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Useful Strategy for City Walks: Splitting Up
Splitting up is a management technique we can all use in difficult situations. We can use different elements in our daily walks as a useful barrier between something worrisome and your dog.
When Puppies Have a Difficult Start in Life
When dogs are puppies, infants of the canine species, we should ensure they are nurtured. That we surround them with love and safety. They will pass this period feeling safe and protected, allowing the puppy to develop without worry.
The Tricky part of Let them Choose
Allowing our dogs to choose what to do can get us into tricky situations. All of us that share our life with dogs have had our fair share of this, even the calmest dog can get excited at the sight of a squirrel!
Garden much?
Having a private garden is certainly a luxury many of us dream of. And how lucky are the dogs who can use the garden at their pleasure? But then, why do we frequently get questions like: “my dog is barking all the time / my dog is over aroused / my dog digs huge holes in the garden” ? If you feel your dog should be enjoying their time in the garden and they are not, you are not alone. And you can definitely do something about it!
A good walk starts at home
In these years we received many questions from you about your own dogs and some specific issues you are facing, such as: dogs unable to relax or slow down, dogs being fearful of multiple things or pulling on the leash. One piece of advice is universal for all of these cases…
Treats for thought
“Are treats as good as we think they are? Most importantly, do we really need them?” - these are the questions that were running through Lyubov’s mind during one of the walks she was recently taking with her dog Heidi. This evening they had run out of treats and had none to take along for the walk. To Lyubov’s surprise, her dog was calmer and able to cope with a challenging situation.
Blu, the Goats and Choosing What Happens Next
Using a long smiling leash can help us is challenging situations. Blu is an Australian cattle dog and in this video he uses it to its full potential, while observing livestock.
More attention to the dog’s neck
Just like ours, the dogs’ necks are not built for long amounts of time spent looking up. Discover how we can take more care about our dogs’ necks and their overall mobility.
Long Walks On The Weekends?
Many caretakers take their dogs for long walks or hikes on the weekends. We finally have some more time to enjoy a walk in nature with our four legged friends. As always, looking at things from the dog’s perspective can reveal something interesting!
When You Feel Alone
Most of us, that have dog companions, have experienced a difficult situation at some point, or several difficult situations. When things don’t go our way and trouble is ongoing it is difficult to maintain a cheerful and positive attitude. We want to share with you some coping tips and strategies for success.
How to introduce a harness
We sometimes hear: "My dog absolutely hates the harness / my dog is so uncomfortable in the harness". Does it mean the collar is a better option for such dogs? We argue it is not, find out more in this article.
How to prevent an escape during the holidays
Fireworks cause a profound state of panic in many dogs and lead to an increased number of dogs running away and getting lost during the holidays. What can we do to prevent this from happening?
Pleasant introductions
For many dogs guests visits can be challenging, so, it's crucial that the relationship between the dog and new people start off on a pleasant note. How can Smiling Leash walks help? Find out in this article.
Really Seeing Your Dog
It is not necessary to give a name and an explanation for every dog behaviour. Trying to maintain a positive relationship with our dogs comes from not translating our own feelings and understanding their motivation and the meaning for those behaviours.
Freedom and Choice
Day after day we decide almost everything about the life of our dogs. However, letting our dogs make safe choices holds a lot of benefits. What they are? Discover in this article.
Observe and learn
Dogs have different ways of learning , and observing is one of them. Allowing our dog the time to observe helps them understand the world around them.
Remote Control
Watch the video and think carefully about the handlers approach to this situation. You do not see it to start with but there is a loose dog running downhill towards Ainhoa and Xena. And what does Ainhoa, the leash handler, do?
How do you know if your dog enjoyed the walk?
Dogs can tell us a lot without actually talking. If we just pay a little more attention to their behaviour, dogs can often tell us if a walk was good for them or not. Discover how in this article.
Feel No Pain
In this article we discuss some of the signs of pain and recent experiences amongst the Smiling Leash Team members that can help with identifying pain and discomfort.
Your dog is watching you
Dogs are really good at communicating with their body language and at observing and understanding body language of others, including us, humans. Yet we often have no clue of what we are communicating to our dogs.