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Explained in full above
Keep your mouth shut π€
Here is the uncomfortable truth: a lot of the disengagement on your walks was trained. By you. Calling the dog, then standing there waiting. Calling the dog, then following them anyway.
β What that teaches
Number one: you never have to keep an eye on us. Number two: when I do recall, you don't actually have to listen. No urgency, no consequence, no reason to check in.
β
What we do instead
Say nothing and keep moving. No telling off, ever, that just creates new problems. The consequence is natural: lose track of the humans and the humans are gone.
The fork in the path
The path splits. You go left, the dog isn't paying attention and goes right
β
You say nothing. You keep walking
β
"Hang on... where are they?!"
β
Dog finds you. Relief + rewards. Lesson learned
"I need to keep an eye on them, because they keep their mouth shut, they keep moving, and when I find them, good stuff happens."
Your dog, two weeks from now
Your dog will still chase things and do dog stuff. That is fine. The difference is a dog that checks back in on their own, long before they are three fields away.