Interaction with my dog during walks

Introduction
I suggested in Question 1 of this unit that the interaction/non-interaction ratio between dogs and owners during a walk would be about 20%/80%.  This has lead me to consider how I interact with my dog Tabasco during our regular walks.

Tabasco is a Curly Coated Retriever dog.  He has been neutered and will be three years old in April 2011.  He has been diagnosed with a relatively serious heart problem.  Because of this illness, I need to make sure that Tabasco isn’t over-exercised, especially in hot weather conditions.

The following essay will describe the various locations we go to for our dog walks and the interaction we have whilst on them.  Other exercise-based activities will also be detailed.

Locations
I live in Maidenhead in Berkshire.  There are a number of locations a short distance from my home where Tabasco and I usually go for our walks.

Cookham - A huge area of common land next to the river Thames.  The area includes several fields, cattle pastures, hills and riverside tracks with short sandy beaches.

Thames towpath - We often walk the towpath along the River Thames from Maidenhead to Windsor.  One-way takes about two hours to complete, at a walking pace.  (We sometimes catch the train home!)

Burnham Beeches - 500 acres of ancient woodland, which has many paved paths running through it, as well as some areas of open grassland and swampland.

Ockwells Park - Another large area with two huge sports fields and other adjoining meadows.  A shallow stream runs along the far end of the park.  We usually walk to this park from home, which usually takes about 20 minutes.

In the winter months I take Tabasco to one of these locations for a long walk on Saturdays and Sundays.  During the summer, when the evenings are lighter, we go for walks here on week nights.  My dog walker also takes Tabasco to these locations, three days per week. (See below ‘Dog Walker)

Our Interaction
I try to make our daily walks as enjoyable as I can - from both our points of view.  As well as letting Tabasco explore his immediate surroundings, there are a number of other ways available to me to let him burn off his predatory energy, which are detailed below.

Socialisation with other dogs
The locations we visit are great places for dogs to socialise.  On any given day, we can expect to bump into at least five or six other owners with their dogs.  There is so much space for the dogs to run around in and play games of tag and chase, without the worry that they might stray onto a nearby road.  As long as the other owners are happy about it, I encourage Tabasco to ‘say hello’ to as many dogs as possible during our walks.

Socialisation with people
It’s important for Tabasco to meet people as well as dogs.  He has never had any problem approaching unknown people, especially if they have a tasty treat or two in their pocket!  

From my point of view, I have to say that meeting other dog owners is one of the most enjoyable parts of our walks.  I have never had so many conversations with complete strangers in my life!  This has been a very useful confidence builder which has helped me in terms of my own personal growth.

If I invite a friend along for a walk with Tabasco, although we do use the time to catch up on gossip, we always ensure that we interact with Tabasco in the same way that I would if I was walking him by myself.

Recall training
Up until about a year ago Tabasco’s recall was appalling.  The situation improved significantly after I made various changes to our living situation and routine.  I also took Tabasco to training courses and spent time with a dog trainer.  The best way for me to ensure that he keeps on top of his recall is to practise it as much as possible when we are out on our walks.

When Tabasco goes off to greet other dogs, or to go exploring, I make sure that he doesn’t go too far by calling him back to me at the appropriate time.  When he reaches me, he always gets a big “good boy!” and “well done!”.

Tabasco rarely wanders more than 30 meters away from me now.

Hide and seek
What was I saying about him rarely wandering off?  There are always going to be those times when his nose leads him in another direction to the one I’m walking in.  When this happens, I take the opportunity when he isn’t looking to quickly hide behind the nearest tree or bush.  Not many seconds pass by until Tabasco realises that I’ve disappeared, and he comes back to find me.  As with our recall practise, when he finds me he is always given enthusiastic praise.

To retrieve or not to retrieve
Tabasco is a dog who doesn’t really live up to his breed name.  Despite having no problems in our training sessions at home with retrieving, moving this skill into the world outside our property has been more challenging.

I play a few retrieve games with Tabasco when we are out on our walks.  He will jump into the river to retrieve a stick that I’ve thrown in, and he will bring it back to me - just as long as it isn’t too far from the shore.  He will run after the ball that I toss - but when he reaches it loses all interest in the ball.

I’ll just carry it instead
Tabasco seems to be more content with simply carrying sticks, balls or plastic bottles that he finds in his mouth and walking alongside me with them.  If he drops it and we have walked on for a bit, I will tell him to “Go find the ball”, which he immediately does.  Otherwise, I will race him to the ball and try to steal it away first.  This is one of Tabasco’s favourite games.

Find the treat
I’ve recently started taking treats with me in order to play ‘Find It!’.  I tend to choose a quiet area where Tabasco can concentrate without being distracted by other dogs, etc.  I’ll put him in a sit-stay before sending him off to find the treats.  This is another one of his favourite games - surprise, surprise.

New Year’s resolution
And so to my New Year’s resolution - cross-country running!  I’ve recently bought a pair of cross-country running shoes for the purpose of getting more exercise myself while we are on our walks.  This will have the added benefit of helping Tabasco to burn off more energy as he runs along beside me.

Other Interactive Exercise
As well as our regular walks together, I make sure that Tabasco gets as much exercise and interaction as possible via other methods.

Dog walker
Tabasco is with a dog walker three days a week for a one hour walk.  This gives him the opportunity to meet with a bunch of pals and to let off as much energy as he needs to on a regular basis.  It is a useful lesson for him to obey other people as well as myself, and the dog walker reinforces the training that I have undertaken with him (my dog trainer was recommended to me by my dog walker).

Agility
I take Tabasco to a dog agility class every Saturday afternoon.  We have been going for nearly a year and we thoroughly enjoy this sport.  It has been very rewarding to see his improvement over the year, and I am certain that this has helped to improve his obedience and has strengthened the bond between us.

Summary
I would like to think that if Tabasco and I were the study subject for another student on this course, that they would observe the many different ways we interact during our regular walks.  The student would see us socialising with other dogs and people, practising recall and retrieves - and possibly see me diving behind a large bush!  Walks are an important daily part of an dog owners ‘for life’ commitment - I intend to continuing enjoying each one.