True story - When my dog, Suede, was around six months old, I was driving on the highway with him in the seat next to me.
Suede was an extremely driven dog.
He would go crazy at the sight of anything that moved.
One day he was spinning and barking as I was driving down the highway when all of a sudden he started peeing.
He got himself so worked up he just went right there on my truck seat.
I yelled out, "HEY, STOP!" I must have said it pretty loud and startled him because the next thing I knew, Suede was in my lap.
He jumped from his seat directly into my lap.
Here I am driving down the highway at 65 miles an hour with a peeing dog in my lap.
You see, as soon as he landed in my lap he resumed the peeing.
When I think about it now, it's kind of funny, but I should have taken precautions and buckled him.
The point I'm trying to make is that we always have to take responsibility for our dogs and make sure that we have control over our dogs.
As the warmer months roll in, more and more of us will be spending more time outside with our dogs.
This is the time we need to make sure our dogs have an excellent recall (coming back when you call "Come").
Here are five steps to developing an excellent recall: Step #1: Never, ever punish your dog for coming to you when you call.
Step #2: Reward your dog for coming when called.
It could be a toy, treat, praise or a game.
Step #3: Set your dog up for success.
Start by teaching your dog the command come in a positive, fun atmosphere.
Step #4: Practice, practice, practice.
Step#5: Repeat steps 1 through 4.
Have fun!