My Smart Puppy Minute Episode 6 Walking On Purpose: Head Turns on PetLifeRadio.com

Struggling with distractions? Wish your dog had better on leash manners? Dream of a fast and reliable "come when called"? This podcast can help! "Head Turns" is a simple game that you can play anywhere to build better behavior everywhere. Start to home, create success there then take the show on the road. You will see improvement quickly when you practice this for a few minutes a few times a week. Have fun!

More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Walking On Purpose: Head Turns on Pet Life Radio



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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is pet Life Radio. Let's talk pets. Hi. Welcome

(00:27):
to the My Smart Puppy Minute. This is Sarah Wilson,
and today we're going to talk about walking on purpose
games to help you deal with real life. The first
game is head turns. These are a great way to
start building attention focus better on leash behavior and better

(00:50):
off leash behavior too in the long run. I use
them all the time, both with my own dogs and
with client dogs that I train. Here's the game. Your
dog gets interested in something. It doesn't matter what it is.
All that matters is that their focus is more on
something else than it is on you. The minute that happens,

(01:11):
you back up, and as you back up, you start
to wiggle your fingers. We call that squeeze pulsing that
it is simply wiggling your fingers to prevent the dog
from bracing against the leash. I don't want you dragging
your dog. I also don't want you standing in one
place waiting for the dog to get bored and to

(01:32):
look back at you, because you know what, that can
take a long time. So you're backing up, and you're
wiggling your fingers, and you're backing up Eventually your dog
is going to look at you, turn their head and
look at you. And when they turn their head and
look at you, I want you to be right there.
Good dog, Yes, good dog. And when they come back

(01:54):
to you because you're praising them, you will praise them,
you will smile at them, and you will hopefully give
them some treats if you happen to have some along.
I highly suggested at this point, then you start walking again.
When they get interested, you back up, you squeeze, pulse,
and the minute that head starts to turn, good dog. Yes, wow,

(02:14):
what a good dog. Now, this is not a verbal command.
You are not saying leave it, or come or any
of those things. Those are great, they're just not this exercise.
This exercise is to teach your dog to turn back
to you when they feel any pressure on the leash.
Wouldn't that be an improvement? Yes, it would. So by

(02:36):
playing this game, by practicing head turns, whenever you have
the energy and interest to do it, you can start
walking on purpose, with a purpose, and you will see
big improvements in your dog's behavior. Very quickly. Give it
a try, and if you have any questions at all,
stop by mysmartpuppy dot com. We are happy to help

(02:58):
you because we are all about helping you help your dog.
So until next time, go out, have fun with your dog,
and enjoy Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only
on Petlifradio dot com