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Hi
Suzanne,
I do
have some suggestions on how to condition Sugar for off leash walks. Assuming
she is already good walking on leash. And that she has fully gained your trust
to come when called, no matter the distractions.......
First
you should train her to walk with you on a long line.
I use
my horse lunge line, but my trainer has an ingenious invention made with a 15
foot length of clothes line with two clasps on each end.
You
tether yourself around the waist on one end and the dog on the other. She should
have a Martingale collar (or a choke chain collar)
on.
Walk
her on this long line. She should be taught to always keep you in her sight.
Stop when you stop, change direction when you do, never pulling the line tight.
ect.
You
will have to set her up often for the first while, if she starts to wander to
the end of the line, without warning turn and head in the other direction. Do
not give any command. She will be giving herself her own correction by not
following you when the line jerks, and becomes tight.
She
will soon learn that where mom goes is where I should be.
It may
take a couple of months, but not long after doing this with my dogs, they would
never let the line become tight and would always keep me in the corner of their
eye. So it got to the point where I could no longer set them up, as as soon as I
would turn, there he'd be right beside me.
We
then practiced off lead in a fenced field (just in case) The first day or two he
would wander out of his boundary (15 foot circle around me) but would quickly
come back into form with a firm "come" and immediately tethered to me for a
short reminder. Then we would try again.
After
working with the long line consistently for about a month, it only took a week
or so to get Zeus to walk off lead with me any where we went around the
farm.
Of
course do to his problem with people, I would never have let him off lead in a
public place, but with all his fear, he was a perfect gentlemen, letting me be
the guide on walks in public tethered to me. I think it gave him
security.
But
with any dog, I would not chance off lead walks in public, unless you are
positive for her safety, that she will "come" without question, on command if
you run into trouble.
JMO
Hope
this helps,
Sariena Foley
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pyrnet-l@pyrnet.org [mailto:owner-pyrnet-l@pyrnet.org]On Behalf Of Suzanne C Bell Sent: 12-Jan-02 16:55 To: pyrnet-l@pyrnet.org Subject: [pyrnet] ice and off-leash
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