How to unlock the loose leash heel of your dreams
It was circa 2022 when Cory and I had an extensive argument about blue t-shirts when we rebranded our dog training business to Dog Training Camp USA. Before then, we were training dogs for a different company, kind of off floating without an identity or purpose. We knew we were exceptional at what we did, but we lacked structure and business experience. Fate stepped in when we met the founders of Dog Training Camp USA in North Carolina. We formed a quick friendship and the rest, as they say, is history.
Our new friends were fond of the color sapphire blue, which made them stand out. These signature blue t-shirts were a well-established hallmark of their brand in North Carolina. Sapphire blue with a giant circle front and center that read: KEEP CALM WALK CIRCLES. They had been wearing these shirts for years and loved how clients could easily identify them in public settings when they were out for one of many of their popular group classes.
“This shirt looks like what I would wear if I wanted somebody to know exactly where to shoot me,” I said to Cory as I eyed the shirt suspiciously. She had some exasperated response about how dramatic I was being. Being a business partner with an ex-Army control freak occasionally has its perks. This was not one of those occasions for Cory.
But, I eventually decided to trust the process and accept the blue shirts. I’m glad I did because they have kind of become our team’s jersey. And it turns out having a brand identity that is easily recognizable is recommended by most marketing experts. Reader, I am not a marketing expert.
Circles Are Intuitive
KEEP CALM WALK CIRCLES has become a touchstone for our training. When clients come to us with frustrating dog issues such as reactive behavior on the leash, this is our secret to achieving your dream walk with your dog. It’s a simple concept that is easily digested by dogs and humans. We are simply showing our dog where they need to be in space, in a language they already understand.
You’ve seen videos of herding dogs. If you haven’t seen one, click here. In this example, the dog is running back and forth on the outside of the group of sheep, showing them in space where they need to be moving. If one of the sheep strays away, he gets herded back into place with the group with a body check or nip on the ankle.
When you think about it, this behavior is fascinating to watch. The dogs, who are far outnumbered, are in charge of the sheep. The sheep are on the inside of the circle. Walking circles with our dogs on the inside denotes our leadership and control of situations.
Very early on in my career, I was working privately with a young male blue heeler named Merle. Merle lived in a rural neighborhood setting, with his back yard butting up to a farmer’s field where cattle would graze. He was a great dog, well trained on the leash, and pretty agreeable as far as heelers go. One day when we were working with Merle outside, a cow wandered up to the property line in the middle of our session.
It was almost the end of our session and Merle was giving me about 30% of his attention by this point. His owner said “wanna see what he does when I let him get the cows?” and I said “well, is the Pope catholic?”
We released Merle (with the permission of the farmer), and he instinctively knew exactly what to do with the cow. He had never received any training from a human on how to manipulate creatures 10 times larger than him. It just came naturally to him.
He zoomed in circles around the cow and landed two excellent nips on the back legs, as if to say “I’m smaller than you but I’m in charge here, mf’er”. The cow gave off a pretty pissed moo and wandered off. Merle continued to work a marvelous half moon shape around the cow, pushing him forward and away from the fenceline. The cow probably chalked it up to yet another annoying encounter with yet another farm dog. Merle’s dad called for him, and he trotted back with his head high like he was the happiest dog in the world. When he got back to us, he let out a contented moan and went belly up to his dad for pets.
Not Merle, but you get the idea
Merle didn’t know where he was supposed to push the cow, only that he knew he was supposed to move it. Dogs are very spatial creatures as well as predatory animals. They are keenly aware of how much space they take up. Because they are considered “predators”, they use spatial pressure to increase their space. Space, to them, equals status. Compare this to a “prey” animal, such a cow who has flat teeth, grazes for food, spooks easy, and travels in herds.
I wish we all could experience the ecstasy that Merle experienced that day by fulfilling his breed purpose. Many humans chase the high of feeling purpose and belonging their whole lives, while many dogs are able to experience it on a daily basis. It’s the single thing I admire about their species the most.
Repetitive circling behavior can also be observed in groups of dogs. If you have more than one dog at home, you have undoubtedly observed behavior that resembles play, but it could also be your dogs having a giant pissing match about who’s in charge. The dog on the outside of the circle is usually in charge. Dogs thrive so much on structure, leadership, and routine that they actually order themselves out of necessity. Not having a leader means chaos for the pack/family, which means lower survival rate.
This explains why your dog is stressed the eff out when he has no idea who is in charge, or he thinks it’s his job to be in charge all of the time. There isn’t one second of their day where they don’t expect to know who is in charge. We can all agree – Being in charge all of the time is stressful.
It’s Like Doggie Meditation
Circle walking at its core is an exercise that is repetitive, monotonous, and can sometimes get boring for the human and the dog. Therein lies the beauty and the whole point of it.
Think back to a time you were stressed, anxious, or nervous. What coping mechanisms did you use? If you did use coping mechanisms, were they productive or did they make matters worse?
We could all agree more productive coping mechanisms for humans suffering from anxiety or stress are in the realm of
- Deep breathing
- Visualizing a safe space
- Aromatherapy
- Meditation
- Physical exercise
The tools that we use for stress relief are familiar to us and are a source of comfort when times are uncertain. Reverting back to ritual and routine is often all a human and dog need to tame these anxiety symptoms.
Mindlessly walking circles with your dog is basically meditation for both of you. The further along you get into your session, the more relaxed you both get, and the wider your circles will become….until you are not walking a circle at all….you are floating along with your dog down the street….like a normal human being…..enjoying a walk with their dog on a lovely spring day. Doesn’t that sound nice?
Of course, it’s not all a daydream. Like any other skill, circle walking takes practice and patience. The succession of circle walking to fantasy street walking on a lovely spring day will not be an instantaneous process. Clients leaving our training camps are instructed to do 5-15 minute sessions of circle walking two or three times a day when they first get their dogs home from camp. This is because circle walking can be a frustrating thing at first for both parties. The human is essentially learning a whole new language, and the dog is learning a whole new side of a relationship with their human. It’s a clean start, but it definitely requires some determination.
Preparing for circle walking at Saturday group class
First Impressions Are Everything
We’re gonna go back to the story about Merle. When Merle first approached the cow after a few initial circles, he bit the cow on the legs. Why?
Because he had to establish quickly that he was in charge, or else he ran the risk of being quickly kicked by the cow.
Our interactions with our dogs always mirror interactions that happen in nature. Your ritual leading up to the walk matters just as much as the walk itself. If your dog is pulling you out your front door and you are flying behind him like a kite when you leave the house, then you might need to reexamine how you get ready for a walk.
Additionally, you will want to meet the dog with the firmness he needs when using the leash and circles. This might depend on breed, anxiety level, or even physical strength of the dog. The communicative tugs on the leash I would use for a Great Dane will not be the same force as I would need for a Chihuhua. Merle had to meet the cow with considerable force because of the size difference. He pretty much had complete compliance out of the cow after nipping at the cow’s heels.
We are often reminding clients that they do not need to be as gentle with their dogs as they think. Your excited labrador who jumps on you and pulls on the leash is not being gentle with you. Because dogs don’t speak English, firmness to them is akin to authority. This doesn’t just include how hard you tug on the leash when your dog is being a jackass. It also includes how strictly you enforce other rules and boundaries in your home. Is Sparky sometimes allowed on the bed and sometimes not? If so, you’re opening yourself up to arguments with your dog that aren’t necessary and will make other areas of your life even harder.
If the cow had decided to wander back to the fence and resume grazing, do you think Merle would have gone any easier on him the second time?
Feeling Dizzy Yet From All This Circling?
You got questions, we got answers. Feel free to send us a message. If you want to come walk circles in our parking lot and hang out with us, we want you to do that too! Our parking lot circle sessions are basically as good as therapy. During training, we chat about everything from work, to personal life, and sometimes, nothing at all! We laugh, we cry, we film stupid videos for the internet. We would love to see you and your dog circle into a perfect walk!
Did you try circle walking at home? Share your circle walking experience with us on Instagram by tagging us and using the hashtag #KCWC. We want to see you improve you and your dog’s mental and physical health!
Girl, go outside, get some sunshine and fresh air. Your dog will thank you.
