First Walks

[allie_jane]

Hi there,

After a long and very tiring wait we are finally able to take our spaniel pups out this weekend for their first walk..

We have been putting them on the lead for a while now in the house and garden but Tess especially pulls so much that she chokes..

Do you have any advice for these first walks to get them into good habits..

We thought of taking them for a run to shake the fidgets from them then walking but not sure if that is best.

Cheers

ALlie

[Dan McK]

Get them to somewhere safe, away from roads, and let them off the leash! At this age they will NOT run away, they will look to you for security in the big wide world, and use you as a safe zone. Let them explore.
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Parsons Russell fanatic

[David]

I had the same problem with Tia. I started off with a tiny puppy harness so there was no neck impact, but after a week of that I moved to a collar and stuck with it through the coughing stage. I figured it was more of a protest and if I gave in to her she would win. She stopped coughing after three or four walks!

Remember, little walks at the start -- I was told 10/15 minutes max at a time
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Yesterday is history, Today is for living, Tomorrow is a gift

[allie_jane]

Good advice - I have a large area of grass outside the house that we can run them on.. Tess has been standing at the window staring at it and shaking with excitement for the last couple of weeks - they are so ready to go into the big outdoors.

Up till this last week or so we have carried them round the neighborhood every night, Jake is just too heavy now for us to do that, and he fights the whole way to get down and explore.

Has anyone else noticed that their dog's go nuts when the snow has just fell, my father in law told me that a layer of oxygen lies on top of the snow that makes the high as a kite..

Worked with my two.

Allie

[Alan and Lynsey]

i had the same problem with meg my cocker spaniel, when we would go for a walk it was head down tail up and noise in over drive. i started with a harness but when we started puppy classes we moved onto a collar, with the collar meg would pull like crazy until john introduced me to a prong collar. The best thing i have ever purchased.

There is an age limit on the prong collar and john will be best to ask about one.

[allie_jane]

Not sure how I feel about a prong collar, they just seem so tiny right now..

But no pre-conceived idea's.

We'll be at the Sunday classes this week.

Allie

[Alan and Lynsey]

i think they will need to be upwards of 6months old before they can use one.

i was not sold on the prong collar straight away cause it looked so evil but it is really good. you might find that with them being cocker spaniels they will pull quite a bit on the lead but proper correction using the lead can help plus treats never go wrong.
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Cheers,

Alan, Lynsey, Meg, Peanut and new arrival Bella

[John Thomson]

6 months...so just let them be puppies and explore......as Dan says they will not run from you.....have treats and walk before a meal so they are hungry......reward every time they come to you wheather you have called them or not.

Good luck.

John
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John Thomson
www.cumbernaulddogtraining.co.uk

[Jack]

I actually recommended a few walking tips along with a Prong Collar to the owner of the husky I met yesterday (I WAS asked I didn't just steam in lol) - told her to ONLY get a good quality one and ONLY use it after seeking advice on how to use it correctly.
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Staffies are my life! Visit us at www.staffies.co.uk

[jackdeb]

Allie.

You may find this interesting.

Jack

http://www.thegundogclub.co.uk/puppyrecall.htm
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springers rule!!! our house

[jackdeb]

[Ann, John JJ and Kyle]

Have you been attending classes with the spaniels? We have had one lesson with Dexter on a one to one basis and unfortunately cancelled the second one when Dexter had sore legs. We ordered manuals one and two from the site- they are full of what appears progressive exercises and we are working our way through some of them. What wasn't in the site and proved really helpful was to get your back to something when throwing the retreive and also throw down the side of a fence or narrow hallway to limit the options available to the dog and therefore encourage a straighter retreive.

[jackdeb]

I must admit i would'nt be without a prong for my two.............what a difference it makes we couldn't enjoy walking our 2 without it esp Kodi she was a terrible puller although we are very aware not to put them on when we go to vet..........just the other day our oldest daughter was walking our 2 when a woman with another springer asked jordan how she got the 2 dogs to walk so well.................even she was a bit wary to say it's a prong untill the woman herself asked her ' is that those prongs'.........it's up to the individual but our 2 have made great improvements

Debs
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springers rule!!! our house

[Lisa/Colin]

[Jack]

I personally don't need prongs, well certainly not for my girls - all of my 3 pull at the start of walks and yes I have to constantly correct them but once the initial excitement has dipped to a reasonable pitch the girls walk well - I can walk them together on a coupled lead no problem but personally I prefer them to have a lead each as I feel I have greater control that way - if one is being overexhuberant I can correct just that one and not confuse the one that is behaving by having to check her too if they are coupled.
I confess however to thinking seriously about getting a prong for Sykes as he's a dreadful puller and only walks well after he's had a good walk and hopefully an off lead bit of fun. A choke collar would not work on Sykes as a vet once suggested as he manages to choke himself on his normal collar and lead never mind something that is designed to do just that.

If used correctly Prongs are fabulous tools - I think they have received such a bad press because
1) People aren't educated about them
2) People have used them incorrectly causing distress and in some cases injury to their pets - I personally have seen this so I can't blame an uneducated person for feeling they are cruel - perhaps if they had always been sold with a basic instruction leaflet as to their correct use people would understand more and be much less judgmental. As it is the attitude of those who DON'T understand them is that they are inhumane and only used on "devil dogs" to make them look butch These are the very people who think ALL Staffies/ Rotties etc are out of control killers.

As ever - it's all about educating people so all we can do is keep on plugging away there and educating where we can
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Staffies are my life! Visit us at www.staffies.co.uk