Weekly Training Update (Oct 31)
While it’s tempting to dress Lilly up and post photos for Halloween, I won’t put her through the drama. Instead, I’ll share just one interesting experiment I did this weekend with Lilly’s training.
I’m kind of a tough nut when it comes to dogs being off-leash in public. Mostly it’s because I see far too people think they have voice control over their dogs but really don’t.
So, I’ve never been really anxious to turn Lilly into the perfect off-leash dog in normal public settings. Do I want her to be rock solid in the agility ring? Absolutely, but I’m in no rush to have her hike off-leash or walk around off-leash in general.
HOWEVER, since there was no traffic and no loose dogs on our walk Thursday, I experimented by simply draping her leash over my shoulder and not really hanging on to it. We walked almost the entire way home side by side.
Not one to be over-confident, I did hold onto the leash when we passed some dogs barking at us behind their fence.
But, I have to admit … it was really sweet to see her stick right next to me. Maybe she couldn’t tell I wasn’t holding onto the leash, but it was fun to try.
How about you? Any strategies for training and proofing your dog as an off-leash star?