How to teach your dog to be around

You walk your dog, on a leash and without a leash. How far away from you does she prefer to be when she has a choice? At 5 meters, at 10, at 15 or even further?

If your pet prefers to stay away from you, you feel less confident. Such a dog can hardly be safely released without a leash in unfamiliar places. And your nervousness is transferred to the pet, he is also nervous and behaves worse than he could. What increases your anxiety … It turns out a vicious circle.

But there is a way out. You can work on making sure your dog doesn’t run too far away from you, but stay close.

So how do you teach your four-legged friend to stay close to you and not run too far?

There are special games and exercises for this. Here is one such exercise.

You will need treats. This can be part of the dog’s daily diet, if such a reward suits him. If the dog does not like the food too much, for starters it is better to use something tastier – really valuable for the pet.

Remember that dogs are kept where there is value for them. And good food is valuable. And the four-legged friend learns that it is profitable and pleasant to be near you. And gradually you yourself will become associated with a pleasant dog, and the quality of contact will increase. That is, this is a situation of mutual gain: both yours and your four-legged friend. And no casualties.

There are nuances that need to be taken into account.

Decide where you want to see the dog: in a certain radius from you or, for example, on the side, near the left or right leg. And drop treats on the ground when the dog is in that radius or position. Of course, a marker of correct behavior is given or a signal allowing the pet to take a treat from the ground. You can also throw pieces for the dog to catch on the fly (also with the appropriate cue).

Soon the dog will learn that staying close to you is great. And the behavior that is reinforced is repeated more often and becomes a habit. And gradually you will notice that the dog stays close to you, and does not seek to run away.

If you want to achieve perfection in this and improve contact with the dog, you can contact a specialist (in person or online) and develop an individual program of work.