Remaining in control on the lead
By Greg Jones
Doing a job overseas makes you very happy! I did a dog sitters job in Australia, received free accommodation and even free food! The best part was I got in this pet job was to work with the cutest little dog I had ever seen while performing my duties as a pet sitter! He was a little terrier and he was a pleasure to be with.
He did though have a bit of an issue when it came to going on walks. You see, he always thought he was in control when he never was! I had to put a stop to this immediately! I would take him out and get him on a shortish lead and always ensure I was leading him, not the other way round. This way he soon found that I was somewhat of a ‘pack leader’, and this is what dogs really respond too.
My voice too was always in a certain tone depending on the situation. As a dog trainer, I had to be intuitive in my actions. For example, when I was telling him not to do anything it was at a low tone. When he was doing the right thing I would make my voice go higher so he could soon distinguish between good and bad. This came in extremely handy when it came to really getting control of the leash. And eventually it paid off, as by the end of my stay he was able to be taken for a walk with no extra hassle! Get a dog sitters job or dog walking job for yourself and have as much fun as I did!
