# Walking Properly??



## Marian (Oct 20, 2009)

Dogs eat grass when they _need_ to throw up. I just googled for more info on it and this article seems to explain it well. http://www.professorshouse.com/pets/dogs/why-do-dogs-eat-grass.aspx

How old is your dog?


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

meehkim said:


> My mini poo can be great on walks, but sometimes I swear he has ADD and has to pick up every single leaf that is in his path. When I try to get him to pee on grass, he ends up eating a mouthful - making him vomit a couple hours later. How do I stop him from eating everything off the ground?!? :doh:



Have you taught the Leave It command? 

I know I'm the Big Bad on this board, but seriously, you are in charge. If you don't want your dog to stop and eat a leaf, don't let him!

The Leave It command:

When your dog goes for something you don't want him to have say.... LEAVE IT! If he does not respond, give him a collar pop or a short tug away from the item. When he leaves the item.... PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE..... TREAT TREAT TREAT! Pretty soon, you will say LEAVE IT and your Poodle will not need a collar pop. Then, huge PARTY PARTY PARTY. 

I also teach my dogs to spit out things they pick up. I make sort of a spitting sound and they know that they have something in their mouths that is not appropriate. This is a great command when your dog picks up something like a dead frog on the trail.

I also teach a "give" command. My Delilah has a sock fetish. She knows it is wrong, but she simply can not help herself. I watch her like a hawk, but she still gets a sock every once in a while (I have 3 teenagers... you think they ever pick up after themselves?). I worry that if I made a big deal about it or screamed at her that she might swallow the sock. So instead, I just ask her to give it to me and PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE when she does. Now, whenever she finds a sock, she brings it to show me. Soggy is better than swallowed!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

cbrand said:


> I also teach my dogs to spit out things they pick up. I make sort of a spitting sound and they know that they have something in their mouths that is not appropriate. This is a great command when your dog picks up something like a dead frog on the trail.


You can also teach this as the "drop it" command. It's very useful to have a dog who will solidly drop things they're not supposed to have.


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## Marian (Oct 20, 2009)

Teddy learned Leave It and Drop It fairly easily just in the course of our walks in the city (that place is like a minefield of discarded napkins that smell like pizza, paper straw wrappers, discarded food and all sorts of things that a curious puppy would be attracted to). Now, I don't even have to give him a tug. If I say leave it, he kind of skims over it, like he isn't even interested in picking it up.

If he does pick something up, he responds most of the time to Drop It, depending on what it is. If it's a food item, he will bite me if I try to take it from him, so I usually pick him up and hold him slightly tilted forward so that if he tries to shift it in his mouth, it will usually fall out. Because I'm holding him, he can't immediately grab it again. Paper items are easier to get away from him or make him drop. I'm lucky in that he has a tiny little mouth, so he isn't likely to swallow things that would be nothing for a standard to gulp down.

He also has a thing for socks, but I've worked with him to learn Let Go using one of his tug toys. It has transferred nicely to getting socks away from him too.


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

Marian said:


> If it's a food item, he will bite me if I try to take it from him,


This is something to get on top of right away since he may someday bite someone else who tries to take away food from him.

Have you ever read the book: MINE! - A GUIDE TO RESOURCE GUARDING IN DOGS ?

Recently, Delilah was sitting in the back seat of my car chewing on a Bully Stick which is a very, very high value treat. My daughter went to pet her and Delilah curled a lip at my daughter. Bummer for Delilah because she just bought herself 15 minutes of training where I continuously took her stick away, pretended to chew on it myself.... gave it back..... took it away and gave it to another dog...... gave it back.... had people crawl all over her while she chewed it. By the end, she was reminded that people in our home have the highest status, that she does not "own" anything and that all "things" come through the good graces of her people.


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## roxy25 (Dec 18, 2008)

I agree what cbrand.

I teach leave it , drop it commands. I also train food refusal with my dogs.


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## Marian (Oct 20, 2009)

cbrand said:


> This is something to get on top of right away since he may someday bite someone else who tries to take away food from him.
> 
> Have you ever read the book: MINE! - A GUIDE TO RESOURCE GUARDING IN DOGS ?
> 
> Recently, Delilah was sitting in the back seat of my car chewing on a Bully Stick which is a very, very high value treat. My daughter went to pet her and Delilah curled a lip at my daughter. Bummer for Delilah because she just bought herself 15 minutes of training where I continuously took her stick away, pretended to chew on it myself.... gave it back..... took it away and gave it to another dog...... gave it back.... had people crawl all over her while she chewed it. By the end, she was reminded that people in our home have the highest status, that she does not "own" anything and that all "things" come through the good graces of her people.


Yeah, it is something that I am very concerned about. I will look for that book. Right now, I can take his bully stick away from him whenever I want to, but it's always in the back of my mind that one day he could decide that he doesn't want me to take it.

Thanks for the advice!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

cbrand said:


> This is something to get on top of right away since he may someday bite someone else who tries to take away food from him.
> 
> Have you ever read the book: MINE! - A GUIDE TO RESOURCE GUARDING IN DOGS ?
> 
> Recently, Delilah was sitting in the back seat of my car chewing on a Bully Stick which is a very, very high value treat. My daughter went to pet her and Delilah curled a lip at my daughter. Bummer for Delilah because she just bought herself 15 minutes of training where I continuously took her stick away, pretended to chew on it myself.... gave it back..... took it away and gave it to another dog...... gave it back.... had people crawl all over her while she chewed it. By the end, she was reminded that people in our home have the highest status, that she does not "own" anything and that all "things" come through the good graces of her people.


Totally agreed with this. Resource guarding can become a big issue if it's not dealt with thoroughly and quickly.


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## Aida-Christine (Oct 26, 2009)

I agree that teaching "leave it" is important. Another alternative that could be a quick fix but would not be permanent is the use of something like a Gentle Leader. It gives you control of the dogs head. You can slacken it when you want them to sniff and tighten it when you want their head staying up. I use it with my poodle to keep her head facing forward for her guide dog work. Some dogs take a while to get used to it though and it won't fix the problem when they're not wearing it.


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

cbrand said:


> Have you taught the Leave It command?
> 
> I also teach a "give" command. My Delilah has a sock fetish. She knows it is wrong, but she simply can not help herself. I watch her like a hawk, but she still gets a sock every once in a while (I have 3 teenagers... you think they ever pick up after themselves?). I worry that if I made a big deal about it or screamed at her that she might swallow the sock. So instead, I just ask her to give it to me and PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE when she does. Now, whenever she finds a sock, she brings it to show me. Soggy is better than swallowed!


Sorry, this is not so much about walking and more about this sock fetish....does Delilah still have the sock fetish? Olie does this very thing and we have been pretty much been doing the same thing. He will snatch the sock and then cower as if hiding it and we ask him to bring it, he used to run, but when you chase they run more:doh: BUT now he brings it. Only problem is I notice when we leave our closet door open in the master bedroom he will ease in and out with one of my nylon stockings (I hate pantie hose) and when I go to get it I will pull and it will be halfway down his throat! That scared me a bit, so we were going to turn it into a correction, thoughts?


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## puppylove (Aug 9, 2009)

cbrand said:


> Have you taught the Leave It command?
> 
> I know I'm the Big Bad on this board, but seriously, you are in charge. If you don't want your dog to stop and eat a leaf, don't let him!
> 
> ...


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

puppylove said:


> cbrand said:
> 
> 
> > Have you taught the Leave It command?
> ...


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## KPoos (Aug 29, 2009)

Cbrand you are NOT the big bad on this board. You are a knowledgable and responsible dog owner and you train your dogs like dogs and not put them into a little person catagory. I love the posts you make to people about dog behaviors and I really love what you did to Delilah about her lip curling. 

We've taught Mia the leave it and drop it command and she's 4 months. She growled at Harry at the water bowl the other day and I backed her butt up so fast it made her head spin. None of my dogs get to growl at any person or any other dog in this house. There is no possession that belongs to them in my opinion. I don't allow any type of possessive behaviors at all.


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## puppylove (Aug 9, 2009)

Sorry Olie, that was for Cbrand - who I hope didn't take offense. I meant it in the most complimentary way.


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## Leooonie (May 30, 2009)

My little fella used to be similar with leaves.. but I used to give him a tug, or a verbal correction so he knew it was wrong before he did anything. Maybe you should take some leaves into the back garden and practise there.. building up from a few leaves, to him actually walking ON the leaves.
You can play with him and teach him all the commands (leave, get it it, drop it, give it, hold it) just through play alone.

Harley's only growled about 5 times since we've had him, twices were situations that I'd set up just so that I could correct him.
But the biting has to stop now.. if he gets hang of the food side, he may try other things i.e. little dog syndrome.. :s



haha Cbrand, the bit about you eating the stick is something I've tried, and I get such a funny look since he knows I wouldnt actually eat it!


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## Marian (Oct 20, 2009)

Oh my gosh, if the wind is blowing leaves and trash around, Teddy has to chase it. It drives me nuts, and it makes me feel bad sometimes that I can't just let him play. 

Today, as we were walking down the street, he picked up a discarded wadded-up paper napkin. I said, "drop it" and he did, and when I turned my head to continue walking, he picked it up again. I looked down and said, "drop it" and he did, but he looked like he wanted to pick it up, so I said, "leave it!" He made a move toward it like he was going to pick it up again, but didn't. I know he was playing with me--the little wise-guy. I hope he doesn't get any bright ideas for April Fool's Day! 

I love the way his personality is developing. He's a lot of fun and is enriching my life in so many ways.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Hey cbrand, you're no Big Bad-- I check in on the forums just to see what knowledge you're sharing! You are spot on about our responsibilities to teach and manage our poos! Someone has to reminds us and hold us accountable and I genuinely appreciate it. It's too easy to get lazy or to "blame" the dog! I taught Chagall "drop-it" and "leave-it" and "trade," with pretty much good, consistent results. As a younger pup he too could not pass up a leaf or a twig (we live in the country) or, forgive me for this, deer poop, which is still something I have to watch out for. He does have a taste for it! Also paper, any kind of paper. I just was working on our taxes and told him if he ate our refund check (though we have as much chance of getting one as bees-knees!) there'd be no more apples for him--he LOVES Granny Smith apples! We share one each day, him showing nice manners and taking tiny pieces as a reward for doing things like sit, stand, roll over, down, up, off, etc. Months back I "cornered" him while he was trying to chew the phone cord and he growled at me--first and last time ever! I put him in down-stay and made him do about 25 reps of sit/laydown. He was tired after that and much clearer on the fact that "he is not the boss of me!" His highest value thing is a fresh marrow bone and I can get him to drop it or trade it. I am mighty glad I jumped on that early on--for a 20 lb. dog he's got some set of chopper!!


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## Marian (Oct 20, 2009)

Teddy's favorite is the _pâté de foie gras_ that the nice snow geese leave for him in the grass. Yeuch! I feel like I'm going to hurl when I see him pick up a piece.

I'm a cbrand fan too, btw.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Marian, what a picnic Teddy and Chagall could have with the goose and deer droppings! Wonder what wine would go best...maybe a nice Shiraz?! lol 
Though it sure isn't funny when they grab a piece of you-know-what in their mouths and try to gobble it down. This is when I turn to Chagall and say, "You are such an animal!", after commanding "drop-it" of course. And he doesn't seem one bit contrite! I guess there's no way to stop them from
"hoovering" up some things, other than muzzling them, which of course I would not do. I cannot even bear the thought of trying to teach him to not attempt to eat deer droppings by collecting some and giving him a collar pop when he goes for it. However, if this "hobby" of his blooms anew in the Spring, I may need to! I am hoping "leave-it" and "drop-it" will do the trick, lest I drop my own lunch watching him. haha!


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## poodleholic (Jan 6, 2010)

meehkim said:


> My mini poo can be great on walks, but sometimes I swear he has ADD and has to pick up every single leaf that is in his path. When I try to get him to pee on grass, he ends up eating a mouthful - making him vomit a couple hours later. How do I stop him from eating everything off the ground?!? :doh:


Sounds like he needs attention training. Here's a video showing and explaining how to teach attention on leash. It's simple, easy, and it works!

http://video.google.com/videosearch...sult_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CA8QqwQwAA#


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## Marian (Oct 20, 2009)

Chagall's mom said:


> Marian, what a picnic Teddy and Chagall could have with the goose and deer droppings! Wonder what wine would go best...maybe a nice Shiraz?! lol
> Though it sure isn't funny when they grab a piece of you-know-what in their mouths and try to gobble it down. This is when I turn to Chagall and say, "You are such an animal!", after commanding "drop-it" of course. And he doesn't seem one bit contrite! I guess there's no way to stop them from
> "hoovering" up some things, other than muzzling them, which of course I would not do. I cannot even bear the thought of trying to teach him to not attempt to eat deer droppings by collecting some and giving him a collar pop when he goes for it. However, if this "hobby" of his blooms anew in the Spring, I may need to! I am hoping "leave-it" and "drop-it" will do the trick, lest I drop my own lunch watching him. haha!


Teddy found a goose turd the other day and I stood there saying 'drop it' until I was blue in the face. He just looked away from me and kept chewing it. Ewww. 

We have some more work to do!

But on the walking front, yesterday was the best day yet. It took about half the time it usually does to get to the office because he was such a good little boy. I was so proud of him, walking right next to me, not pulling or running off. And people were giving me little knowing smiles as they passed. It was great! Go Teddy!


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## mercymoon (Aug 29, 2008)

Maddie (R.I.P) when we used to go for walks picked up pine cones and carried them all the way back home before dropping it on the front porch.


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## meehkim (Sep 11, 2009)

poodleholic said:


> Sounds like he needs attention training. Here's a video showing and explaining how to teach attention on leash. It's simple, easy, and it works!
> 
> http://video.google.com/videosearch...sult_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CA8QqwQwAA#


lol..so I didn't realize you quoted my initial post. Titan was still young and hadn't gone to puppy class since then. Now we have trained the leave it command (thanks Cbrand!)..which he has been doing well with (and makes like 100x times easier for me). But he occasionally still goes ballistic and has urges to pick up whatever he can find on some of his walks. ..so I think this attention video is going to be so helpful!! thanks!!!


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

Yeah! Happiness is a well trained dog.


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## Marian (Oct 20, 2009)

Ugh! Teddy is a little comedian. This morning he found a banana peel on our walk and picked it up. I told him to drop it, and he did right away. Then, before I could say leave it or pull him away from it, he picked it up again. This happened five times. I just had to laugh. He was very obviously doing it just to mess with me.


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