# Miniature poodle trying to control our walks



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

At 18 weeks he really doesn't need very long walks - I think I would let him hang out with people and dogs and enjoy the socialising. If he is learning good manners around other dogs that is a wonderful life lesson - plenty of time to work on loose lead walking etc when there are fewer distractions around! Ideally I would use the opportunity to meet the other dogs as a reward - a very brief response to what you are asking (might be as little as an ear flick at first) and he gets to meet and greet. Are there any places/times that you can go walking when there are no people around, so that he can discover that exploring new places is actually good fun?


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## Joelly (May 8, 2012)

If he is 18 months old then yeah this behavior needs conditioning. BUT he is 18 weeks old so this behavior is normal. 

Now, you can decrease the walk and increase the socializing time. This is more suitable for his age. There will come a time where he can't get enough walk time and that's cue for having a teenage pup.

Do keep us posted.


P.S. I'm no expert but I have spent a good amount of training with an awesome trainer for Charlie. I was taught that the walk is not for Charlie. I am walking and Charlie comes with.


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## Barrett (Apr 27, 2013)

I think I may have been too ambitious with the walking. I have been taking him on a 30 minute walk (easy flat trail). The reason I was taking this length walk is he was super hyper and becoming more aggressive in his play, biting at the hem of our pants, and biting our hands during play. Since we started walking, those behaviors have pretty much disappeared. When I walk on my street where there is little to no distraction, he is pretty much a dream puppy I was going over to a community walk on purpose to socialize him and give him the opportunity to see lots of people and dogs.

I know I am showing my ignorance, but what is an "ear flick"?

Thanks for the suggestions! I will give it a try.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

At 18 weeks you don't need big long walks. I known the energy needs to be burned off, but you can do that with games like fetch or play dates with other appropriate age/size dogs with good manners.

Do a couple of short walks on leash each day as follows. Play before so some of the energy is off. Bring treats, but don't use them to bribe only to reward desirable behavior. Be calm when you put leash on and set off. Have walk start with a sit. You choose where you go, not pup. Start walking. If there is any pulling turn in the opposite direction and make him come with you with a little pop on the leash (if needed) with the words "let's go" in a nice tone. Every time there is pulling turn in a new direction of your choice. You may only take a few steps in any direction for the first few days. For me it took weeks before we got off our own block. I am sure that my neighbors thought I was pretty crazy turning around over and over. As you can increase the distance and add sit stay in periodically. I would give a treat for a sit stay. Then "let's go" again. This will give you nice loose leash walking.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Given that he is walking nicely when there are no distractions. you have lots of opportunities for rewarding him then - praise and the occasional treat. The usual recommendation for "formal" walks is 5 minutes per month of age, twice a day, so at 18 weeks two 20-25 minute walks are about right. If he is anything like my dogs he will find the socialising much more exhausting than just walking would be, so you are on the right track using it to help him calm down!

An ear flick is when the ear swivels a bit, showing the dog is listening to you even though his eyes are still fixed on that exciting person with the three puppies up ahead. But I have to admit it is a lot easier to recognise in a Papillon, with ears like satellite dishes, than a drop eared poodle!


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## msminnamouse (Nov 4, 2010)

Now is a prime time for socializing and learning inter-dog manners. Formal walks can come later. Anything you can do to build a friendly, non-reactive puppy should be a primary concern. 

Something that may help is working on leash work AFTER an exhausting play opportunity or in an area or at a time that doesn't have a lot of other dogs walking about. Know of a nice trail by you? Can you walk really early or really late?

And every time he's on leash and he gets to greet another dog, you want to first give permission so he knows when it's okay to engage and when it's not. Say, "Greet", "Say hi!", etc. You get the idea!

Another thing is you can utilize the Premack Principal. Basically it's like this. He wants to go greet another dog on a walk. So if he's good and doesn't pull, his reward is to go greet that dog. It's best to do with your puppy class or ask friends, family or neighbors with friendly dogs. He learns that not pulling towards the other dogs means he gets to go greet them like he wanted to in the first place. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilita/4747776030/


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