Viscosity -> Velocity

It can be difficult to keep thing interesting for your dog when you start to teach them to walk on leash.  The world is full of interesting smells, animals, movements, etc.  Once of the ways we can make it fun is by changing our pace.  We can go from walking normally, to walking really really slowly, to sprinting, and back to walking normally.  This takes thing from walking to a game.

Prerequisite Skills	Gear
Leash and Harness Desensitization Marker Word Following a Lure	Leash and/or harness Treat Pouch with Treats

This game is played by:

• Place a lure right on your dog’s nose

• Start walking – reward as necessary for engagement

• Randomly slow down or speed up for 3 steps – mark and reward the dog for maintaining their position

• Change directions and repeat

• Utilize your full range of capable speeds (barely moving to as fast as you can safely move)

• Incrementally increase the number of steps

• Pro Tip:

  • This game is best utilized in combination with other activities

    • Doing 1-2 reps and then playing a game like Find It, Fetch, or Tug

    • Incorporating this into activities like a slow approach toward a food bowl or treat that they can be released to go eat

    • Randomly adding this into play time or walks

• Generalization:

  • Practice this in other environments

  • Practice doing this toward a target:

    • Place an object on the ground (start with a low value item and build up to a high value item)

    • Use the various change in pace to practice walking slowly, quickly, or a combination of the 2 toward the item.

    • When you reach the item give your dog access.

    • This helps teach the dog that moving with you (at any pace) is the best way to get access to something.

    • Pro Tip: Start fast enough to keep your dog engaged and to learn the game.  Then slowly decrease your speed until it’s like slow motion approaching.  Slowing down is hard for dogs and a really good thing to practice.