# Walks changed everything!



## meredian (Nov 5, 2012)

We are so excited that Wade is done with his vaccinations and we can take him on walks now. We started taking him on walks about three days ago, and in the days since I started wondering hmmm... is he sick? He was just so much calmer, more focused during training, and is mouthing less. He's not sick, just stimulated! Walks have done such great things for Wade and I urge anyone having problems with their young dogs to start walking them right away after they are vaccinated.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Ah - the joy of exercise! I know it is really important to protect our puppies from disease, but I do think that sometimes being so very careful leaves them open to frustration, lack of exercise, and lack of socialisation!

Good to hear that Wade is enjoying xploring the big wide world - here's to a happy, healthy, _tired_ puppy!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I am so glad to hear that you are starting to see progress. I agree once they have the stimulation of learning the big world they do tend to calm down. It gives a new chance for physical and mental exercise.


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## DQZNY (Jan 2, 2013)

I am so happy to hear this. I think it is exactly what Leo needs too. But like you, I am waiting for his next vaccine which is January 31st! It gives me hope and I am looking foward to it. 
Question... does Wade put everything in his mouth to eat when he is outside? This is a big concern of mine when I think about walking him.


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## DQZNY (Jan 2, 2013)

Oh, how old is Wade?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Make sure to teach drop it and leave it to get Leo to avoid trouble with things he finds in the street when you start walking. All puppies like to pick stuff up. Peeves used to take tree branches down the street with him. And I really mean branches, one inch in diameter or more and sometimes well over six feet long. It was a very funny sight! I wish I had brought a camera back then. Now he is mostly just interested in reading the neighborhood pee mail and adding his own messages.


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## meredian (Nov 5, 2012)

DQZNY said:


> I am so happy to hear this. I think it is exactly what Leo needs too. But like you, I am waiting for his next vaccine which is January 31st! It gives me hope and I am looking foward to it.
> Question... does Wade put everything in his mouth to eat when he is outside? This is a big concern of mine when I think about walking him.


Wade is 12 weeks and 2 days old. He is definitely prone to picking stuff up when we take him outside to use the bathroom, so we are careful to keep him on a leash. However at times we just aren't fast enough - he'll pick up a rock or a twig or munch on some dirt. We're working on drop it but he doesn't quite have it yet! On walks we have found that he doesn't really pick stuff up - he seems stimulated enough by his surroundings and we also keep him close to us in a heel position, so he doesn't have the opportunity to stick his nose in anything he shouldn't. We are using a Gentle Lead Head Halter to teach him to walk properly because he's been a serious puller since day one. It works like a charm, though he's not too excited when we put it on. We try to make it a good experience by giving him a liver treat. Once it's on and he's out walking he could care less about it. I definitely recommend it if you end up having a hard time walking/controlling Leo.


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## WhosMyFluffyPuppy (Jan 12, 2013)

I totally hear you on the change in behavior when you could start walking your puppy. When Darku was a puppy a year and a half ago, the vet really warned us against walking our not-completely-vaccinated pup around our heavily-dog-populated-suburban neighborhood. Tiring him out in our yard was near impossible. Once he was "fully" vaccinated and we started walking, he started calming down significantly.


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## Jacamar (Jun 2, 2012)

lily cd re said:


> Now he is mostly just interested in reading the neighborhood pee mail and adding his own messages.



Ha very funny! :laugh: :laugh:


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