Walking Your Dog
By week 4 or 5 you should be ready to start training your pet to cross the boundary with you, providing your pet has no unresolved issues concerning the boundaries. Your pet may be very hesitant to cross with you the first 5 to 10 times, but stay with it. He will eventually learn when he can cross over and when he cannot. He will learn to trust you.
What we are doing is creating a “Gate” that will allow you and your pet to leave the property under specific circumstances only. Stay consistent and follow this manual unless otherwise instructed by your Dog Guard of Northern New Jersey Trainer. Failure to closely follow these steps could result in your pet leaving the property unattended and voiding any containment guarantees set by Dog Guard of Northern New Jersey.
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Remove the Dog Guard receiver collar and leave it at home.
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Use a different collar and leash than the ones with which you’ve been border training. You will always leave and enter ON LEASH.
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Pick one spot on the property, preferably one side of the driveway. This will be the exit and entrance “gate” for you and your pet EVERY TIME you leave or enter your property.
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You will need to cut a 2′ by 4′ piece of rug, cardboard, wood, or use an old towel to place on the ground over the wire at the designated gate area. This item will act as a bridge for your pet to cross over the wire.
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Bring your pet to the Gate and give him a safe word (i.e.; “Walk,” “Safe,” or any other word of your choosing). You will use the same safe word every time you leave or enter the property. Keep your dog close to you, repeating the safe word as you walk him out of the property. Once you are out, praise him. Do this exactly the same way when entering the property. BE CONSISTENT AND REPETITIVE.
You can and should keep the same walking schedule that you had before the Dog Guard Fence was installed. DO NOT walk your pet off the property immediately following a perimeter training, but DO follow up with a perimeter training as soon as you come back into the safe zone from a walk.
Make sure you pick up whatever you are using for the bridge when you are NOT training or when your pet is outside and off leash. You can eventually take away the bridge altogether once your pet is accustomed to the process of using the bridge (usually 3 to 4 weeks).
The easiest way to get your pet off the property is to simply take the Dog Guard Collar off, put your dog in a vehicle, drive out past the boundary, take him out of the vehicle, and then go for your walk. Repeat this process to get your pet back into the property.
ALWAYS TAKE THE RECEIVER COLLAR OFF WHEN LEAVING THE PROPERTY, EVEN IN THE VEHICLE.
Feel free to call your Dog Guard of Northern New Jersey Dealer at the office if you have a problem or something is unclear.