Lately I’ve been thinking about how to help people achieve relaxed, enjoyable walks with their dogs, using my years of experience walking German Shepherds and Jack Russell Terriers.
It starts with a good place to walk, preferably off lead, although it can still be a great experience on lead. Off lead is where most guardians come unstuck, but if you can get it right, the pleasure of walking with your fast moving, free dogs is immense!
So here’s what happens with my dogs:
We go regularly to the park – a wonderful, huge space ringed by the Hottentots Holland Mountains, with sports fields and open grassed areas. A river chortles along one side, at this time of the year it is boiling and tumbling rather than chortling after all the rain. There are lots of trees along the river so it’s a pleasure even in summer. Many locals run and cycle there, and of course it’s a dog walker’s paradise. There are busy times of the day when you can pass more than 50 people and their dogs, depending on which way you go. 
Sometimes we go to the beach at Strand. Here it can be more challenging for my big, energetic girls (GSDs) who cover so much ground quickly as the space is narrower with fewer options for changing direction and avoiding a possible problem. I am so proud of them when they meet and greet and politely choose not to respond to silly little yappers, or jumpy youngsters. They keep an eye on me and all I need to do is keep moving and maybe quietly call them away to have them break away and come after me. Shepherd bitches are not known for their patience so I am aware of their tolerance limits. Uschi usually chooses to not engage, but if she does she’s polite and disinterested. If she’s carrying a toy she’ll warn with a growl but never anything more. She’s a balanced dog with a happy temperament. Her daughter Minka is more reactive and much more interested in interacting with other dogs, but not keen on playing anymore. If a game starts I have to watch her that she doesn’t switch from ‘play’ to ‘prey’. Rather bossy, in typical insecure child fashion.
We’ve had 3 Jack Russells over the years and it’s been just as much fun with them, despite their terrier tendencies to prefer going down a mole hill to keeping up with me! Sometimes it was my 2 GSDS, Pepsi our JR and my dad’s JR Minchie too – 4 bitches all walking very happily together. Sadly we had to put Pepsi (see photo in post Reflections 27/12/11) and Minchie to sleep in May so now it’s just the big girls.
I’ll unpack my tips on achieving a happy walk in the next post.
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