Allowing your dog to spend time off leash is critical for his mental health, and may be one of the only ways to get him the high intensity exercise he needs.
If you do not spend time training your dog to behave when off leash, you are going to get frustrated when he ignores your request to come when called.
One of the best places to begin training off leash obedience is in a fully fenced yard with few distractions or at a park (where you can find a bit of solitude) on a long leash.
Here is a link to a video of me and Vida working on the Recall in our favorite park.
When you practice, never call your dog to you then provide a nasty consequence. You must not call your dog with your standard, "Fido, Come!" (which usually gets rewarded) and then inadvertently apply the worst consequence (from Fido's standpoint) - you leave the park. This rule goes for all communication and is called "poisoning the cue." Reward the behaviors you like and do not punish the dog for the non-response. Perhaps he does not "know" it as much as you think.
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2 comments:
Hey, that looks like the park that my sister and I walked around and around and around when I was visiting her in Seattle. The ducklike sorta things there were cute.
Thanks for reading and thanks for your comment! Give us a holler when you are back in Seattle!
~David
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