Kids and dogs can play follow the leader
The weather is changing and so are the amount of dogs and owners I see out on walks trying to enjoy what will hopefully be a great spring in the Okanagan.
I always put the statement, dogs and owners, with the dog leading the topic because that is what I seem to see the most, 'dogs leading the owner'.
I have never been able to follow a dog and let them tell me where we are going. It becomes even more difficult and can be an extreme challenge when the dog would like to go in one direction and the owner would like to steer in the other direction.
I really don't find any interest in following my dog while they are searching out piles of stinky papers and garbage around the school, or empty coffee cups in the gutter. For myself, I have a much better imagination of where to go and how to get there.
The most humorous picture I had lately is an owner who was desperately trying to get their dog to walk around a post. The smell good garbage was on one side of the post and the owner was trying to walk on the other side. The dog was determined to choose its own path and continued to run in circles and twist the leash around the owner's feet.
This of course pulled the owner to their knees. The leash was dropped while the owner tried to collect themselves and in the end the dog got to go its own way. The humorous part was watching the dog run over to the owner and see why they were on the ground. After the dog finished smelling the wrappers, it went over to lick the owner's face to see if they were all right.
I play games with the kids when I am teaching them how to walk their dog. The best game to play is “follow the leader.” And you guessed it; the leader is not the dog, but the kid in control with the leash.
Our favourite place to play is through the trees, where, you guessed it, there are lots of obstacles. But the challenge is to have the kids walk ahead at a steady pace and weave themselves through the trees.
When a dog first encounters this they try to go the most direct route and not pay attention to who is actually in control. It is entertaining to watch the learning curve of the pup.
When they go on the wrong side of the tree, the dog tries to pull and force its way to get past it. We wait patiently until the dog feels the firm tug on the leash and follows the route the owner is telling the dog it needs to take.
After a while the dog understands to follow the leader and things work out great.
After time this game grows, and games between kids and dogs do too. They begin to dodge around parking meters, trees in parks, barrier posts and anything else that makes a catch me game of working together.
I enjoy taking my dog for a walk, and always will, regardless if it's Spring Winter Summer or Fall. But when I walk out the door, it's a walk for both of us, or if the family and my granddaughter join me, it's for all of us. No matter how many dogs are on the walk I remain in charge. I should say that sometimes my granddaughter decides she is in charge and bosses all of us. At a time like that me and the dogs all do what she tells us to. She is very bossy.
So when you see us playing follow the leader, remember, it is more fun to be the leader and show everybody else just how it's done.