A Faithful Friend – Part 1 - Don’t ignore me

These days, we have come to regard a walk with a friend not only a pleasure but a privilege.

But if we ignored our friend the whole time on the walk; kept texting on our mobile, continuously talked to someone else, or had our earphones in and listened to a podcast? Our friend would possibly choose to walk with another.

This is what sometimes happens when people go out for a walk with their dog. They ignore the dog. Maybe because they are trying to combine the chore of dog walking with wfh (on the hoof), or they are entertaining themself with music or an audio book. It is not surprising then if the dog seeks to amuse himself elsewhere by chasing wildlife, searching for scraps and getting up to mischief.

If we want our dog to be a faithful friend, to listen to us when we need him to, then we need to invest some time communicating and engaging with him, not ignore him.

And we do need our dog to respond to us, especially if we are letting him off the lead. Being able to call him back is essential for his safety, and the safety of others.

If we want our dog to be a faithful friend and not a nuisance by ignoring our calls, or a danger to others by jumping up at them or running around out of control, then we need to train our dog.

Training does not have to be an onerous task. Training through fun is the most effective way to learn.

So, when we get our new dog or puppy, one of the first things we should be doing is playing with him in ways that he finds fun. And we should be doing this at home, in the garden, and then when we go on walks to the park, instead of letting him play with other strange dogs*. That way, he will be learning that we are the best person to be walking with in the park, much more responsive to us, keen to listen and be trained, and we will have a faithful friend as our companion.

*Why shouldn’t my dog play with strange dogs in the park?

See article, A faithful friend – Part 2, Party pooper