Part Three
In the previous blog posts in this series we looked at two ways in which we can set up our adolescent or high energy breeds of dog for success in regards to trying to train them and getting them to a point in which they might actually be able to concentrate on the task you are trying to set them. We looked at PRE-TRAINING Here, whereby we give those dogs something to do BEFORE we even leave the house and also look at implementing a structured walk Here , depending on the dogs personality and temperament type.
Next up I’m going to give you some little insider tips as to WHERE and HOW I implement all of the things I have mentioned in my previous blog posts. There’s even a bonus tip for all of those who have read all the way to the end of this post.
So here are some of my insider tips;
Insider tip #1
Change it up- your dog gets super excited by leaving through a specific door? Or has your walk become a bit of sprint to get to the nearest green space so we can play (insert your dogs favourite game here)? If yes then change it up. Start to exit your house from a different exit, where possible or change the route to the park, better yet- occasionally don’t even go to the park just so a “sniffy” walk. If your PRE-TRAINING phase was good enough you might be able to encourage your to go for a longer more varied route today that doesn’t end in a game at the park. What we are trying to achieve with this is to get your dog to “UNLEARN” what his walk “always” looks like. If he ALWAYS go to the park at the same time every day and it’s this “rush” that you are trying to prevent with loose lead training, then going the same route isn’t going to help your dog to concentrate in the beginning phase when we are training a new behaviour. This is where the next tip might help you.
Insider tip #2
If in doubt , drive- if the thought of being pulled down the road for fifteen minutes does not appeal to you perhaps we need to make the conscious decision to drive somewhere quite and free from distractions. This is what is meant your dog trainer asks you to start training somewhere with low distractions once you’ve graduated from training in the back garden or in the house. Now it’s your turn to find open spaces, private enclosed fields or “secret spots” where you can train with less distractions from dogs or people coming up to you and unravelling that days work. I encourage owners who are “loose lead” training to drive to a quite open area to play a game with your dog or go for a walk on a long line and then train on the way back. Making sure to park a bit further away each time, allowing your dog to concentrate on loose lead a bit more each day. I also encourage owners with reactive dogs to go somewhere that looks like “real life” but isn’t. Which leads to my next tip.
Insider tip #3
Real Life Mock Ups – three places I like to train dogs that looks like real life but isn’t as busy. Here are three to start you off.
Enclosed fields are a godsend, but they are not all created equal, especially if you have a reactive dog. Choose one that has a gap between fields so that the dogs can perhaps see each other from afar but can’t actually get to each other, because nothing ruins recall practice like three dogs running up and down the fence line over threshold for forty five minutes.
Cemeteries are an under-utilised little gem that I like to use because more often than not , they require all dogs to be on lead at all times. It’s a great place to practice your lead handling skills, to practice “look/look away” for reactive dogs and provides ample opportunities to use “street furniture” as it were, to your advantage. Getting to close to an oncoming dog? Dart behind a row of tombstones. Need to practice coming up to a junction, use a headstone as a buffer. Want practice loose lead somewhere other than your street , the local cemetery is a great alternative. I know it sounds mad but they are usually quite and often with other likeminded people with dogs in training. Make sure to take your “in training” cuff or waistcoat with you so people don’t think your absolutely going crazy. My local cemetery had a wonderful caretaker who loved seeing me train dogs as long as we respected funeral days and picked up after ourselves obviously👍
Industrial Estates are also your friend , they are usually quieter or even empty on the weekends and are great places to practice with stooge dogs (calm well socialised dogs, that you know personally) from a distance walking up and down as if on a “real life” with the added bonus of having less people traffic and dogs in these areas as well as nice open car parks for nervous dogs to practice meeting and greeting dogs on long lines that are very well managed/handled. I also like to use them to parallel walks with calm and reactive dogs across the street from each other.
So there you have it how to train high energy dogs in three parts.By taking the pressure off yourself and realising that is actually better for all involved. Here is a recap of what I would do if I was trying struggle to get my crazy springer spaniel to practice some loose lead or even work on building up a nervous dogs positive associations with previous triggers.
Pre-train before you leave
Prepare for your walk by changing your exits and possibly changing the routes you take to make them less predictable for excitable or frustrated dogs.
Make walks more predictable for nervous dogs, however.
Choose an appropriate venue to allow your dog to succeed.
Incorporate some structure into the walk with engaging activities followed by calming activities, to prevent overstimulation.
Train on the way back to the car or on the way home.
Continue to find venues that can help your dogs to practice with minimal distractions or where you can build back up to “real life” busier scenarios over time.
Hopefully this has helped you to see what is required and in what order to help you to train you busy, high energy dog. Keep scrolling to read my BONUS TIP below that I think it’s really important you know when dealing with busy working breeds.
If you enjoyed this post please check out my previous posts in the three part blog series on Training High Energy Dogs here. Or you can sign up with your email HERE COMING SOON – – to grab a copy of 101 enrichment ideas for your dog via email. Before you go check out the Bonus Tips Below👇👇
Bonus Tips – For Training High Energy Dogs
Before you go I’d like to share with you this bonus tip.
Practice three things if you own a high energy dog
Sloppy handling timing and general mechanics of how you distribute rewards to your dog can have a big effect on how quickly or how clearly your dog learns your new skills. So if you get the chance , get a professional in to look at all of those things before embarking on your training with your dog, this is because high energy dogs can also become easily frustrated and often have short attention spans , these are both things that can hinder our success and are not the dogs fault, even though it might look that way. So before you start to think your dog is stubborn or being grumpy please practice these three things-
Lead Handling Skills – more space is better for our busy dogs so being able to literally pick up the slack in a timely and confident manner will help you to manage your dog quickly, knowing how to stop your dog gradually, how to prevent your lead from getting tangled and knowing where the end of the lead is (no extendable leads for the love of god people).
Timing – learning to capture the correct behaviour with a word like “yes” or “good” followed by the reward is important because we often miss lots of good attempts because we leave it too long to mark and reward. Get good at looking for the behaviour you want and get in the habit of saying “yes” followed by the next step.
Delivery – otherwise known as your mechanics. How might your body language be affecting what your dog is doing? Are we sloppy with the lead? Do we get tangled up so miss the point at which we could have marked and rewarded some amazing loose lead? It’s muscle memory. We can only get good at this bit with practice. We will get what we put in. Practice luring your dog into position, practice holding a treat under your thumb so we can get the dog into the right position before marking “yes” and releasing the treat into their mouth. Or do we have a hand grabber? if so get good at rolling treats directly in their eye line so they don’t spend to long “searching” for their reward. As you get quicker at all of these things so too will your dog get quicker at picking up what you actually want đź‘Ť
Hope all of this helped. Love from your friendly neighbourhood dog trainer, Sara.x
Ps if you would like to work with me in person or online please feel free to contact me here Contact Sara Here
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