaxed and wait for a few seconds, then tell them, "Okay..." and let them thru the gate.

An auxiliary exercise that might help a lot is the "Trick-or-Treat," which you'll find here: http://www.tiny.cc/TrickorTreat

I hope this helps. If you still have questions, let me know.

LCK

Canine Behavior

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Lee Charles Kelley

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I've been training dogs in New York City for nearly 20 years. My training approach and philosophy are based on the way police dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and detection dogs are trained--through the prey drive, inherited from the wolf. It's true that there's been a shift away from using the "wolf model" in dog training recently, and to some extent, there's a good reason. That's because trainers have been using the wrong model, the one that says you have to be the "alpha" or the pack leader in order to control your dog's behavior. This simply isn't true. In wild wolves there is no dominance hierarchy, no "alpha" wolf, and no pack leader (not in the traditional sense). The pack instinct only exists to enable wolves to hunt large prey by working in harmony. (Wolves who live near garbage dumps, for example, and who don't hunt together, don't form packs.) So if wolves don't have an instinct to "follow the pack leader" or "obey the alpha wolf," how could dogs have inherited it from them?

Years ago, before I became a dog trainer, I noticed that the happiest, most obedient, and best-behaved dogs I met weren't the ones who'd been to a dog trainer or behaviorist; they were the dogs whose owners always had Frisbees and tennis balls on hand. And while it might seem that my approach would only be relevant to high-drive dogs who love fetch and tug-of-war, it isn't. Even something as seemingly unrelated as a housebreaking issue or greeting behavior are often the direct result of a dog's predatory energy not having an acceptable outlet.

All behavior is an expression of energy. So when a dog's energy isn't utilized in a way that feels satisfying to his or her instincts and emotions, that's when behavioral problems develop. Giving the dog an acceptable outlet for its energy will almost always bring the dog's behavior back into alignment with its instincts

Feel free to ask me questions about any training/behavioral issue.

LCK

Experience

20 years as a dog trainer. I'm also a bestselling author, writing a series of dog-related mystery novels for Avon.

Organizations
Dog Writers Association of America

Education/Credentials
Just a natural gift I have for understanding and training dogs

Past/Present Clients
Too numerous to mention.

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