Management leads to freedom

The key to living a great life with your dog is thinking proactive rather than reactive.

How can I set this dog up so they’re not doing shit I don’t want when I can’t supervise?

How can I set this dog up so they are practicing what I do want when we’re out together?

Often this means more management, especially initially.

When I’m not able to supervise my puppies, they are in their crates napping.

When puppies are loose in my house, my books, shoes and other tempting items are behind a puppy pen, safely out of reach.

When we’re out doing things, my puppies are dragging lines so I can easily catch them without conflict.

Such simple changes, allowing dogs to practice the habits we want to see more of and preventing them finding value in the things we don’t.

Combined with appropriate fulfilment and training, this means less time having to correct unwanted behaviours we’ve allowed them to learn and better behaved adult dogs who can then be trusted with greater freedom.

If in doubt, put the dog away.