Thanks to everyone who came out for our free training on Sunday! The handouts can be shared, printed and downloaded for free below. Please drop me an email if you would like to be notified when we schedule our next training event.
Josephine & Maddie
"I've been looking for years for a 'magic' trick that could get a dog to come back to me if he/she somehow got loose. It had to be easy, quick to learn and effective. I didn't believe in magic until Drew came along. This really works. It's easy to learn for both dog and human. I taught it to two dogs today in just a few minutes time. Pure genius!"
-Josephine Sherwood (NYC) .pdf below
-Josephine Sherwood (NYC) .pdf below
| "Treat!" Saves Lives (free .pdf) A kid-friendly instant recovery technique that anyone can learn from this fun cartoon! Note: not a substitute for comprehensive recall training. |
| Free Safety Checklist (.pdf) Sharing, printing encouraged. |
| Expanded notes (free .pdf) on planning for, preventing and responding to runaway dogs. Free to download, print, share. |
Lost Dog! Planning, Prevention, Response
by Drew Watson, Certified Professional Dog Trainer-KA
adapted from a recent guest blog post for lukedogwalkernyc.com
I'm walking down West End Avenue with a sweet puppy. She's wagging her tail, excited to make friends with a furry Labradoodle. The two start doing the dance, sniffing and spinning around each other gleefully. Suddenly the leash goes slack. She's slipped her collar. I grab for her instantly, but I see she's looking back at me with a huge happy smile that says, "Chase me!" Fast forward: she's safe and sound after a terrifying romp through traffic, up the sidewalk, bystanders helplessly trying to assist. The lesson? No matter how careful we are, how much we love our dogs and how many thousands of hours of experience we may have, we need to plan, prepare and act immediately when the unthinkable happens.
So I've put together these tips for my training clients, family and friends. I hope you'll find them helpful and share them with the dog lovers in your life!
Planning ahead is key. Is your dog chipped? That's a must. Is the information up to date with your current contact info? Also a must. Do we have the most appropriate collar, harness or other equipment for our dog's breed and temperament and it is fitted appropriately and in perfect condition? Do we have a contact list of friends, neighbors, dog walkers, trainers, doormen that we've compiled in advance of any misadventure? Every family member, staff member, friend or dog handler knows the safety protocols we have in place, right? Great. Lastly, do we know our dog? Is s/he shy? Prey driven? A herding dog by nature? Is s/he aggressive, impulsive, fearful, fearless? Knowing our dogs is paramount to keeping them safe.
Prevention is our next responsibility. Treat your dog's equipment like you would your car, your bike, your helicopter! Check it frequently for fit and condition because his/her life depends on it. This next one is huge: should I have my dog off-leash? We have a culture in our area that encourages off-leash play. That can be an exciting, joyful time for our dogs and ourselves. But off-leash time is not appropriate for every dog. Is your dog in an unfamiliar area? Is s/he prone to independent walkabouts or unpredictable zoomies? Does s/he spook easily around loud noises, reactive dogs, kids? Does your dog have excellent, instant recall from any distance, at any time, in the face of any distraction? Researchers compare the intelligence of dogs to a toddler of about 2 years of age. Would I let my toddler who is lightening quick, prone to chasing squirrels and has very little impulse control roam around the park unattended? Of course not, that would be crazy!
Instant response in the first five seconds may save your dog's life. Hopefully you've trained your dog to have great recall. Hopefully you've planned and prepared for this moment many times. Hopefully your kids, your walker and your friends have rehearsed this moment because it is going to happen. Period. No matter how much planning and how carefully we've tried to prevent this, it is a fact of life. If people take away one tip for improving the odds of recovery, I hope it's this one: DO NOT CHASE THE DOG. Coax the frightened pup and GET DOWN! Use your words: "Good boy, do you want a treat? Come here, sweet doggie. It's OK. Cookie?" Pull out at all the stops. Entice the pup and squat or even lie down. Smile, stay calm, look away, de-escalate. As with people, a panicked frantic, terrified response will encourage the same in our escapee. We want the opposite: "I'm happy, you're happy, no reason to be alarmed." As with any emergency situation you'll need to manage bystanders and instantly implement your search and recovery plan. You've made it this far, don't give up!
by Drew Watson, Certified Professional Dog Trainer-KA
adapted from a recent guest blog post for lukedogwalkernyc.com
I'm walking down West End Avenue with a sweet puppy. She's wagging her tail, excited to make friends with a furry Labradoodle. The two start doing the dance, sniffing and spinning around each other gleefully. Suddenly the leash goes slack. She's slipped her collar. I grab for her instantly, but I see she's looking back at me with a huge happy smile that says, "Chase me!" Fast forward: she's safe and sound after a terrifying romp through traffic, up the sidewalk, bystanders helplessly trying to assist. The lesson? No matter how careful we are, how much we love our dogs and how many thousands of hours of experience we may have, we need to plan, prepare and act immediately when the unthinkable happens.
So I've put together these tips for my training clients, family and friends. I hope you'll find them helpful and share them with the dog lovers in your life!
Planning ahead is key. Is your dog chipped? That's a must. Is the information up to date with your current contact info? Also a must. Do we have the most appropriate collar, harness or other equipment for our dog's breed and temperament and it is fitted appropriately and in perfect condition? Do we have a contact list of friends, neighbors, dog walkers, trainers, doormen that we've compiled in advance of any misadventure? Every family member, staff member, friend or dog handler knows the safety protocols we have in place, right? Great. Lastly, do we know our dog? Is s/he shy? Prey driven? A herding dog by nature? Is s/he aggressive, impulsive, fearful, fearless? Knowing our dogs is paramount to keeping them safe.
Prevention is our next responsibility. Treat your dog's equipment like you would your car, your bike, your helicopter! Check it frequently for fit and condition because his/her life depends on it. This next one is huge: should I have my dog off-leash? We have a culture in our area that encourages off-leash play. That can be an exciting, joyful time for our dogs and ourselves. But off-leash time is not appropriate for every dog. Is your dog in an unfamiliar area? Is s/he prone to independent walkabouts or unpredictable zoomies? Does s/he spook easily around loud noises, reactive dogs, kids? Does your dog have excellent, instant recall from any distance, at any time, in the face of any distraction? Researchers compare the intelligence of dogs to a toddler of about 2 years of age. Would I let my toddler who is lightening quick, prone to chasing squirrels and has very little impulse control roam around the park unattended? Of course not, that would be crazy!
Instant response in the first five seconds may save your dog's life. Hopefully you've trained your dog to have great recall. Hopefully you've planned and prepared for this moment many times. Hopefully your kids, your walker and your friends have rehearsed this moment because it is going to happen. Period. No matter how much planning and how carefully we've tried to prevent this, it is a fact of life. If people take away one tip for improving the odds of recovery, I hope it's this one: DO NOT CHASE THE DOG. Coax the frightened pup and GET DOWN! Use your words: "Good boy, do you want a treat? Come here, sweet doggie. It's OK. Cookie?" Pull out at all the stops. Entice the pup and squat or even lie down. Smile, stay calm, look away, de-escalate. As with people, a panicked frantic, terrified response will encourage the same in our escapee. We want the opposite: "I'm happy, you're happy, no reason to be alarmed." As with any emergency situation you'll need to manage bystanders and instantly implement your search and recovery plan. You've made it this far, don't give up!
Tony & Christina from lukedogwalkernyc.com and I give free training sessions periodically on weekends in Central Park on the UWS from 11:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. We provide free consultations and help assess your dog's equipment for safety and proper fit. We expand on planning for, preventing and responding to runaway dogs. We also teach the instant recovery technique: "Treat!" Saves Lives! Any owner, family member or well-behaved dog may be present. If your dog is reactive or isn't available that day, you, your family and/or your walker are welcome to come without him or her. Please, no off leash dogs at this event!
Location:
Central Park just North of the new Wild West Playground, South of the 96th Street park entrance.
Note: please contact us here if you would like to be notified when we schedule our next training event.
Location:
Central Park just North of the new Wild West Playground, South of the 96th Street park entrance.
Note: please contact us here if you would like to be notified when we schedule our next training event.