I really think it's a learned thing. The more time you walk the dogs in private and public, the more they understand what they are supposed to do. Buddy isn't totally there yet, but because we love to walk him 2 - 3 times a day, he runs into all kinds of neighbors and other dogs. We took him to the new greenway that the city build just down the street from us and Buddy just did his thing and had a ball. Maybe I give him a little more leeway when it comes to stopping and sniffing about, but the way I see it, this is his walk, so enjoy it. When it's time to move on, I say, "Buddy, let's go." If he doesn't respond, I give him a little tug on his leash with the same command, and off we go.
I can tell this all will take some time and in this case, patience will certainly be a virtue! |