Let's talk walks. Most people look at them as a necessary thing because it gives their dogs "exercise" You see folks letting their dogs go anywhere they want ahead of them while they talk or text on their cell phones. Imagine you were on a walk with someone. You really like this person and love spending time with them. You get to go out with them and the entire time you are with them they totally ignore you except to now and then tell you to stop doing something. I think (IMHO of course!) that we have actually trained our dogs to ignore us on a walk. By not interacting, reacting, or be pro-active with our dogs on a walk we teach them to effectively ignore us and do whatever they want. Now I'm not saying you have to have a nonstop conversation with your dog, but imagine your pup's surprise when you go out if 1) you insist they walk on your side 2) you carry small treats for them when they give a nice look or "check in" 3) YOU find things for them to go investigate instead of letting them drag you from tree to tree (or worse, mail box to mail box!). I do chatter at my dog when we walk. I stop at least once or twice on our walk to just crouch down and give them some loving, a little kiss or some nice petting. There are times we are just walking together quitely, enjoy the air, moving at a comfortable but consistent pace and just "being" together. When you come in from a walk with your dog you should feel like you just spent some quality time with them versus you "there, we got that done"!! So enjoy those walks - don't be invisible to your dog!
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