Birthday Surprise, Walkies And Doggie Etiquette

I'm 3 months old today!

And today is the end of my quarantine following my vaccinations.  This means that I get to explore the big wide world in all its glory.

So today, we are planning a short walk, just so that I can get used to my local surroundings.

Mum knows the importance of not exercising me too much since my bones and muscles are still forming.  Over-exercising at this stage in my life could lead to health problems.

Elaine, at the Dog Learning Zone where I go for puppy school, recommends a good rule of thumb is five minutes of exercise for every month of life up to twice a day.

My math tells me that I should be out walking for 2 separate 15 minute sessions.  (3 months x 5 = 15)

Whilst out on our walk, we will be practicing the 'sit', the 'down' and the 'heel'.   No doubt we will meet other doggies too as well as experiencing new situations.

DOGGIE ETIQUETTE

Meeting doggies is fun, but there is something called 'doggie etiquette' and I want to just paws and tell you a little bit about this.

We doggies have three means of self defense; to fight, to freeze or to run away.
Most often, the choice we make is to run away.

When we are on a leash, we feel trapped and this is why doggies are often more reactive on the lead than off.  So, it's important for Mum to keep my leash loose if we encounter another doggie on our walk.

If we approach another doggie, Mum knows its good manners to ask the other owner if their dog and me can be introduced.

Not every doggie is friendly and a waggy tail ISN'T a sign of friendliness!   It's a sign of excitement.  There are lots of signals that us doggies give humans. Sadly, much of our conversation we give to our human owners goes unnoticed or is even misunderstood.

So, it's really important for both Mum and I to practice our communication skills and learn to listen and look at each other.

For example, as we approach another doggie, Mum will get my attention with the clicker so that I 'watch' her for a signal that will tell me whether we are going to carry on walking or stop and say hello.

If we stop, it will be Mum's decision, not mine.  She'll say 'go play'

If we don't stop to say hello, Mum will encourage me to pass the other doggie by saying 'heel', patting her leg and then giving me a treat for doing what she asked.

Well, this is the theory anyway!   I'll let you know how we get on.

Mum needs to get dressed first!  Walkieeeeeeeees!




PS.  Just got back from very first walk.  It was lovely but I didn't like the strong wind blowing in my face.

I thought I did really well and coped with all the strange and new things really well.  I managed to walk to heel most of the time and sat when told.  I particularly liked sniffing the long grass but Mum made me move on by using the clicker to get my attention.

It did help that Mum had a pocketful of chicken!   Whacked now...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz