New BC owner. More work that I thought.

[Guest SweetJordan]

Pace is important, but there are a lots of ways to make walks more fun. Senneca enjoys walking with me because I walk fast enough for her to get into a trot. She was frustrated walking with my wife who walks much slower. The answer was to break out into bursts of running. She urges Senneca on with "run, run run" and they run a little bit and go back to walking. Senneca thinks this is fun.

Oh believe me I'm a fast walker. Fast enough that people comment on it. I'm not out there to stop and smell the flowers, I'm doing it as my cardio.

You do bring up a good point though because I see a lot of people in my neighborhood out walking their dogs and they move rather slow. My lab loves to walk and I do let him stop at places to sniff, but even he would be bored if we weren't moving quickly.

[ShoresDog]

One other book suggestion: "Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor is a great introduction to positive reinforcement training techniques...widely applicable and respected. Pryor's book and subsequent following helped birth the clicker training movement. Helped me understand my dog better...

 

Heck, it helped me understand my HUSBAND better! It's a great book. It's usually in the psychology section of the bookstore rather than the pets section, but don't let that fool you. It's useful stuff for any creature, from people down to hermit crabs!

[Alaska]

Heck, it helped me understand my HUSBAND better!

Which brings to mind this article, sort of a "Don't Shoot the Dog" in a nutshell:

 

What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage