Dog training in Westport MASS is awesome.
There are so many places to meet a client and to do dog training in Westport Massachusetts.
You have Gooseberry Island, the beaches (during certain times of the years) and the Westport Land Trust has some truly beautiful places to go with your dog. The Herb Hatfield Conservation Area and the Town Farm are just a few great places.
I met a client to do some dog training at Gooseberry Island recently. We met there to work on her dog’s recall (come when called) command.
Her dog’s recall was not very good. As soon as he was off leash he would take ff and payed very little attention to the owner. I took one look at him and instantly knew what the problem was. I shared it with her and I am going to share it with you too.
You see, her dog was recently adopted from a local shelter. We did not have much background on the dog but I knew this dog had probably spent a lot of time on a chain or cooped up somewhere.
The dog took off because he had experienced very little….
….FREEDOM!
Here’s the deal. Dogs enjoy their freedom like we do. Dogs spend a lot of time on leash, in a car, in a crate, behind a fence or in a house. Once they are free the last thing they want to do is come back to you.
They want to party!
If you want your dog to come when called you must let your dog have some free time. They need to roam around a little to sniff, play and run.
“How the heck am I supposed to let my dog have some freedom when he takes off Mr. Amazing Dog Training Man?” I the response I get around this time.
Let me share a favorite training tool of mine. Perhaps the most useful tool for teching your dog to come when called. The tool is:
A long line.
A long line is a 20 to 30 foot leash you can attach to your dog’s collar. Now when you go to do a dog training session in Westport MA you can bring along your long line.
You would attach it to your dog’s collar and let him use the length of the line. Now your dog has 30 feet to sniff, and play. If he starts to get too far you can step on it to prevent him from going any further.
This is the first step to teaching your dog to come when called. My dogs get a lot of freedom because they come when called. The come when called because they have a lot of freedom.
Let your dog have some freedom and then you can start teaching him the spring loaded recall exercise which is step 2 in teaching your dog to come when called.
If you’re having problems with your dog’s recall or command or anything else you can get a FREE Behavior Consultation with me. Fill out the form and hit the submit button. I’ll contact you within 24 hours.
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All the best,
Eric