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We have been trying for about 3 weeks to master the walk, & we are not even close!
Our 5 1/2 month old Staffi is still constantly distracted by everything & pulling for the whole walk. I thought that perhaps it was because he was a high energy puppy, but i'm starting to wonder if it's something else - his normal routine is two 30 minute walks & play time each day, & he still wont seem to calm down.
Today he had his 30minute morning walk, a 20 minute walk along the beach mid afternoon, a 30 minute walk on the treadmill early evening & my daughter took him for another 30 minute walk a few hours later & she came home so frustrated because he was still constantly pulling & over excited at everything (people, birds, rubbish blowing in the wind, everything!!) for the entire walk & then on returning home he began his crazy running (at full speed) around the house, dodging obsticles & picking up speed until he finally comes to a stop (maybe 5-7 minutes later).
He has quiet time during the day & likes to sleep & rest a lot (& he has actually put himself to bed as I type) so this is not all day - but it is definitely everyday!! (usually in the late afternoon/ early evenings) & the walk is becoming an onging problem with no improvement at all!!
I would really appreciate some advice on how to calm our puppy & how to get him to focus on walking, & if anyone could suggest reasons as to why he becomes so excited.
Thank you
Jennifer
Jennifer,
It may be that what you need is a knowledgeable 3rd person to observe your 'walk' and coach you into 'mastering' it. Sometimes we need to have a more objective set of eyes tell us what we are ACTUALLY doing rather than what we THINK we're doing.
Sometimes it really is about attitude or energy or whatever it is you want to call that very subtle communication you have with your dog that helps reinforce expectations. Let me give you a very recent example.
My current dog is a 9 mo. Bouvier. She is 70 lb, athletic and eager, extremely interested in dogs, people & wildlife. I walk slowly and with a cane. We're attending a beginning obedience class. Last week, we started on loose leash walking. The trainer observed there was 1 powerful dog in the class that didn't 'pull' on the leash and indicated my dog. She tried to get me to explain how that came to be. Caught by surprise, I couldn't think for a minute & then blurted out, "we have an agreement that she won't pull."
Of course I was utterly embarassed. What a silly thing to say! Even though 'not pulling' is very important to me because my dog would actually hurt me badly if she ever pulled me. I had, *of course* worked on mastering the walk!
But the trainer took that statement absolutely seriously and proceeded to take that true - but not clear - idea of an attitude ("we have an ageement ...") and translate it into understandable actions for some of the other members of the class. Yes, she showed some of the same techniques as Cesar does when he explains Mastering the Walk. But what she *really* did was the same thing that Cesar does when he coaches folks in person - she helped her students understand expectations, follow-thru and relaxation by observing (and correcting) what her students were REALLY doing.
And by the end of the class, two of the worst big dog pullers (walk on hind legs, drag you stumbling down the street) were settling in quite nicely. And their handlers knew what to do to practice that success.
It may be that you have all the "forms" from Cesar's lessons down very well. But maybe not the 'energy', the body language. And just beating you over the head with 'stay calm, don't be frustrated' isn't going to help.
So, I'd say try working w/ a knowledgeable 3rd person who can coach you LIVE through a few walks. A trainer, behaviorist or a really good dog-handler.
That's what I might try next, anyway,--Shelagh
Hi Shelagh,
Thank you for your advice, & I suspect that you are correct.
We have a dog training association in our town & the next available course starts in March. As I'm not the only person that walks Raulph, the whole family will be attending, to make sure we are all learning & doing the same thing.
Do you think that his behaviour is normal puppy curiousity - he does not bark or become aggressive, he just appears to be super keen to explore, or do you think that there is something else going on (apart from our energy)?
Thanks
Hi - is this your first Staffie? I ask because this breed is known for its intense energy. I know the ones I've had view a 30 minute walk as bare warm-up for something much more intensive. We have a couple purebred Staffies in the therapy program running on our farm and both need enormous amounts of disciplined exercise in order to be happy and balanced. The oldest is about a year and the other is only about 5 months. They are great dogs, wonderful with kids and other pets, responsive to training, but very high energy. My own German Shepherd - 2yo - is also very high drive/high energy and a 30 minute walk, even an hour long walk works more to reve her energy up than to expend it. I suspect your pup is telling you give me more exercise - make it more intense and find me something to do that will utilize my great drive and energy!
At his age I'm not real surprised your dog still pulls and runs wild on leash. This seems to be a part of being a Staffie (or many other breeds) and may be something you will have to work with until your dog is at least two. More exercise, and more focused exercise, more training and greater challenges to his mind and body will probably go a long way toward helping him learn to contain his energy better.
Hi Carney,
Thanks for your reply. It seems you understand exactly what we are experiencing & yes, this is our first Staffie (first dog actually!!)
Can you explain what would be more focused exercise & what we could do to provide the mind & body challenges that he needs?
We really appreciate your reply as it gives us hope & a better understanding of our puppies needs.