It's been wonderful - as always, I'm a bit nervous meeting a new dog (not by much) because I never know how strong they are or what they react to - compared to my own!
But I've found that while Viili is the same size as Milo (25kg) - he is much easier to walk.
Luckily, Viili is used to the halti - a nose harness - which I find the easiest to use for walking a dog that pulls.
Milo has only recently "graduated" from the halti himself and onto an anti-pull harness!
My friend has had Viili for a few months - he was adopted near where Milo is from funny enough and was 11-months old when she got him. In photos online, he seemed like a massive dog but in reality he's a medium terrier/mini Irish wolfhound looking mix!
I had never met Viili before and only had to watch him for a day and a half or so - but I wanted to be prepared. I brought treats and I also made sure I brought my clicker.
They haven't had visitors since getting Viili - just by chance - so I was the first one and he was ecstatic! He didn't bark or growl which was a good sign.
He initially was disturbed by cyclists - of which there are plenty in Finland - and joggers. But that has calmed down and his biggest hurdle was pulling to see other dogs and if they barked - he would get a little excited and pull a lot and of course bark back.
"Sounds just like Milo and Blue (my first dog) - I'm sure it'll be fine!" I assured my friend.
Just to be safe, I came over a couple hours prior to them leaving and once I was settled in the living room, I immediately initiated clicker training.
To do this - I said his name (he understands Finnish and English - but I tried to stick with one language) and when he looked at me - *click* then a treat.
Well, wasn't he surprised at this treat-bearing person!
I did it a few times and my friend advised me that his eye contact isn't so great (yet). That was fine - the main concern for me was that Viili would recognise me saying his name and understand that if I call him and he listens - he will be rewarded.
If he doesn't listen - then no reward.
I made sure after our friends left that I took him for a short walk around the block on my own (A-Man was pleased with all the new toys he could play with) to see what would happen if we saw other dogs and just in general - what kind of dog is he like on a leash.
I made sure to ask every possible question about Viili before my friend left and in case you're going to walk your friend's dog (or consider a business!) - here's some things I asked:
- How often should I feed him and what?
- When?
- Any part of his body he doesn't like being touched?
- How does he react to putting the halti on?
- What does he do when a dog comes nearby?
- What do YOU do when an unknown dog comes nearby?
- How often does he go for walks and for how long?
- Does he poop every time?
- Has he been on a bus before? (I don't have a car and had to go to the pharmacy - we brought him with us.)
- Does he steal food?
- Where does he sleep normally?
- Is he allowed on furniture or the bed? (Mine have full access but I know many dog owners prefer to have dogs stay out of their bed or not on their sofa.)
- (Of course there are many other questions to ask and consider - but many were covered from our previous conversations!)
So naturally we saw a lot of dogs during that short walk and my friend advised me that they usually have Viili sit and wait until the dog goes by and try to block his view from the nearby dogs.
Dogs that don't bark at him - he's more likely to not be so interested in. Fair enough - I'm more likely to ignore someone who is quiet than someone who is screeching or shouting at me too - right?
I first made sure that the clicker was attached securely to the leash and also that the treats were in my pocket with fast access and if I saw a dog approaching down the road - I made sure to have a fist full ready.
I noticed when he was getting close to a dog, he would start to crouch but still walk. This was promising - as my first dog Blue would come to a full stop and lie down waiting like a psycho hunter.
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| A quick snap while a dog far down the road was approaching our direction. |
Anyway, I was prepared for the pulling and kept him on a short leash as well - in case he pulled hard and I just called his name and as soon as he turned his head half-way toward me (if not all the way) - I put the fist of treats by his nose and had my right hand ready to "click" the clicker for good behaviour.
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| I took him on the bus (as A-Man wasn't going to walk that far and didn't want him to use a stroller) and to calm him down - he got treats if he focused on me. |
He is incredibly smart and it didn't take long for him to get the idea that I am the leader because I have treats! And that clicker was a sign that he did something awesome and he was going to get a prize.
I also made sure to use a 1-word compliment, in case my friend doesn't have a clicker or forgets to bring one with her.
"Good" - that's it. Sure I could say, "good boy!" "Good job!" "Good Viili" - but sticking to a single word compliment seems to work better and sticks faster into a dog's brain (at least based on my dogs).
We've been on several walks since yesterday and there was only one time he got the opportunity to pull and that was my fault for not having the treats ready in my hand for him to smell.
And when I told all of this to my friend via chat - she was pleasantly surprised.
I even confirmed that we had walked near or waited for dogs to walk by that were barking, growling and snarling and pulling a lot - and Viili had learned to direct his focus to me.
Yes, I blocked his view as it's consistent with what his owner does and I didn't want to disrupt his regular lifestyle and expectancies by much.
Introducing a clicker and treats (with her permission) worked wonders and was something he wasn't used to already - add a complete stranger and a new child to the mix and I can imagine that this may stress some pets out.
I also introduced a hand signal to teach him to sit. It's simply my hand in a fist and on my chest while saying "sit".
I'm a huge fan of hand signals with training dogs because dogs can become deaf (or already are) as they age and of course if you're talking with someone and don't want to interrupt the conversation - you can simply do a hand signal and your dog should be able to recognise what it means and then of course - be rewarded!
Pros and cons of clicker training?
- Pro: Lightweight device usually on a key ring and can be attached to your key chain and onto a dog's leash. Found in most pet shops and pet sections of a grocery store (depending where you live).
- Pro: It's a positive & humane method to train your dog to listen and signals when a reward is coming. (You may want to try the clicker training at home a few times to initiate the bond with it and your dog before just going outside to use it for the first time.)
- Pro: It's pretty fast for a dog to learn (usually)!
- Con: Toddlers tend to enjoy clicking it and driving everyone nuts - and of course dogs expect treats whenever they hear a click sound! :)
Viili was a breeze to walk and hopefully this helps my friend make walking in her neighbourhood easier! Turns out there are a lot of dogs in her neighbourhood! :D
And perhaps this will help you too!
BIMU
PS Disclaimer: I am not a certified dog trainer. These techniques are based on my own experience with having had a dog that was 4-years old when adopted and had no training whatsoever (and now Milo with minimum training). I also don't agree with rough-handling methods to train dogs. I prefer positive handling methods like the clicker and treats. :)
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