Quote: Doug Alcorn

So here's my take away. Fetching a ball is better than some definitions of jogging because:

• Jogging usually means a human is trying to run at a constant speed for a fairly long distance. Puppies need to set the pace and duration.
  
• Jogging is usually done on concrete. This hard surface is rough on puppies pads and their developing joints/bones.
  
• The jogger is typically paying attention to their own running. This means it's hard for a jogger to both run safely and watch how the puppy is doing.
  

Playing fetch in the backyard means the pup is: running on a soft lawn, sets their own running pace, doesn't run far, and can easily stop when needed.

'Zackly.

She's still...what, 12 weeks old? Am I right in her age?

If so, I would say waaay too young for any enforced jogging. I run a lot, and have just started running my youngest - now a year - short distances on low-impact surfaces, and I wouldn't have even been doing this yet but he's full-grown and 30lbs. A larger dog I'd wait until 18 months to start running with.

When she's old enough, it's great exercise. But when she's old enough. A healthy adult dog can do harder training, faster speeds, longer distances, it's good for them, but at this age - why take the risk? Her joints are forever.

(But actually, in terms of your joints, runners actually have lower incidents of osteoarthritis than the general population! )

Argh! This is a frustrating topic to me. I look at my puppy (who's around 12-13 weeks old; I'm not 100% sure of her birthday) and see a large (larger than my Shi Tzu) dog with lots and lots of energy. I'm just not sure of what to expect from her.

I read stuff like Lee Charles Kelley's article on Leash Training and I think "it sounds doable".

But my wife just came down to my office and asked me to take a walk (not jog) with her through the neighborhood. It's not something we often do together and I really enjoy it. She's planning on walking several miles and taking her 3 yr old Shi Tzu with her. I'd love to take Suzzie, but I'm afraid to push her that far. Also, she's not leash trained well enough to walk at a steady pace. She likes to stop and smell a lot and I let her. Plus I'm not ready to deal with two dogs on a leash yet. Molly is very good, I'm not sure I could keep Suzzie's focus off of Molly for the walk.

I wish I could hook up with someone smart to help me with leash training Suzzie. Maybe this is just me wishing she was another 4 - 6 months older.

Leave Suzzie at home for the long walk with your wife and Molly. WHen you get back, walk her or play with her in the yard.

Yes, you are wishing for an older dog.

If you try to walk her too far you will be going backward - both her physical ability and also your training. Take things slow with her. She will be an adult soon enough.

So that's what I did. I left Suzzie at home and had a nice long walk with my wife. Got home and took Suzzie out to play and it was good. We have been working on the "nose touch" with marker training and she's got it pretty good. I have one of those soft frisbees that is a very high value toy for her. She'll chase it and we worked on recall. She'd bring the frisbee up close to me and I'd hold out my hand she'd leave the toy and come nose touch. Very encouraging. When your patient, good things happen.

Perfect. See, you are getting the hang of this puppy thing already! And keep that Aussie brain active. They are such smart dogs. My Aussie mix is always ten steps ahead of my other dogs (who are more independent-minded breeds). She is so much fun.

Thought I'd give an update. Suzzie is now about 4 months or so. I'm still walking her 2 - 3 times a day for about 30 - 45 minutes at a pop. Every once and a while we'll do a longer 1 hour walk. Most of the time she's walking in the grass, though more and more she prefers the sidewalk. Our longer walks are always out in the woods where she's on a dirt path. She still pulls on the leash, but not as much. I let her stop about 90% of the time when she wants to smell stuff. I'll let her smell for like 30 seconds, maybe 45 before I start to give her the "let's go" and slight tug. She usually responds to that and will come along. Only every once and a while she resists and want to stay and smell more.

About 2/3 of the time I remember to wear my treat pouch. She definitely knows the difference in walking with treats and without. I mark and reward every time she looks at me while we walk. I can get her to walk right next to me and watching me for maybe 10 - 15 feet before she gets distracted. I'll do that by marking and rewarding every few feet. She'll do that several times during our walks.

Much of the time she walks out in front. When she starts pulling on the leash I'll stop and call her name. When she looks back at me I'll mark and reward. She'll walk back to me for her treat and about 90% of the time she'll bound back off to the end of her lead. Sometimes she'll look at me and not bother to come back for the reward.

Sometimes I really feel like she's flat out, willfully ignoring me. I know she can hear me say her name and make "kissy" noises and click my tonge etc; but she won't look at me. I'll stop and she'll stop at the end of her lead and sit and watch everything but me. I'm not sure what to do about this but wait it out. When we do just straight up marker training I can get her to watch me very easily. I haven't named it. I'm just saying her name and mark/reward when she looks at me. I must not be doing this right because I feel like unless we're in a formal marker training session she treats her name as the "watch" command as completely optional.

I think her pulling on the lead is getting better. I'm inclined to just keep doing what I'm doing and with time I hope she'll just naturally start walking next too me. The other part of me says it's silly to think she'll quit pulling unless I'm more proactive about it. That's the part of me that wonders if she's old enough for a prong collar. I had someone else recommend to me the SENSE-ation Harness. She's still quite young, but I'd really like to get this walking thing down before she turns into a "rebellious teenager". I look at her and mostly still see the puppy; but sometimes I'm impressed by the dog she's growing into.

I'm very interested in feedback on the techniques I'm using or recommendations for how to improve.

Edited to add: Oh, and playing fetch in the backyard has turned into a no go so far. She's just not into retrieving and I don't know how to teach it yet. So marker training (mainly working on watch, sit, down, stand) and walks are her main form of exercise. I let the kids play with her in the backyard also. This mainly boils down to chase. I'm not sure how I feel about chase, but the (older) kids enjoy it and she's doing pretty well about not nipping/biting so I let it go.

Okay...Lucy isn't a puppy, but she had no idea how to be a "family" dog. To help her stay near me, (and we still work on this), I walk her on my left, put the lead behind me and up my back over my right shoulder then down to the front and hold that way-- if that makes sense. It frees up my left had for marking and treating. She can't get past my knee that way unless she pulls and I try to treat while she is at the knee.

She is a lovely independent and stubborn girl but we are working it out. It might help to try this.

I forget - does she like tugs and toys?

This isn't Neb's formal heel, but for relaxed walks - I let him explore as much as he wanted forever. When I wanted him to stay by side, but not heel, I used a small tug (one of those fleecy ones) to keep him at my side and it then became habit for him. I still carry it sometimes, but he's pretty good now.

Doug, don't put her in a harness; that will only encourage her to pull more.