Boundaries are the key

Often we pull our dogs around on their leads and hope to teach them loose leash walking. In this video, I play the orientation game with Joy and give her the choice to follow me. When she checks back in, I give her a positive indication marker (by saying 'Yes') that she is doing the right thing, and she trots up to my side to receive her reward. I also use a boundary game to build up the idea of boundaries. By giving her the cue, 'free' I give her permission to leave the boundary. Then, the concept of boundaries can be transferred to everything. I teach her that when she is on the lead, her boundary is to stay close by my side. When I take the lead off, she will still trot by my side until I give her the cue, 'free'. Teaching your dog boundaries is the key to building a better relationship with your dog. If you want to know more about building a better relationship with your dog, check out my book 'In Search of Lassie: A Dog Owner's Guide to the Lassie Myth.'