Skills for the Town: Leave It

Spring has sprung! The weather is nicer, the snowbanks are melting, and now there are... so many critters and garbage and people and dogs out there! The world just got a lot more distracting and some dogs (and humans!) can find that really hard.

This post covers how to use your "leave it" skills to navigate your now extra distracting neighbourhood.

Perry loves to window watch at the in-laws' so they made him a little window seat. We play Look At That here.

1 - Train Beforehand

Take the time to refresh one of your "leave it" skills by playing the game inside your home and in your yard. There are many ways to teach "leave it" - I like to think this of the core skill as teaching your dog to give up on something of interest.

Here are some videos of different "leave it" games to get you started:

• Leave it on leash

• It's your choice

• Look at that

I personally never give my dog the bait as part of our practice. They will not get the dead squirrel on the side of the road and so I want to set that expectation from the start.

Perry loves sniffing all the leaves and foraging for sticks - which I allow! Sniffing is part of the fun of the walk for him. We play Leave It here.

2 - Structured Practice

Set up some structured practice with your dog near home. I like to do this by stashing some treats in a small berry container somewhere on our route (can be along your driveway, can be by the road or in a parking lot) so that I know where the stash is and I can be prepared for any shenanigans.

How far do you need to be from the bait for your dog to resist temptation? Are different kinds of bait more difficult for your dog?

For dogs who struggle with things that move, playing with a flirt pole can be a great way to do some structured practice.

3 - Real Life Practice

Now you get to take your training on the road. And yes, that means bringing treats on your walk!

One option is to do this on garbage day in your neighbourhood. However, the amount of things to avoid can "stack" to create frustration in your dog. You may need more space from the bins to help your dog succeed in avoiding them.

Perry and I were both more interested in the raven than in the garbage this week.

Another option is to do "seek and destroy" practice where you seek out opportunities to train. Maybe your dog is excited about squirrels so you go to the park that you know frequently has squirrels and you find a distance that works well for your dog to turn away from them. Maybe there's frequently one rogue doughnut on a specific street corner so you can prepare before you approach that corner. Maybe your dog has feelings about renovation signs blowing in the wind and you know a house that has one so you go on a walk route that will take you by that house.

In all options, consider: how far from the distraction do you have to be for your dog to be successful? How many distractions is your dog having to deal with at once? Does your dog perform differently for different treats? How can you reward the effort that your dog is having to exert in order to leave the distraction?

Daisy likes to chase cars. She's made massive improvements in the past 3 months but you can see that it takes a lot of effort for her to resist temptation. This means that right now her Real Life Practice involves walking on a wide street with grass and side walks between us and slower traffic. I don't take her to Woodroffe at rush hour because that will still get her frantically spinning.

Find the environment that your dog can succeed in and practice there.

4 - Frustration Outlet After the Walk

If there are a ton of distractions on your walk, it helps to give your dog an outlet once you get back home. This can be highly individual! Libby wanted to chew, Obi loved to play fetch, Perry loves playing tug, Daisy loves playing kickball. Once they've gotten that outlet, they calm down noticeably, and then they're able to relax and take a nap.

Our dilapidated Jolly Ball has been a favourite for Libby, Obi, and now Daisy too!

Conclusion

1. Which "Leave It" game are you going to choose?

2. How can you set up some practice outside where your dog can't get the bait either because it's in a container or because you can keep them away from it on leash?

3. Where can you practice that has manageable level distractions for your dog?

4. What is your dog's preferred outlet after the walk? How can you incorporate that into your routine?