February
February is the outdoor month
February is when a Houston dog can be outside all day. Our trainers on using the month for long line recall, trail walks and the off-leash foundation before the heat returns.
February in Houston is what other cities call spring. Highs in the sixties, a few cold mornings, and the lowest chance all year that a walk gets cut short by heat, storms or a hurricane forecast. It is also short. By the middle of March the pollen arrives, by April the afternoons are warm, and by May the dawn and dusk calendar is back. If there is a skill your dog needs outdoors, February is the month to build it.
The skill that needs the most outdoor time
Recall. Every other command can be taught in a kitchen. Recall has to be taught in the places the dog will actually run, which means open ground, distractions and distance, and that means hours outdoors. Our trainers do more long line work in February than at any other time of year, because a dog can do three sessions a day at the park without anyone worrying about the pavement.
The long line routine
- A thirty foot line on a flat collar or harness, never a retractable leash.
- Start in a fenced field or an empty corner of a park with the line dragging. Call once, run backward, pay big when the dog arrives.
- Add distance before distractions. Thirty feet in an empty field before ten feet near a squirrel.
- Every recall ends with a release back to sniffing, so coming to you is never the end of the fun.
- Step on the line when the dog ignores you. Reel it in, no repeat of the word, and try again closer.
Do this every day for the month and the dog has a recall that will hold on a trail in April. Skip it, and July is the month you will be standing in the yard at six in the morning calling a dog that has decided the neighbor's cat is more interesting.
Where to spend a February weekend
The Spring Creek Greenway between Spring and Humble, the trails at Kleb Woods in Tomball, the paths around Josey Lake in Bridgeland and Memorial Park inside the loop are all leash trails, and every one of them is perfect for long line work in the quiet stretches. Lake Conroe in February is empty of boats and full of ducks, which makes the shoreline a real recall test. Wherever you go, the leash stays on. Off leash in a public park is not the goal of February. Off-leash reliability is a six week build, and it is what the VIP program is for.
The off-leash path
For families who want the finished version, the VIP Board & Train is six weeks for $10,000: complete off-leash reliability, front and center positioning, duration stays, the Mini-Educator e-collar included, transport home, an in-home handover and unlimited in-home lessons after. A VIP dog that starts in February is off leash on a trail by the end of March, with the heat still weeks away. For a solid on-leash recall and the rest of the basics, two weeks of Gold at $2,500 gets there. Book the free consultation while the month is still young.
Best Dog University Team
Board and train trainers in Cypress, Houston. 16+ years, 900+ dogs. About our team
