Secrets to going off leash

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How did I train “Shilo” to go off leash ?

This question is one I hear a lot from other Pyrenees owners who have read about our adventures . So is there a secret to getting a Pyr to go off leash ?..The answer to that question is ” YES THERE IS ” .. but guess what ! … I don’t know what it is  ..wish I did .

I’m not trying to be a wisenheimer here , but I believe each dog and owner are different so what works for one will not work for another . That being said .. I’ll go on to tell you what worked for us . .. Who was it that said .. Time is the creator and destroyer of trust ?..  I don’t know ether.. probably just me . but think about that for a moment … how would that apply to your fuzzy knucklehead ?  .. to me it’s  pretty simple … “Time”.. spent training your big fuzzy kid to go off leash ..(or to do what ever other things that makes us happy ) .. is a relationship builder .. and what comes with relationships ?  that’s right ” trust”  ..

I ask myself many things while dealing with Shy ( yes I know that’s talkin to myself ) but I say things like .. self , would I trust someone who locks me up most of my life to give me freedom when I want it ?..  and would I respect their wishes when they wanted something ? .. ( answer ) Not a chance ! they can kiss my big fuzzy butt !  …Ok back to what works … As far as training Shy I really think it was ” Dumb luck ” You see Shilo is an exceptional Soul , I’d say she’s one in a trillion dogs . She’s the type of fuzzy companion one could search forever for and not find ..(  yeah she’s that special ) Shilo came into our lives as a parolee from the local kill shelter . We knew nothing of her origins or her training not even her name and the best guess at her age was two years old .

She was very mellow stubborn and skittish . First thing we did with her was to built trust by spending time ( lots of time ) walking.  The  first attempt at a leash was pretty funny .. It was met with the ..I don’t trust you so I’m gonna lay my 110 lbs of fuzziness on the ground attitude .. but after a few weeks she learned her new name and  we picked up on each others signals ( such as needing loves and belly scratches to name a few ) and she learned our commands by love and respect never once did we resort to scolding or yelling . We found that Shy would respond to disappointment more than anything

Commands … Most of you are probably like me and carry on talking to your dog like they know what your saying . It’s Pretty funny if you think about It ..  But I think it’s a lot like us humans trying to listen  to someone speaking Spanish . We understand about two words out of fifty that’s spoken . So we resort to reading body langue in an attempt to understand . Well Mr. or Miss Fuzzy butt does the same thing . So I try not to confuse our Shy while I’m  jabbering to her about what ever .. Buy using  simple and clear commands . The most important one is ” STOP ” this one must be obeyed .. It keeps her from danger such as .. predators , traps , cliffs and the unknown . 

Second important command would be ” COME ” this ones for obvious reasons . The third and forth commands are ” LOOK ” and ” PROTECT ”  . Whistles work for us also.. by mouth or blown on a birddog whistle .  These too must be understandable . We use three..  One short whistle for stop , two short for come and then there’s the panic whistle .. short loud  continuous bursts until Shy comes . another thing we work on is range . Like all dogs Shy had to know how far was acceptable . This was taught by the stop whistle when she got to a certain distance . 

The ranging thing I believe came natural to Shy . On our hikes she will cover all the bases , she’ll take lead for awhile then drop back behind thirty yards or so , then she moves the same distance out to the sides while circling me and watching from high ground . When you decide it’s time to take your Pyr out in wild you will probably freak out and think your fuzzy knucklehead has gone native . But not to worry .. this is how they run security on the herd .. even if that herd is a clumsy two legged charge stumbling in the woods with no clue to as where they are going . I do suggest finding an unfamiliar place for your first attempt at the unleashed hike . Reason being your Pyr will be nervous with and unknown place and stick close to what’s familiar and that would be you . Just remember .. if your dogs not completely nut’s .. it will remember where it’s treats come from and hang around after it gets it’s romp on …       

Well if you’ve read this far , I’ll finish by saying (and this may sound crazy but) I think deep down all dogs want to please and our girl Shilo understands and appreciates a second chance at love and life, so she does her best to behave . Good luck on your adventures and remember always go prepared …

Thanks for reading …. Jerry