Coco the wonder dog!
Coco is in rescue waiting for his forever home ......... and pulls like a steam engine!
I have worked with him once before, taking time to build a connection with him. He quickly remembered his training today.
It is essential to find out what motivates our dogs when working with them. Coco loves treats but he also loves affection and praise which we can pair with treats to reinforce the behaviours we want more of.
*Nb I would not usually wear flip flops when working with dogs but unfortunately my legs and feet are badly swollen due to multiple insect bites, making shoes impossible!
Coco was a star today. We spent a few minutes building up a connection again, reinforcing each time he checked in with me.
We don't lure dogs to look at us - this does not feel good to them and we don't want dogs craning their necks to look up at us all the time. Instead, we wait for it to happen naturally and mark the behaviour followed by a small food treat.
Connection not control!
As soon as a dog pulls in front we stand still, saying nothing and quietly wait for the dog to turn and come alongside. As they are coming, we drop a tiny food treat down to reinforce where we would like him to be. We also add praise. Coco even follows a hand signal here - such a quick learner as I only really introduced this today.
To begin with, Coco pulls ahead several times and is moving quite fast. Over time you will see him begin to match my speed and to keep an eye on where I am going. Another crucial element is to be calm ourselves. Dogs pick up on our emotions!
We must always remember to keep the lead loose - if we grab at it or take up the slack, we can be part of the pulling issue!
In the second video you can see he is much quicker to turn and follow me. I use fewer treats now and you can see how loose the lead is.
I am using quiet praise with him and at one point I give some affection. We need to make it feel good to be alongside us, to follow us, to walk with us: hence why it is essential to find out what motivates our dogs. For some dogs, affection could even be aversive!
Notice how I let him sniff and wait till he is finished. This is his walk, not mine and I want him to enjoy our time together!
Coco is an absolute star and a real pleasure to walk with.
Has he learned to walk on a loose lead now? Not at all. We need to practice his new skills and also introduce more distractions - at a distance to begin with.
Am looking forward to spending more time with this gorgeous boy.
