October 1 – 7 is national Walk Your Dog Week. This holiday was launched to raise awareness of canine obesity and canine behaviour by Colleen Paige.
It was created out of a consideration for dogs and their wellbeing and happiness is great for people too.
Exercise – Good for you.
Good for your dog Your dog needs to learn how to walk (or jog) on a leash. They need to come along with you without being scared, scrambling backwards, darting sideways or any of a number of other unsafe responses.
Unsafe for you both. Walking on a leash should be a very safe, secure and fun outing for your dog.
How do we get them there?
First you need to work daily with your dog, starting when they are a young puppy. Puppies have short attention spans so the lessons are short.
There is not a huge time commitment, but there is a consistency commitment. Meaning you need short, but sweet lessons daily.
The bonus is the bonding with your dog. Your young puppy you have just added to your household needs to get accustomed to their new home and schedules, but within a week or two you can start some learning sessions. First a well-fitting collar. Remove it after each session.
They can get into trouble wearing it unsupervised and as the puppy grows it can quickly cause rub sores on the skin of the neck.
Removing it daily keeps these problems limited. With the collar on and a few treats in your hands get puppy’s attention while slowly walking backwards and treating them as they come to you.
Soon you can do the same exercise with a light leash attached to the collar and in your hand loosely. Treats can be any small tidbit of food that they are quite fond of.
This learning is for all dogs small and large, any breed, any colour or coat length.
Over time you have gone from moving backwards as the puppy follows you, to having the puppy walk alongside. The frequency of having to give treats to encourage coming along on a leash will decrease. Soon the bond develops between you and your dog.
This becomes a fun adventure and requires little prompting. Many dogs will get their leash and deliver it at your feet when W.A.L.K. is mentioned.
As you go on more walks, the bond grows, and this is a very comfortable situation for your dog. Your dog should never leave your compound or yard without a collar and a leash.
The first time your dog wears a leash should not be the first visit to the vet.
Of course they are worried, scared at this new place, but this is double trouble for them to now have something around their neck they are not used to. A walk with you on the leash should mean safety and security and fun not fear, discomfort or wild thrashing.
No dragging. No harsh tugging. Now we know that many places around Suva harbour stray and wandering dogs so be safe with your dog walking.
Put pressure on your fellow dog owners not to turn out their dogs on the street.
We could make Dog Walking Week turn into Dog Walking Year with care and concern for our dogs, and for the dogs in our community.
• JO OLVER is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with SPCA Fiji Islands. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the views of this newspaper.
