Ok, OK, I complain a lot about my human and her desire to attempt to run.  I think it is more because she just doesn’t get it.  She runs and it is in a straight line with some kind of agenda– make time, only have so much time, lose weight, get in shape.  For me, I run to expreince life, to take in its smells, to just feel joy.  We are on different pages.  Just as she trains me, I hope that I can help her see the joy in just running.

(Click on the photo to enlarge so you can see my happy face!)

I love to follow my big sister Eva around.  Below we are running at Dolly Sods, part of the Monongahela National Forest.

See the Joy!

We stop to get water along the way.

Before my Human lets me off lead, she likes to review basic commands.

(She needs to loosen up that leash a little bit to make sure there is a J.  Training Humans takes time, sigh.)

All this running around leaves me pretty tired.  I am already not a morning pup.  See how sleepy I look.  So tired.  Don’t worry I was able to get right up after my morning cup of joe (ok, it was water and a bathroom break).

I know I know I am a small pup.  I will tell you that I was running long after my big sister Eva tired out.  My size does mean my Human has to take certain precautions.  And the good news is that if I get tired, I am pretty easy to pick up and carry.

Things to consider before hiking or running with your dog:
1. Size and coat of dog. A really small dog, like myself, or a really big dog might not make the best running companion. A long haired coat might not be good in the middle of the summer.
2. Physical abilities such as injuries, and energy level.
3. Physical endurance. You don’t want to take an out of shape dog on a 5 mile run, start slow and build endurance and ability. This will also help you figure out if your dog has limitations.
4. The personality of your dog such as energy level, ability to be off lead or run next to you on lead with out cutting in front of you, and reaction to new situations.

After taking into consideration the above points, create the length and difficulty of the hike or run based on your dogs abilities and personality.

When hiking and running keep your eye out for glass and other items that might injury our paws. One of the most common injuries happens to your dogs pads. Try our Doggie Sage Hot Dog Balm on our pads before you go out and when you return to soften and heal those paws.

***********************************************************

Want to read and learn more about running with your dog? Check out the following links:
Train with Your Dog
Running and Jogging with Your Dog
Running with Your Best Friend

Last Year on St. Patty’s Day I graduated from Puppy Obedience School at Dog Lovers Obedience School.

In order to graduate, I had to work pretty darn hard and learn a whole lot of self control.

My Human chose Dog Lovers Obedience School because it was not food based.  She had experience with food and clicker training and due to my size thought it might be best to learn a new method.  When picking a training class, find out about the method of teaching and if that is going to be a good match with your dog’s personality and the human’s personality.  If you are uncertain ask if you can sit in on a class without your dog.

Before training or bringing a dog into your home, write down what your goals and expectations.  For example, you want to be able to travel with your dog or you want to do agility.  Find a training method that matches up with your goals.  Someone wanting a companion dog will have different training goals verses someone that wants a performance dog.  Find the right trainer and training facility to match those goals.

Requirements to graduate from Puppy Obedience:
1. Heeling on a Loose Leash with an Automatic Sit

2. Sit Stay with a ball bouncing by (and hold the sit stay for 15 minutes)

3. Down Stay for 45 minutes (Read my post on the 30 minute Down-Stay)

4. Stand Stay with exam- 5 minutes
5. Come with an automatic sit in from
6. Don’t eat the Hot Dog!

YEAH!  I did it!!!

The 30 minute down-stay is one of the most valuable things I have ever taught a dog, the most boring, but the most helpful. To me, this is the foundation for a good family pet.

The 30 minute down-stay does a couple of things. First, it establish you as pack leader. Second, it calms your dog down. Third, it comes in very handy when you go places with your dog.

The way to teach this is not rocket science. Have your dog on lead. Put your dog in a down and say “Stay.” You may have to, depending on the age of your dog, use the lead to hold him down by putting your hand or foot on the lead– this is to limit the dogs movement and should NOT be used as correction.

If your dog gets up, you don’t say anything, you just place him back into the down-stay. There is NO correction. Yes, when you start, they will pop up and pop up and pop up. Just calmly, without words, place the dog back into place. Slowly the dog will take longer between pop ups. The dog may not wiggle from side to side but may fall asleep. If they fall asleep, that is a good thing!

When the 30 minutes is up, gently praise your dog with words. If you want to pet them make sure they stay in the down-stay, and do not roll over onto their side or back. Why I am not using food? This is not a food reward exercise, the reward is praise. Release the dog after you praise them using your release word (my word is “Break”).

When you first start doing this you will need to be on the floor with your dog. You will find very soon, even with a puppy, that you will soon be able to get further and further away. You must do it for the whole 30 minutes. Once you have some distance, and have a solid down-stay for 30 minutes, come back closer in and begin to add distractions like a ball rolling by.

Practice your 30 minute down-stay every single day.

Some trainers and dog handlers do not like the 30 minute down-stay. You need to pick the method that works best for you and your dog. Some think 30 minutes is too long and that you will never use this. Some even have told me 30 minutes is cruel. That is for your to decide. I have never yelled, harmed, or injured my dog while doing this. I have seen Buttercup look at me, like “are we done yet because I REALLY want to play,” and I guess you can call that cruel, especially when I was rolling a ball past her.

You will use this more than you realize. You will use this when you have guests over that are not fans of dogs, or while you are eating dinner. You will use this when you take your dog to the mall while you drink your coffee. You will use this when you open your front door so your dog does not bolt out in to traffic. Not all of those are 30 minutes but it creates a good strong foundation, that is not based on food rewards but based on your relationship with your dog.

If you prefer to teach the down-stay with food, I will present you a short version of how to train a down-stay with the food method. You lure your dog into a dog, if they do not know down already. Stand in front of them and treat. Release dog. Repeat. Begin adding a small amount of time as you see the dog begin to easily stay in position. You do NOT want the dog to get up, so your rate of reinforcement with food needs to be constant and fast as you start to teach this. Once you have repeated several times with increased time begin to add distance, say a foot or two. Take a step back, step back in and feed. When working on distance, don’t work on time. When working on time, don’t work on distance. Eventually distance and time will meet. Once you have time, add distractions. You will not work up to 30 minutes using this method. Using this method, you will work up to 5 minutes.

Next on “Training Tips” we we discuss training your dog to heel using the clicker method and back chaining– no real chains are involved, it is a method where you start where you are and work backwards to get the behavior you desire.

(Please always discuss with a licensed Dog trainer and use common sense.)