Rewarding good behavior important for pets

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Updated: December 27, 2011 9:54PM

Q . I just read your response to the woman about her basset hound Chester, the dog who would only walk well with her. I had to laugh because several years ago, my basset, Precious, liked to play a similar trick. She would eagerly go for walks with my mom or the dog sitter, but, at some point, she would decide she was tired and no longer wanted to walk.

Precious once lay down in a mud puddle and refused to budge, forcing my mom to carry the dog for almost a mile back to the car.

Rather than attempting to force him to walk with whomever, the better idea is to start asking him to follow others on leash for short distances for treats. In no time he should be happy to walk with anyone, and they can then fade out the treats.

A. Thank you for the feedback about Chester. And, yes, Dog Lady did advise pulling-tugging the recalcitrant dog. Nevermind. Yanking the dog’s chain is not the best way to coax him to move.

Actually, the immediate answer reflected Dog Lady’s own frustration with her four-legged darling. However, we humans can make it easier by implementing what the commenter above suggests — positive rewards for the right moves. If he doesn’t budge, no goodies; if he does, he is rewarded.

Bear in mind, the incentive method requires lots of persistence — something many of us don’t have in abundance when dealing with our dogs.

As the new year brings in a new attitude, we should rededicate ourselves to helping our pets become successful.