The Great Internet Debate- To Walk or Not to Walk?

 

One aspect of having dogs in my life that I have always loved is dog walks. My family dog growing up loved going for walks and Vinny, who doesn’t like much of anything, looks forward to his walks with great enthusiasm. When Chief came into my life, he went for walks too… eventually. It was five months before he decided he would allow me to walk him on a leash. As soon as his leash went on, he would throw on the brakes and refuse to move. I tried food luring, play, and every tip the internet experts had to offer. I even brought him to an antique car show where he refused to walk, so I threw him in my backpack. He was an instant sensation at that event, and as funny as it was I still couldn’t believe that my new puppy didn’t enjoy walks. 

As part of the instagram dog community, I have noticed both ends of the spectrum exist. There are dog people who cannot fathom letting their dog go one single day without a walk, and people that swear walks are useless for dogs. I used to think that dogs require a walk every day and viewed it as a primary form of exercise for them. Chief taught me that there are plenty of other ways to fulfill your dog’s exercise needs than just walks. So which camp is right? 

Since this is my blog, I will give you my take on the matter. I still love and rely on dog walks for many different reasons. Personally, I love walking and feel fulfilled by spending time outdoors with my dogs. I work 12+ hour shifts in healthcare, so some days the only way I can exercise all three of my dogs is on a morning walk. Walks are an incredible training opportunity as well. I use walks to teach proper leash walking and heeling, and to play engage-disengage games with potential triggers for my dogs. I always bring treats so they are paid for their good behavior. Chief struggled with car reactivity as a puppy, which is a common issue in herding breeds. We utilized walks to reverse this dangerous behavior. 

On the flip side, I can see the argument to NOT walking your dog. So many dog owners get caught up in the monotony of the day to day, not realizing how important every second they spend with their dog is. Dogs lives are short, and they spend their time waiting for us to share ours with them. My cattle dogs like walking, but truthfully they don’t love it. I learned to fulfill them in other ways. One of their favorite activities is off leash trail walking. Our neighborhood walks can be stressful for them. We have a lot of off leash, front yard, outdoor living dogs in our area. We have had countless run ins with some friendly, and some not so friendly, dogs on walks. I know my dogs harbor some anxiety from these events. Going on trail walks in the woods allows them to enjoy off leash freedom. We rarely see other people and dogs which gives them time and space to decompress. They are much more mentally fulfilled by this as well, you can tell by how hard they nap afterwards. 

As is the same for a lot of dog related disagreements, I don’t think there is a right answer. It comes down to training and loving the dog in front of you. All dogs are not the same, no matter what stereotypes suggest. I went from having low drive, low energy mixed breed dogs to high maintenance cattle dogs with a myriad of daily fulfillment requirements. Part of bringing a dog home is selflessly prioritizing their needs. They rely on us for their basic needs, but deserve to have us go above and beyond to fulfill them on a daily basis. If your dog loves walks, take them for walks. If your dog prefers other forms of exercise, make time for them to do what they love as often as your schedule allows. At the end of the day, they just want to spend time with us. I will always walk my dogs, but I will also always work hard to figure out what they enjoy most and provide them with a life full of it!

GRC Dog Sports- A Newbie’s Explanation

 

All photos by Noey Chapman // BAD DOG CLUB

When I adopted Vinny, I had no idea what incredible potential dogs hold. Vinny taught me about the “scary” potential of a dog- reactivity, bite risk, fear, aggression, and so on. Through this journey, he made me the capable and confident handler necessary to keep him safe and above all alive. My cattle dogs on the other hand taught me the incredibly positive potential of dogs- drive, athleticism, focus, relationship, obedience, and shared companionship. They opened up a new world of dog handling and ownership to me. This of course included dog sports. I am always looking for new ways to challenge our team dynamic and help my dogs reach their full potential. This led us to GRC dog sports. 

Since this is an up and coming sport, I will try to touch on the basics so you can better picture what we are involved in. GRC stands for “Gameness, Relationship, and Control”. Gameness refers to the dog’s overall willingness to participate. The dog should be able to overcome and work through stress, while showing a controlled demeanor. Relationship focuses on the dog and handler relationship, how willing the dog is to work for the handler, and their team dynamic throughout the trials. Control assesses a dog’s self control, not to be mistaken with the handler controlling the dog. The ingenious aspect behind this sport is that it encourages the dog to make good choices independent of the handler’s guidance. You can imagine how this builds a stable, confident dog.

This sport was originally founded for American Pit Bull Terriers and has now expanded to welcome any dogs. This is the ultimate sport for reactive dogs because the long term benefits for participating can be exactly what they need to break through their fear based responses to their triggers. The dogs train for and participate in Social Responsibility trials. The dogs show their ability to be obedient through different verbal command tests, loose leash skills, and a “liberty” portion where the dog shows their ability to independently make good choices. 

After the dog and handler team has passed the social responsibility trials, they are able to move on to the drive events associated with GRC. This includes slat mill racing, weight pull, wall climb, and spring pole. It is easy too see how such a vast variety of events and skills will challenge each dog differently, allowing them to overcome their weaknesses and enhance their strengths. 

So how did we get involved in GRC dog sports? Last winter one of Chief’s trainers first introduced the idea to us, saying how great Chief would be at the drive sports. I had never heard of this sport before so I started to research it. Turns out, the founder Jay Jack is based in Portland, Maine which is fairly close to us. At the time, I didn’t feel that our schedule would allow us to pursue regular training in Maine so I tucked the idea away. Fast forward to this fall, a club started in our area based out of the Bad Dogs Club in Hooksett, NH and we were invited to join! I was very nervous, as I always am when trying something new. The added layer of uncertainty in bringing your dog with you into a brand new environment is something that doesn’t get easier, but having Chief as my partner in crime motivates me to show up despite my fears. 

I feel so fortunate to be included in this club. The members are supportive, welcoming, and bring a wealth of experience to the table. We troubleshoot each other’s challenges, find creative solutions, and learn together. We have been involved for just over a month now and I am happy to say Chief and Chickie are loving it. We are currently working on confidence building with Chickie and fine tuning obedience with Chief. Chief has always loved formal obedience training so this is an extremely enjoyable sport for him. As for Chickie, she tends to be more sensitive than Chief ever was, which presented a significant learning curve for me. This club has given her a new environment with strange people and dogs to work around, and is teaching her to be confident and trust our relationship no matter the situation. 

I cannot recommend this sport enough to any dog. No matter what your dog enjoys, they will find an aspect of this sport that they love to do with you. I can’t think of a better way to build drive, work on obedience, and strengthen your relationship with your dog. More GRC clubs are popping up all over the country, you can go to their website to find an affiliated club in your area. If I inspire you to do anything, I hope that is to try the new thing with your dog that you’ve always wanted to try. Their time with us is far too short to put things off until another day. You never know the potential of your dog, no matter the breed, unless you give them the opportunity to show you what they are made of. I look forward to updating you all as we continue to work towards our GRC goals!

My sport dog became my best friend

 

When I made arrangements to bring Chief home, I will never forget what my now husband said to me. “If you’re going to get the dog, you know you have to do the things.”. The “things” he was referring to were dog sports. I had never been involved in dog sports before Chief came into my life, and I was determined to do so with my new little heeler. Chief came home and as you all know, we did the things. 

It started with disc. I had four month old Chief out on the field at disc league. He was so young and clumsy, but he loved to play rollers. He didn’t know how to retrieve them yet, so that became a challenge for us. A few months later, he was fetching frisbees like a natural. 

Next, we got involved in agility. Chief was great at the drills and enjoyed playing with me, but didn’t seem to be loving the game. We had a lot of frustrating moments- he would run off after other dogs or to visit the instructor during group class, he would avoid obstacles to stay close to me, and he even did a swan dive off of the A-Frame. We reluctantly walked away from agility after a few months, which was hard for me as this was the sport I intended for us to do. 

Next came dock diving. If you read my post “Our Rocky Road to Dock Diving Success”, you already know the back story on this sport. Chief was scared to swim at first, although he was a great swimmer. Then he was scared to jump off the dock, although he was diving like a pro off of the pool ramp. Soon enough he was diving full speed ahead and gaining distance every week. He was always the calmest dog in line at competitions, patiently waiting for his turn. Until he wasn’t. Suddenly standing in line was a major challenge for us as Chief screamed at any person and dog that dared to walk within feet of us when he was near the pool. Over time, we have learned to manage this behavior so he can safely continue to participate in this sport. 

Nosework has proven to be a wonderful environment for us. The National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW) is extremely invested in creating a safe and welcoming environment for all types of dogs and handlers. In our class, we follow “crate and rotate” so each dog can enjoy their searches without worrying about the presence of other dogs. Chief has excelled in the early foundations of this sport and is able to participate fully unencumbered by his big emotions. We plan to continue this sport and hopefully trial in the near future. For what it is worth I recommend nose work to anyone looking to do more with their dog. It is easy to get involved in, mentally challenging, and so rewarding to watch your dog happily work through searches!

Throughout all of these experiences, I have referred to Chief as my “sport dog”. I think this title has a different meaning to every dog and handler team. To me, it started out by meaning that this is my dog dedicated to competing in sports and getting me involved in the dog sport world. As you know, I place high value on relationship building with my dogs as this is the foundation of obedience and successful training. Through this process, my sport dog surpassed this title and became something so much more significant to my life. 

Chief is my best friend. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for the opportunities he has given me and the companionship he provides me. Today I can say with honesty that I do not care if he competes in a dog sport ever again, as long as he is happy and healthy. If he someday decides that dock diving isn’t for him, we will no longer compete. This summer I found that I enjoyed our private dock rental practices so much more than competing. Him and I could both be ourselves and play the game together without expectations or results on my mind. This dog has added so much value to my life, and I hope to provide him with a life he loves to wake up to every single day. 

We are starting a new dog sport this week, and I am extremely excited about our future in it. I will share more as we go, but for now know that this sport is full of components of training that Chief is passionate about. My sport dog is my best friend, and I will always put that title at the forefront of our relationship. If you see us doing dog sports, know we are there because he loves it and I know our participation is fulfilling for him. Never do something solely because you think it is what is expected of you. Find what you (and your dog) love and give it your all.