Why train your dog before going on vacation?
Going on vacation with your dog?! Dream or nightmare? Today, a large majority of dog owners travel with our pets. It's a real pleasure to be able to share the best moments of the year with our whole family, dog included! We all look forward to the holidays.
At the time of packing, I wanted to draw your attention today to a point that can be sensitive: the education of your dog. Yes, traveling with your dog can be Wow good or a real hassle if your dog is not well enough educated. Untimely barking, damage to the rental, biting, impossible leash walks, non-existent recall, running away... Your dog can even put himself in danger! Imagine him jumping out of your car, running like a madman through the highway parking lot because he hasn't learned to wait for the signal to let him out once he's got his collar and his leash?
Let's take a concrete look at the situations that can make your dog uncomfortable during the holidays and what are the solutions to allow your dog to travel “well in his paws”!
The journey: educating your dog for a serene journey
Most Wouafer's – travelers with dogs – prefer the car. It's the simplest mode of transport for traveling with your dog: you leave when you want, you stop when you want and for the time you want, no need for a muzzle... But if it seems like a means of transport easy, traveling by car for your dog: it can be learned. And that goes through his education. In effect, train your dog is PRI-MOR-DIAL!
Just installing a super mat for your dog in your car doesn't make for a smooth ride. Your dog will have to learn to travel: not to get out of the car until you have given him permission to do so, to remain seated and calm in the back seat or in the trunk of your car with the tailgate removed, not to pull on the leash to jump on all the dogs in the motorway area, do not bark every time someone approaches within 10 m of your vehicle...
All this is not innate for your dog, he will have to learn it and this learning goes through his education.
Before crossing France by car to reach your holiday destination, I invite you to contact your educator or take an e-learning course to revise the basics of your dog's education. This is essential for his safety in the car. And this is all the more important if you choose to take public transport with your dog. The travelers who make the trip with you will surely not accept for long that your dog gets a little too much attention... 8 hours on the train with a dog playing the wolf in the carriage, can you imagine?
Holidays with your dog: a new environment and dangers
We all look forward to the holidays for a change of scenery! Getting away from it all, discovering new places, meeting new people… For your dog too, holidays are synonymous with getting away from it all.
Our four-legged friends are animals who love routine. The proof, your dog asks you for his kibble every day at the same time, right? It's a date he wouldn't miss for the world, isn't it?
Often this routine stops during the holidays. Your dog will lose his bearings: mealtimes change, his sleep corner changes, his family changes too (if you are sharing your vacation with family or friends for example), his places of walk change… He may also try new things like going to the market in the middle of the crowd, going to a restaurant, going to the beach and meet lots of furry friends…
In short, if your dog does not have a great habit of travel, it may be that all these novelties confuse him a little. Again, his education will make the difference. It will be much easier for him to adapt if he is educated and knows how to behave in all circumstances.
An educated dog can meet or play with his congeners in joy and good humor at the campsite or on the beach for example. An educated dog knows how to sit quietly without being noticed when you have lunch in a restaurant.
An educated dog knows how to walk on a leash for beautiful, peaceful walks and if he is let go, he knows how to come back to heel as soon as you ask him to.
A dog that knows how to do all this is not a magical or exceptional dog, it is an educated dog. Once again, a short visit to your favorite educator or some revisions who go through e-learning training on the internet can be enough to correct some of your faults! Yes, the old adage that says “like dog, like master” is verified through education. For my part, Musher walks freely in 90% of cases. As a result, I was a little lax about learning to walk on a leash. As a result, walks in town on a leash are far from being a cakewalk for her as for me; and it's entirely my fault. I missed that little piece of education.
Take advantage of the holidays to do an education course with your dog
Here's a good idea! And if you take advantage of your holidays to devote some time to your dog? It's the perfect time to share nice moments of complicity and work together, your education while having fun. Educating your dog is not forcing it and submitting it, especially not!!!!! It's learning to decipher your needs and identify your personality. If you understand your dog and how it works better, you will be able to develop a good bond with your dog and thus share a beautiful relationship based on trust.
For example, if you understand why your dog absolutely wants to walk in front on a leash and pulls like crazy, then you will know what to put in place to meet this primitive need and find the right balance for a walk on a leash on the hair!
Make an appointment with an educator, putting the trainers aside. We don't train a dog, we build a respectful relationship with it. We teach him rules to share with him a great adventure throughout his life.
That being said, it only remains for me to wish you great holidays with your dog my dear Wouafer's! Don't forget to share your photos with the #emmenetonchien