Brutus struggles on walks in his neighborhood. He loves rabbit poop and it can be found in the lawns of almost every street they turn down. We’ve been working on his leash skills but he still has some struggles so I wanted to give the family some alternatives to walks.
Today we met at a small local park that is always empty, which is perfect for the first time in a new location that has the potential to be very exciting. To set Brutus up for success I checked the area for rabbit poop first.
When they arrived the first thing I did was tell them Brutus may:
- Be very excited by the new environment
- Not listen to us immediately when we call his name
- Not even check in with us until he has had some time to sniff
The other thing I did was have a handful of treats ready to put down on the ground for Brutus. He can get excited and be jumpy. But he also knows the Up/Down Game from Control Unleashed. This helps keep him busy while we get our treats and poop bags and anything else we need.
This was just a quick outing – 20 minutes so they could see what it should look like without over-doing it for the first time. We also both live about 10 minutes from the park so it was very convenient.
Brutus was on a long leash clipped to his harness and was basically allowed to go wherever he wanted. As long as it was safe, of course.
As expected he was very excited. Lots of sniffing and basically paying no attention to us as he went from tree to tree. A few times he came over to one of us and we offered him a treat. Sometimes he ignored it, and other times he preferred to find it in the grass. Not unusual behavior.
After about 15 minutes he finally came over to us and offered a sit without anyone asking and happily ate some treats and leaned in when I scratched behind the ear. After that, he was much more responsive when calling him.
We did see some ducks by the river that he struggled with. But instead of a harsh correction to get his attention, we walked ourselves to him taking up the slack in the leash so he didn’t get the opportunity to continue to move forward, and lured him away with some hot dogs. The ducks had already made their way to the other side of the river, and I think that distance also helped get his attention.
We continued our walk, making our way back to the cars, allowing Brutus to sniff wherever he wanted to sniff – or just stop and stand still with his nose in the air taking in the information – and offering a treat whenever he checked in with us.
Wrapping up they told me this was really helpful. They take Brutus on hikes, and their family has land where he can run off leash, but they admitted they hadn’t thought of taking him somewhere to just sniff and explore. And with a quiet park so close to home this was more convenient and less stressful than their struggle with a neighborhood full of rabbit shit. This is also an option for a dog walker or anyone that might be sitting for them while away.
The Moral of the Story: Choose your battles.
Is there a place that you can take your dog where they can do any of the following: run, sniff, swim, dig, roll in the grass, pee on things – on a long leash – or off leash if safe and allowed – and preferably quiet (as in not a lot of city noise) and as trigger free as possible? Then go there instead of trying to fight with your dog over [x] while on walks.
We aren’t avoiding the problem! Take them there while you are working on their leash walking and self control skills (in low distraction area) so they can still have their needs met.
Even if your dog is fully trained haha just kidding there is no such thing as a fully trained dog.
All dogs should have the opportunity to spend time in an environment outdoors where they can move on their own terms with as few triggers as possible so they can just be dogs.
Where I live in Rhode Island, we have a handful of parks all within a ten minute drive where we can take our dog. Two of those spots have beach access so she can swim.
Your city/town should have a directory of parks on their website. Or check with your local parks department. And it’s always a good idea to check out the area first, without your dog.
Getting out into nature is also beneficial to us humans, too! I wrote this blog not just after a walk in the park with Brutus, but a walk in the woods later in the day with my wife.
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