That method sure does work. I used to carry treats when I was first walking my guys off lead. Make sure your dogs know you have the treats - be prepared to be ignored for the first 10mins - the smells are just tooooo exciting. Then you'll find they listen.
I saw that episode - that was a serious running away problem - that dog would be gone for HOURS! I would just relax and let your dog just run. Carry the treats (or toy or whatever motivates your dog).
If your dog isn't listening. Try running away and make exciting noises - say "bye bye". You'll find your dog will come running to check out what exciting thing mum's doing.
When I get to the park. I make the dogs wait before removing their leads, treat, then release. Then I just start walking. They wind up following me sooner or later - I just keep an eye out that they're not rolling in anything gross!
I never used a long lead. But if you do be prepared for when you do stop using the long lead your dog will know he's no longer on a lead. Dougal acts very differently when he's got his collar on and when I take it off to run an agility course. I didn't think it made a difference but now I've started training without a collar as well. |