11-year-old LarryDog's Training This Week

LarryDog and I have done well this week. We've continued reading (well, I have) Click to Calm, by Emma Parsons, available from this website. When I got to the section about heeling with a loose leash, that felt like the next thing to do. So we've done several sessions...

1. Since he has pulled pretty hard at times, we used to use a Halti on him. I pulled it out and devoted one session to feeding him morsels of hot dog through it, then putting it on him and feeding him more morsels. When I say morsels, they are tiny -- I cut up hot dogs into 80 pieces or so per hot dog, then keep these tiny treats available in the freezer.

2. Another day, I lured him around our back yard with more of these hot dog treats. He tended to lag behind when walking next to me, but I clicked and treated right when he got further up, and he understood what I wanted quite quickly.

3. Another day, I put a six-foot leash on his collar, not bothering with the head halter on that day, and walked him all over our large yard with lots of clicks and treats for a loose leash. He was perfect! Amazing and fun.

Those are the days that stand out... I work with him every morning now. The minute my husband and other dog leave the yard, LarryDog looks eager. A nice switch... he used to sit by the front gate and bark for five minutes or longer!