Walking the dog by Mairead Harkin

Through my many years of dog training I find the most obvious problem is the easiest to solve; walking the dog. This is what I see every day:

1. The owners are walking too fast and the dog can’t relax enough to relieve themselves.

2. The owners are too slow, the dog ends up straining on the lead and turning in circles.

3. The owner is distracted by phones, other walkers or they forget that the dog is out for a walk and not to catch up on gossip with neighbors.

A dog can be trained to walk on a lead properly in one minute, yes that’s all it takes.

A cardinal sin committed by most owners with trouble walking their dog is the use of Haltis. These should be a last resort, if even used at all. Walking your dog should be a pleasant and enjoyable experience for the both of you, here are a few tips that might help those of you who end up getting dragged about the place more often then not.When walking, you should keep the dog on your left side, there are reasons for this which we won’t go into here, just trust me. The dogs front leg should be level with your legs, the dog should never walk in front of you, it should be clear to the dog who is walking whom. The only time a dog should ever be in front is the 7.30 at Harolds Cross Stadium. Next we come to the lead, it is not for leading or dragging, there should be a drop on the lead between you, it should not be taut, a taut lead is asking for dragging. The main thing to remember is to relax, if you are relaxed the dog will be relaxed, if you are fretting and getting frustrated then the dog will react to this, it is up to you to keep your composure. Ok so they were some basic tips, some of you will have no problem implementing them, some of you will have unruly dogs with bad habits that simply won’t accept walking like this, what to do? Well unfortunately you may have to admit defeat and call in an expert like myself at this point, a good trainer can usually have you and your dog walking together in a calm and enjoyable manner in just one session.Always remember a dog is only as good as its owner, change starts with you.Walking the dog by Mairead Harkin

Through my many years of dog training I find the most obvious problem is the easiest to solve; walking the dog. This is what I see every day:

4. The owners are walking too fast and the dog can’t relax enough to relieve themselves.

5. The owners are too slow, the dog ends up straining on the lead and turning in circles.

6. The owner is distracted by phones, other walkers or they forget that the dog is out for a walk and not to catch up on gossip with neighbors.

A dog can be trained to walk on a lead properly in one minute, yes that’s all it takes.

A cardinal sin committed by most owners with trouble walking their dog is the use of Haltis. These should be a last resort, if even used at all. Walking your dog should be a pleasant and enjoyable experience for the both of you, here are a few tips that might help those of you who end up getting dragged about the place more often then not.When walking, you should keep the dog on your left side, there are reasons for this which we won’t go into here, just trust me. The dogs front leg should be level with your legs, the dog should never walk in front of you, it should be clear to the dog who is walking whom. The only time a dog should ever be in front is the 7.30 at Harolds Cross Stadium. Next we come to the lead, it is not for leading or dragging, there should be a drop on the lead between you, it should not be taut, a taut lead is asking for dragging. The main thing to remember is to relax, if you are relaxed the dog will be relaxed, if you are fretting and getting frustrated then the dog will react to this, it is up to you to keep your composure. Ok so they were some basic tips, some of you will have no problem implementing them, some of you will have unruly dogs with bad habits that simply won’t accept walking like this, what to do? Well unfortunately you may have to admit defeat and call in an expert like myself at this point, a good trainer can usually have you and your dog walking together in a calm and enjoyable manner in just one session.Always remember a dog is only as good as its owner, change starts with you.Walking the dog by Mairead Harkin

Through my many years of dog training I find the most obvious problem is the easiest to solve; walking the dog. This is what I see every day:

7. The owners are walking too fast and the dog can’t relax enough to relieve themselves.

8. The owners are too slow, the dog ends up straining on the lead and turning in circles.

9. The owner is distracted by phones, other walkers or they forget that the dog is out for a walk and not to catch up on gossip with neighbors.

A dog can be trained to walk on a lead properly in one minute, yes that’s all it takes.

A cardinal sin committed by most owners with trouble walking their dog is the use of Haltis. These should be a last resort, if even used at all. Walking your dog should be a pleasant and enjoyable experience for the both of you, here are a few tips that might help those of you who end up getting dragged about the place more often then not.When walking, you should keep the dog on your left side, there are reasons for this which we won’t go into here, just trust me. The dogs front leg should be level with your legs, the dog should never walk in front of you, it should be clear to the dog who is walking whom. The only time a dog should ever be in front is the 7.30 at Harolds Cross Stadium. Next we come to the lead, it is not for leading or dragging, there should be a drop on the lead between you, it should not be taut, a taut lead is asking for dragging. The main thing to remember is to relax, if you are relaxed the dog will be relaxed, if you are fretting and getting frustrated then the dog will react to this, it is up to you to keep your composure. Ok so they were some basic tips, some of you will have no problem implementing them, some of you will have unruly dogs with bad habits that simply won’t accept walking like

this, what to do? Well unfortunately you may have to admit defeat and call in an expert like myself at this point, a good trainer can usually have you and your dog walking together in a calm and enjoyable manner in just one session.Always remember a dog is only as good as its owner, change starts with you.Walking the dog by Mairead Harkin

Through my many years of dog training I find the most obvious problem is the easiest to solve; walking the dog. This is what I see every day:

10. The owners are walking too fast and the dog can’t relax enough to relieve themselves.

11. The owners are too slow, the dog ends up straining on the lead and turning in circles.

12. The owner is distracted by phones, other walkers or they forget that the dog is out for a walk and not to catch up on gossip with neighbors.

A dog can be trained to walk on a lead properly in one minute, yes that’s all it takes.

A cardinal sin committed by most owners with trouble walking their dog is the use of Haltis. These should be a last resort, if even used at all. Walking your dog should be a pleasant and enjoyable experience for the both of you, here are a few tips that might help those of you who end up getting dragged about the place more often then not.When walking, you should keep the dog on your left side, there are reasons for this which we won’t go into here, just trust me. The dogs front leg should be level with your legs, the dog should never walk in front of you, it should be clear to the dog who is walking whom. The only time a dog should ever be in front is the 7.30 at Harolds Cross Stadium. Next we come to the lead, it is not for leading or dragging, there should be a drop on the lead between you, it should not be taut, a taut lead is asking for dragging. The main thing to remember is to relax, if you are relaxed the dog will be relaxed, if you are fretting and getting frustrated then the dog will react to this, it is up to you to keep your composure. Ok so they were some basic tips, some of you will have no problem implementing them, some of you will have unruly dogs with bad habits that simply won’t accept walking like this, what to do? Well unfortunately you may have to admit defeat and call in an expert like myself at this point, a good trainer can usually have you and your dog walking together in a calm and enjoyable manner in just one session.Always remember a dog is only as good as its owner, change starts with you.Walking the dog by Mairead Harkin

Through my many years of dog training I find the most obvious problem is the easiest to solve; walking the dog. This is what I see every day:

13. The owners are walking too fast and the dog can’t relax enough to relieve themselves.

14. The owners are too slow, the dog ends up straining on the lead and turning in circles.

15. The owner is distracted by phones, other walkers or they forget that the dog is out for a walk and not to catch up on gossip with neighbors.

A dog can be trained to walk on a lead properly in one minute, yes that’s all it takes.

A cardinal sin committed by most owners with trouble walking their dog is the use of Haltis. These should be a last resort, if even used at all. Walking your dog should be a pleasant and enjoyable experience for the both of you, here are a few tips that might help those of you who end up getting dragged about the place more often then not.When walking, you should keep the dog on your left side, there are reasons for this which we won’t go into here, just trust me. The dogs front leg should be level with your legs, the dog should never walk in front of you, it should be clear to the dog who is walking whom. The only time a dog should ever be in front is the 7.30 at Harolds Cross Stadium. Next we come to the lead, it is not for leading or dragging, there should be a drop on the lead between you, it should not be taut, a taut lead is asking for dragging. The main thing to remember is to relax, if you are relaxed the dog will be relaxed, if you are fretting and getting frustrated then the dog will react to this, it is up to you to keep your composure. Ok so they were some basic tips, some of you will have no problem implementing them, some of you will have unruly dogs with bad habits that simply won’t accept walking like this, what to do? Well unfortunately you may have to admit defeat and call in an expert like myself at this point, a good trainer can usually have you and your dog walking together in a calm and enjoyable manner in just one session.Always remember a dog is only as good as its owner, change starts with you.