First Walk tips

Hi.

Im so excited its time tomorrow for Jensons first walk i already have it planned - luckily we live just round the back of Blaise castle estate (Lots and lots of land with woods, streams, plenty of grass land etc) ... so we will be taking him there then off to the outdoor cafe next to the park in the grounds of Blaise.

I was just wondering if anyone has any special tips for us to make sure it goes well and it will be an enjoyable and memorable experience for us all.


Thanks in advance x

I bet you are excited.

First tip is don't go to far at the start. Chances are he won't want to walk too far on lead anyway. Give him a short off lead walk, then a bit of time to explore and chill out, then home. Best starting VERY small when first walking a puppy

lots of praise , treats and a really stupid voice to make it exciting for him , maybe take a favourite toy along too

Maybe worth bringing a water bottle and a dish of some sort too. I did that with Logan.

Thankyou both of you, i'll take all that on board.

Really worried about the off lead thing - my friend said to do this on his first walk but the thought of it frightens me.

Can't add to what's been said, definitely best to start off small when they're young and go from there

If you don't want to let him off the lead yet, you can get an extendable lead or a long line, that way he has space to explore, but you've got hold of the lead so he can't run off. Plus the long line is great for teaching him to come back to you.

If you are in an open safe area like a field etc there will be no problem. He won't wanna go too far from you at that age anyway.

If you bring treats etc as Dave said he won't be hard to get back either lol.

All sounds good to me, short walk, plenty of praise and TREATS lol and a long lead and maybe just maybe if i feel confident enough and all goes well then off lead will come.

Thankyou all for ur replies, will update how it went x

ANGIEMARKYOUNG wrote:Thankyou both of you, i'll take all that on board.

Really worried about the off lead thing - my friend said to do this on his first walk but the thought of it frightens me.

Tommy was off lead from Day 1 , they aren't that fast as pups so use the time well to practice recall etc . I did have the added advantage though that Tommy just wanted to be with Tilly all of the time

Dave wrote:Tommy was off lead from Day 1 , they aren't that fast as pups so use the time well to practice recall etc . I did have the added advantage though that Tommy just wanted to be with Tilly all of the time

Same with Logan, for the first few months he was never on lead. As Dave says, they are very slow and clumsy at that age so they won't get too far. Logan was my shadow anyway at that age.

I will defo give it some thought and maybe once im out in the open in the field .. it might help me change my mind and feel comfortable to remove his lead

Yeah, at first I think they don't realise they can leave your side, Loki would follow me about. It only really changes when they're a bit more interested in the world and exploring, but you'll be fine take lots of pics for us please

Hope it goes well, good luck

Good luck!! I found the best thing when i have had duke off lead is a squeaker toy, seems to distract him as its loud enough from what he's doing and he runs back like a mad man! I hope you have fun, sounds like a great place for a walk!

Be patient and don't expect to get too far. Let him go at his pace and bring along a squeaky toy and some treats.

Quick Update: Jenson was fab and even went OFF LEAD Stayed by us the whole time and was so friendly and lovely towards everyone and their dogs, kids etc. He met a new friend another staffy 4 yrs old and soft as anything. Just wanted to say thankyou for all the "good lucks" and advice... very much appreciated.
Oh i have got piccies shall upload soon x

Well done with everything, sounds like you are very proud

Looking forward to pics

When you are uploading pics upload them in a new topic here and a lot more people will see them

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f8-staffordshire-bull-terrier-galleries

So so so proud ... theres a local dog walking group that meet up every morning at the cafe (actually i dont think they actually walk more of drinking tea sat around chatting lol) but they all recognised Jenson from the day before and called him over with their dogs etc it was lovely.

when i get abit longer to stay on here i shall upload pics in new topic ... thanks again.

Pleased to hear that it went well

If I were you I would join that group! At Jenson's age he'd benefit so much from that, your life would be made so much easier later on in his life with loads of early socialisation

MatLogan wrote:If I were you I would join that group! At Jenson's age he'd benefit so much from that, your life would be made so much easier later on in his life with loads of early socialisation

I would but its an OAP group still we sit with them and have a cup of coffee after our walk, so he still gets to see/ play with the other dogs.

Oh right I see, well it's still great that she got to experience it.

ANGIEMARKYOUNG wrote:

MatLogan wrote:If I were you I would join that group! At Jenson's age he'd benefit so much from that, your life would be made so much easier later on in his life with loads of early socialisation

I would but its an OAP group still we sit with them and have a cup of coffee after our walk, so he still gets to see/ play with the other dogs.

Some of us OAPs can actually hold a conversation, in fact a few of us even know what day of the week it is ( 'cause we look at our medication boxes ) and we don't all hate young people.......well not young people with nice dogs.
As always tell the OH " Getting old is a bummer but it beats the hell out of the alternative "

P.S.
Some of us even have a sense of humour.

Some of us OAPs can actually hold a conversation, in fact a few of us even know what day of the week it is ( 'cause we look at our medication boxes ) and we don't all hate young people.......well not young people with nice dogs.
As always tell the OH " Getting old is a bummer but it beats the hell out of the alternative "

P.S.
Some of us even have a sense of humour. [/quote]


66 is not old

ok ok i will clarify what i mean by OAP's - 80's and over - seriously when i mentioned it was more sit around and chat drinking tea thats exactly what it is .... no walking im afraid just from the car park to the cafe .. but fair play to them i think its more of a socialising thing for them as their dogs are elderly too so are not active much either.

As for tips on first walks, we have a couple of these water bowls for when out with Rocky on walks. They are waterproof fabric so can be just rolled up and put in your pocket or backpack, very useful:

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/pet-travel-water-bowl-p164954

Thankyou Kathy we looked at those but we purchased a travel bottle with dish attached that i can just clip on my belt.
Thinking of getting those travel bowls for when we go camping though

ANGIEMARKYOUNG wrote:Some of us OAPs can actually hold a conversation, in fact a few of us even know what day of the week it is ( 'cause we look at our medication boxes ) and we don't all hate young people.......well not young people with nice dogs.
As always tell the OH " Getting old is a bummer but it beats the hell out of the alternative "

P.S.
Some of us even have a sense of humour.

66 is not old

ok ok i will clarify what i mean by OAP's - 80's and over - seriously when i mentioned it was more sit around and chat drinking tea thats exactly what it is .... no walking im afraid just from the car park to the cafe .. but fair play to them i think its more of a socialising thing for them as their dogs are elderly too so are not active much either.

[/quote]
Just pulling your leg. I would stay away from them if I were you, I've seen some really nasty accidents with these people. Don't look where they are going, next thing, mangled Zimmer frames everywhere.

Glad it went well