Spring Dog Training Update

The days are getting longer, the evenings are getting warmer and that can only mean one thing – more time to train our dogs. Spring dog training is always a pleasure as we look forward to summer with our dogs.

Training Refresher

There are a couple of things I always reinforce with spring dog training. The first is, think about where you will be going and what you will be doing over the summer. Chances are, your will be going for longer walks with more off lead time for your dog. You may be doing day trips to places your dog isn’t so familiar with. It’s essential that your dog’s recall is very good. In order for you to relax and enjoy your time out, you need to know your dog will come back if called. This includes if there’s other dogs around and other people.

This leads me to my second point: picnics. If your dog can’t resist a sausage roll or a ham sandwich, don’t let them off the lead. I have a client who’s dog strolled up to a lady on a park bench and stole her sandwich. My client was mortified. If you can’t trust them, don’t risk it.

So spring dog training is the time to tighten up on things that might have got a big lax. Do lots of recalls, not just at the end of the walk but throughout. Don’t let them run up to anyone. Think about your behaviour at home – do you let you dog jump up at you when you enter the house? Chances are they will do it with strangers when you are out and they will be not be impressed. Teach your dog good manners at home and they will not let you down when you are out.

Rehoming Dogs

While we are discussing spring dog training, just a note about rehoming dogs. After the puppy buying frenzy during the pandemic, we are now seeing a lot of dogs being rehomed. As people return to their places of work, they are finding it’s impossible to keep a dog at home. The cost of living crisis is also having an effect – having a dog is not cheap. Sadly, lots of young dogs are ending up in shelters, many of which are now at capacity.

If you do choose to take in a rehomed dog, be prepared. You don’t know what training that dog has had. The dog may also have behavioural issues due to separation anxiety. Training these dogs from day one is vital. Contact me for specialist behavioural training, where we can work together to settle your new dog in their forever home and give you both an enjoyable future together.

Posted: April 15, 2022