Step Three
Now we will test to see how well the dog has learned the boundaries by adding some distractions. Put the receiver collar on the dog and put the dog on a long leash.
Take the dog on the leash about a yard from the boundary flags. The dog should see the flags and not cross the boundary. If the dog does cross, then you need to do some more work on step two.
Now take the dog back from the boundary and play with them with a favorite toy, like a tennis ball. After a couple of minutes once they have got into the game, throw the toy over the boundary and see what your dog does. A well trained dog will quickly spot the flags and not follow the toy over the boundary.
In a second session have a neighbor walk their dog close to the boundary and see if your dog attempts to cross.
In a third session, a member of the family should walk over the boundary (not paying any attention to the dog) and test if the dog follows or stops at the boundary.
If your dog gets distracted and crosses over the boundary for any of these tests, then you need to do a bit more training on step two until your dog can pass these three test.
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Here is my problem. My dog is very well behaved on leash and won’t go anywhere near the flags, in fact she has only been corrected one time. Off leash is a different story. Today her leash accidentally came off and she bolted and ran through the line, was shocked and kept on going. How do I handle this situation?
ADMIN – Hi Lindsay,
Sneaky! Occasionally it happens that a dog will learn to avoid the flags when on leash, but not learn the generalized rule that the flags are bad all the time. What we do, it put the dog on a very long leash or rope, so there is tension on the leash and they can roam completely free. Another trick that works is to let go of the leash so they are completely untethered, but if they go through, grab a hold of the trailing leash and use it to force them to retreat.