How to get back into the swing of things when walking your dog

With great excitement, many of us, both humans and dogs, eagerly ventured out on 1 May to stretch our legs.

The “with great excitement” was most probably my first mistake as halfway into the walk I was mortified to find my dogs lunging and barking at other dogs. The Pawfect pack had turned into a very un-pawfect pack.

I was struck by the fact that both humans and their dogs might need some help “pawfecting” their walking routines. The humans were not really sure what this mask thing was all about and many of the dogs were over-excited.

It is very important to get out and active, in line with the government regulations, so we thought that sharing some tips and hints on how to handle your dog would be really helpful.

Pawfect’s expert dog trainer, Belinda Bolte from 1-2-1 Puppy Training has the following tips for us.

1. Start your walking adventure calmly.

This means stop talking to your dogs and saying words like “walkies” or “let’s go walkies” as this excites your dog and they get super energised. This will in turn often lead to barking, jumping and a number of other behavioural challenges.

2. Put your dog’s walking outfits [collars, leads and harnesses] on at least 20 minutes before you are going to leave.

Try and practice this as an exercise as you would practice any new command/word that you are teaching. A great time to practice is before meal times and as soon as your dog has completed their meal, then take their walking outfit off.

3. If you have a puppy or dog that likes to chew their lead or walking outfits, then make sure you keep an eye on them while you are waiting for calm behaviour.

You may want to sit in a relaxed way and wait until your dogs are relaxed before leaving.

4. Set yourself up for success and plan your dog adventure. Dogs thrive in routine environments.

Remember it’s super busy now as everyone discovers the beauty of being out of their homes, so if you have a nervous or excitable dog then give them space, try and choose a route that is not so busy so they can get accustomed to seeing humans and dogs.

5. If you are walking in a very busy area, please keep your dog on a short lead so you have better control. If you do use an extended lead then make sure you keep it short when it is busy.

Try some of these tips and persevere. A well-exercised, tired dog is a good dog. I suppose the same applies to humans!

Swainson is founder/owner of lingerie business Sarah Elizabeth and pet products company Pawfect

For more information visit pawfect.co.za

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