Impulse control, WHAT IS IT?

• It is a crucial skill for any well-behaved and well-adjusted dog.
• It helps them make thoughtful choices, remain focused, and respond to commands promptly.
• The Red Light/Green Light exercise is an effective and engaging way to teach dogs impulse control while building their obedience and self-discipline.

In this blog post, I'll guide you through the steps of this exercise to help your furry friend become a model of self-control.

THE STEPS:
Step 1: Prepare the Environment: Start by attaching their lead to help them stay in place and setting up a comfortable place mat for your dog. The lead allows your dog to have some freedom of movement while preventing them from wandering off during the exercise. This initial setup helps create a controlled and focused space for training.

Step 2: Establish a Distance:  Position yourself across the room from your dog, maintaining a reasonable distance. This distance will vary based on your dog's comfort level and training progress. Make sure you have your dog's attention before proceeding.

Step 3: Cue the Down Command: Gently and clearly ask your dog to lie down on their designated place mat. Use a command like "down" or "drop" or any other cue you've been using during your training sessions. Be patient and wait for your dog to follow the command and settle into a down position.

Step 4: Red Light/Green Light:  Now, it's time to introduce the red light/green light concept. As you stand across the room from your dog, imagine that you have a "red light" and a "green light" in your hands. Your body movement will mimic these lights.

* Green Light: Walk forward slowly and purposefully towards your dog. If your dog maintains the down position without getting up or fidgeting, this is the "green light" to keep moving closer.

* Red Light: If your dog starts to stand up or moves from their down position, immediately stop walking. Freeze in place to create a "red light." Your dog will learn that their movement caused you to halt.

Step 5: Gradual Progression: Continue the exercise by alternating between red light and green light moments based on your dog's behavior. Over time, you can gradually decrease the distance between you and your dog, making the exercise more challenging. The goal is to teach your dog that their actions directly influence your movement and pace.

New Puppy! Such an exiting time!
Introducing a puppy into your life is a special and exciting time – there are many crucial things to be aware of in these early days, including the importance of exercise. Not only is exercising your puppy beneficial for their health and behavioral development – it’s a great opportunity for your puppy to socialise with other friendly puppies, dogs and people too.

It is possible for us to get lost in the excitement and forget that puppies are just babies – and like babies, puppies have limited physical abilities while they’re still developing. So, it’s just as important to ease your puppy into all things, including exercise

Puppy Bones
When you get your 8/10 week old puppies, please keep this image in mind. Their bones do not even touch yet. They plod around so cutely with big floppy paws and wobbly movement because their joints are entirely made up of muscle, tendons, ligaments with skin covering. Nothing is fitting tightly together or has a true socket yet.

When you run them excessively or don't restrict their exercise to stop them from overdoing it during this period you don't give them a chance to grow properly. Every big jump or excited bouncing run causes impacts between the bones. In reasonable amounts this is not problematic and is the normal wear and tear that every animal will engage in.

But when you're letting puppy jump up and down off the lounge or bed, take them for long walks/hikes, you are damaging that forming joint. When you let the puppy scramble on tile with no traction you are damaging the joint.

How long can I walk my puppy?

• Allow your puppy to choose the speed and take plenty of breaks for sniffing.  Avoid trying to pull your puppy!. If you must walk on pavement, keep walks shorter. Walks on grass or dirt are easier on your puppies growing bones than pavement.
• An 8 week old puppy can walk 5-10 minutes. If they are tired and don't want to walk then carry them home.
• A 12 week old puppy can walk about 15-20 minutes.
• A 16 week old puppy (4 months) can mostly do a 30 minute meandering walk.
• At 6-7 months if the puppy is coping you can increase the time to 45-60 minutes as your.

Key points:

• If your puppy is not yet fully vaccinated then you can still take them out.  Carry them or invest in a dog stroller if you want to take them to public areas.
• At 12 months small dogs will become physically mature.
• 18-24 months larger dogs will become physically mature.
• An injured growth plate can cause the bone to stop growing early. This can result in lifelong orthopedic problems.
• Free Run Instead. The best exercise for puppies is safely free running. Let your puppy choose their own adventure and play at their own pace.
• If you have access to a fenced yard, allow your pup to wander freely, choosing their speed and direction. Stay with them! They will naturally regulate their activity, going fast when they want to and slowing down when they get tired.
• If you don’t have a fenced yard, let your pup play on a long line of around 15 feet for young puppies in a safe space. Hold the end of the line while they play, keeping it slack as much as possible.
• Hold off true hikes or long purposeful walks on pavement until your puppy is physically matured.
• When walking in grass make sure to check their paws for bindi and grass seeds when you finish the walk.
• Don't walk in the heat of the day or when the pavement is too hot.
• Make sure you provide plenty of clean drinking water.
• Longer Walks  and participating in active sports Will Come

It can be tempting to take your puppy for a long walk to wear them out but resist the urge. Instead, treasure these meandering strolls  while their body grows and matures. Try to see the world through your puppy’s eyes and enjoy their antics as they zigzag around the yard and explores their world. Everything will be so new and exciting for them at this age. Let them learn about the world.  

Once grown - around 12-18 months depending on their breed, you will have the rest of their life to spend playing and engaging in higher impact exercise. So keep it calm while they're still little baby puppies and give the gift that can only be given once.

You only get the chance to grow them once. A well built body is something that comes from excellent breeding and a great upbringing-BOTH, not just one.

What is it?:
The Yellow Dog Project is an education campaign that lets people in public spaces know that a dog needs space by using a clear visual aid: a yellow lead, collar, ribbon, bandana or vest.

This acts as a quick and easy guide to gauging a dog’s comfort level at a distance lets you know to proceed with caution. Through communicating the need for space, the Yellow Dog Project helps prevent dogs being triggered by unpredictable encounters that cause panic or stress and can often undermine the careful training and rehabilitation strategies guardians have put in place.

The Yellow Dog Project is not regulated by animal management or animal care Acts or legislation. It does not replace appropriate training, and does not exempt guardians from taking responsibility for their dog’s behaviour. It is important guardians with dogs that need space choose exercise routines that reflect their dog’s ability to cope in public spaces; a yellow bandana won’t protect a dog if they’re being walked through a busy dog park or off lead space. It is simply an educational campaign that functions to help others understand whether a dog needs extra space from a distance and to encourage them to take reasonable steps to avoid approaching where possible.

How does it work?:
“Give me space!”
The Yellow Dog Project is a community awareness initiative that encourages dog guardians to use something yellow to inform others their dog needs extra space and to avoid approaching. If you see a dog wearing a yellow lead, collar, bandana or vest, they need extra space away from you or your dog. Even if you know a lot about dogs and dog behaviour, or dogs generally love you, it’s best to provide that dog the space they need so their guardian can ensure they complete their walk or training safely. Any interactions with that dog should be discussed with their guardian first.
*Photo directly below: Monty is an older man who dislikes being jumped on by overly enthusiastic puppies and dogs (Image courtesy of Kate Denman).

Why would a dog need space?
There are lots of reasons why dogs might need to wear yellow.
They could be:
* too young or too old to play
* recovering from surgery or injury
* blind or hearing impaired and easily startled
* in pet dog manners or more serious assistance/therapy dog training
* in heat or sick (but the guardian is still trying to ensure they get some mental enrichment on a quick short walk)
* incredibly shy or nervous generally
* recovering from a traumatic experience (e.g. dog attack) that has lead them to distrust others in public spaces
* Under-socialised due to COVID, being relinquished or rescued young, or other experience beyond their (and their current guardian’s) control
* They prefer to be left alone (not all dogs are social butterflies, and that’s okay)
The guardian might also prefer to not be approached by unfamiliar dogs or strangers in public settings too.

How did it start?
The idea originated internationally, under the guidance of world-renowned dog trainer Terry Ryan (Legacy Canine) who introduced yellow ribbons/ bandanas in her training classes as a clear signal for dogs that need space.

Through the efforts of Australian dog trainer and behaviour enthusiast Pat Robards, the idea was borrowed with permission and introduced to Australian dog clubs in the early 2000s.

The project gained traction and Norway dog behaviourist, Mimmi Engh, borrowed it for their dog training classes for use with sensitive dogs.

Eva Oliversson launched the first official program, International Gulahund™ Yellowdog, in Sweden in 2012
Resources:  YellowDog Australia 

Lili Chin has also designed this infographic below to help to educate people about the Yellow Dog Project.