Tips & Tricks Thursday - Walking your dog on a leash

Tips & Tricks Thursday 

Walking your dog on a leash

Grab your leash, SPRING IS HERE! Along with this nice weather, comes the urge to get outside more and take your furry family member for a long walk. 

If your dog is really excited to be outside, you may experience some issues with your dog pulling. Here at the Orrville Pet Spa, we follow The Dog Guru guidelines on an activity called "Loose Leash Walking". 

There are many factors that go into loose leash walking and how to properly teach your dog not to pull on a leash. Technically, loose leash walking is more about the owner or handler in charge of the dog rather than the dog him/herself.

 When teaching your pup, you must be mindful of your attitude towards the dog and walking in general. Try to always keep it positive and when they do not pull, make sure to give them positive reinforcement.  

Posture is another very important factor that goes into teaching loose leash walking. You have to show your dog that you are in charge and always make sure to keep the proper posture when walking so they know your not giving up that role.

PATIENCE IS KEY! Patience with your dog will be the absolute best thing you can do. Show them it's okay that they don't get it right away, and that it will come because you will take the time that they need to learn. Do not give up on your dog!

For more information on Loose Leash Walking, visit The Dog Gurus website at

https://www.thedoggurus.com/

What is this "K9 Fit Club"?

K9 Fit Club is still such a new organization, most people out there are still figuring out what exactly is it. It's hard to want to get involved in something if you're not even sure what exactly it is you're signing up for. Below you will find some basic information (without getting too technical with boring details) about this wonderful bonding experience you can enjoy with your furry family member.

Tricia Montgomery is CEO and founder of the K9 Fit Club organization. Tricia battled obesity and passed her bad habits and lack of exercise on to her dog Louie. Tricia had a "a-ha" call to action when she was told by her very caring and very frank veterinarian, that her and Louie were grossly obese. 

Tricia lost 130 pounds and Louie lost 4 pounds by working out together. She then set out to share this amazing transformation with other overweight dog owners and pets. This is what drove her to create K9 Fit Club.

Programs are now available for all fitness levels as well as specifically designed programs for children, seniors, and people with certain disabilities.

Anne Weiser, Manager at Orrville Pet Spa & Resort and Master Instructor of K9 Fit Club, decided it was time for a change in our small town of Orrville, Ohio. She saw how many people were taking their dogs along with them during the Orrville Walks program on Thursday nights during the summer months. She knew bringing K9 Fit club to Ohio would be beneficial and hopefully, people would want to be more involved in taking human and dog obesity seriously.

Currently, we are offering a Begging for Beginner class which is an introduction class and most basic class we offer. This is the best way to familiarize yourself with our space and program while getting a great workout and positive training. This class is perfect for a beginner looking to get back into shape! We hold this class on Thursday evenings from 7pm-8pm at our Doggy Daycare Center.

We also offer Bow Wow Bootcamp, which is a more advanced class that combines strength, agility, and cardio in a medium/high intensity workout. This class includes circuit training and station work, along with a little something new each class. This class is held on Tuesday evenings from 7pm-8pm at our Doggy Daycare Center.

Something new K9 Fit Club Orrville has started, is going to nursing homes to incorporate Sit, Stay & Get Fit with the residents. Seeing the impact bringing a therapy licensed dog & a little physical activity to them was astonishing. Everyone got involved in the workouts and you could tell it was pushing them to try! We are currently going mobile and holding this class for Shady Lawn Health Care Community in Dalton, Ohio every month. We are hoping to continue this class for even more facilities in the near future.