Walking with the Corgi

[Marybib]

I have a 7 month old female Corgi that I just got 3 weeks ago from a rather unresponsponsible person who couldn't keep her. My question is about walking. I am getting a lot of advice from people who are telling me I must walk with her obediently at my side for at least 30 minutes before I release her to sniff and walk at her own pace. This is the Cesar Milan philosophy. I don't have any problem getting her to walk next to me and just walk when I want her to, and I feel like if she will do it when I want her to she can have her freedom to sniff when I tell her it is okay. Is this the wrong philosophy? I am walking her 30 minutes in the morning and about 45 minutes to an hour in the evening. I have to leave her at home while I work so I have someone walking her at around noon also. I enjoy just walking along and letting her sniff for the most part. She is a very good dog, very responsive to leadership.

[Cheetah]

Shippo has to walk politely next to me for a couple minutes before I'll release him for regular loose-leash walking. It's part of the whole NILIF thing, so he earns his free time on the leash by just doing something that I ask first. 30 minutes to me sounds ridiculous though.

[Marybib]

Thanks, I think so too, I don't want to seem ignorant but what is the NILIF thing?

[Cheetah]

Nothing in Life is Free

I think it's a great tool for training, as the dog learns how to work to earn things in life. >^^;<

[behinderhereyes]

Originally Posted by Marybib

Thanks, I think so too, I don't want to seem ignorant but what is the NILIF thing?

Don't feel bad I had no clue what that ment either.

[Jane Austen]

Mary, I see you joined gocorgi in '06. You were living with your sister and she was afraid of dogs? Are you still living with your sister and has she come to love your Corgi? What is your girl's name?
Thank you for giving her a forever home. Are you having any other problems with her besides the question of how long to make her walk next to you?
My Duchess is almost ten years old, I adopted her at seven years old. Duchess was trained very well, she had much more training than I have the understanding for. The proof of her training shows up in little ways. Anyway, I just want to make her happy in her senior years.we don't require much discipline.
I want to welcome you now as a Corgi Owner, June

[Marybib]

I am still living with my sister. She is doing fine with the dog. She is not afraid of her. The dog's name is Sophie. It is kind of miraculous the way she came into my life. I heard that a cousin of mine (one that I don't normally have much contact with) had a Corgi so I called him to ask him about her. Less than a month later he called me to say he couldn't keep her and asked me to take her. I did and she is such a sweetie. She is very good and so cute. I don't think he was taking proper care of her but she seems to have had no bad effects from that. We start obedience classes on Monday.

[MyPemCharlie]

Congrats on the new pup!

Charlie knows a formal heel by my left leg, but 30 minutes is an excessive amount of time for a dog to have to focus that long. I'm planning on Agility or Flyball, and then potentially Therapy Dog later when Charlie retires from sports. If a formal heel were not a requirement for the CGC and Therapy Dog tests, I probably wouldn't worry about it too much. Plus the test is only a formal heel, left turn, right turn and a couple of stops where the dog has to stay right with you...probably less than a minute or two. Not 30 minutes.

I would say if she walks nicely and doesn't pull, then you're doing great. One caution from my own experience though. I started training Charlie to walk on a loose leash and slowly let him start pulling me over about a 2 month period. One day, Charlie was pulling me quickly down the street, choking himself on the collar and pulling my arm out of socket. We saw a smallish man and his large powerful dog approaching in a nice easy movement. The dog was walking right along the man's left leg and the leash was a nice slack "J-shape", swinging gently between the two. I guarantee that both man and dog were having a much more pleasant walk than Charlie and I were having - fighting each other with the leash. It took me 7 weeks to retrain Charlie not to pull. Now he can walk in front, aside, or to the rear of me...as long as he does not pull the leash tight. And he does still occassionally test me to see if he can make it "his walk" instead of "our walk".

Moral of the story: Your pup should be able to have sniff-around time and you both enjoy the walk, but don't let her slowly take control of the walk.

[Cheetah]

A formal heel isn't required for the CGC. All that is required is for the dog to walk politely without pulling. I just had Shippo walk on a loose lead for his test and we passed. >^_^<

[MyPemCharlie]

Originally Posted by Cheetah

A formal heel isn't required for the CGC. All that is required is for the dog to walk politely without pulling. I just had Shippo walk on a loose lead for his test and we passed. >^_^<

Yes, but a left turn is required and it's hard to make a left turn in front of your dog if the dog is walking in front of you. But you are correct, they don't call it a "formal heel" in the CGC test rules. I think we're actually finally ready to test the next time someone local is running a test. Yeah!

[Marybib]

Thannk you. That is how I feel about it. We enjoy our walks. I will keep aware and make sure she doesn't take over. Once we get some of the basics down I am going to think about some activity I can do with her. That should be a lot of fun.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Marybib

I have a 7 month old female Corgi that I just got 3 weeks ago from a rather unresponsponsible person who couldn't keep her. My question is about walking. I am getting a lot of advice from people who are telling me I must walk with her obediently at my side for at least 30 minutes before I release her to sniff and walk at her own pace. This is the Cesar Milan philosophy. I don't have any problem getting her to walk next to me and just walk when I want her to, and I feel like if she will do it when I want her to she can have her freedom to sniff when I tell her it is okay. Is this the wrong philosophy? I am walking her 30 minutes in the morning and about 45 minutes to an hour in the evening. I have to leave her at home while I work so I have someone walking her at around noon also. I enjoy just walking along and letting her sniff for the most part. She is a very good dog, very responsive to leadership.

My answer is to do what works for you and her. If you are not having any problems with her pulling or not walking nicely with you then there is no need to make her heel for 30 min. or any amount of time.

When I take my dogs for a walk, I let them walk at the end of a 6 foot lead as long as they are not pulling. Now this is down a country road not a city sidewalk. On a sidewalk, I'm most likely keep them a bit closer, depends on the dog. I would not let them walk on lawns but would keep them on the sidewalk.

There are no real rules for walking a dog. Do what works for you.

Peggy

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Marybib

Thanks, I think so too, I don't want to seem ignorant but what is the NILIF thing?

IMO, NILIF is not just a training tool. It's for a dog you are having a problem with. I don't think every dog needs it or all of it. Use what you need. Or if you have a well behaved dog you're not having problems with you don't necessarily need to use it at all.

Peggy

[Michael Romanos]

I think it is important to train Corgis to heel and/or walk without pulling on both the right and the left. Away from the show ring, Corgi walking/trotting for the comfort of both the Corgi and the handler is equally as important either side. When I take a lab and two Corgis for walks and they are on-leash, the Lab walks on my left (because that is my stronger hand/arm) and the Corgis on the right. Connie is a former show champ but she walks just as well on the right hand side and neither Corgi pulls even slightly. Connie only 'learnt' to walk on the right when I started taking her for two-three walks a week. Taylor has always been duel purpose.