What you’ll learn about connecting with your dog, the joy of letting your dog run free, and how to get there:
- Sharing daily life with your dog creates a deep shared intimacy and connection
- Creating a deep connection with your dog makes it possible to let him run off-leash in safe situations
- Training your dog to be a Free Range Dog is easy to do with the right training and tools
- Both you and your dog will benefit and enrich your lives when he is allowed the freedom to run freely
Welcome to another episode of Free Range Dogs Podcast
My premiere episode is a charming discussion with Harry Kalish, a 97-years-young man, and his daughter, Judy Kalish, about their lifelong experiences with dogs. Although Harry had several dogs throughout his lifetime, in his words they were “pets” that he certainly enjoyed but had little time to spend time with while working full-time and raising a family. That changed when he retired, moved, and about 6 years ago he got a “little” dog that is mostly poodle. Unlike his previous dogs, Junior is at Harry’s side 24/7 and is allowed on the furniture. They developed an intimate connection and in Harry’s words, “Junior is my best friend.”
Judy, meanwhile, had a beloved dog, Buddy, who was always by her side. He would freely run trails while she hiked, shared the furniture, slept on the bed, and was involved in virtually every aspect of her life. They had a deep connection that enriched both of their lives.
Judy introduced Harry to me, as Harry had expressed a desire to have more control over Junior and to also be able to let him run off-leash at the park. After spending some time training with me and utilizing training tools, Harry was able to realize his wish to allow Junior off the leash to run freely and joyously. Harry describes with wonder how essential Junior is to his life, how he gives him a reason to get up every morning and go for a walk, and how challenging that has been for him since a recent health setback.
Both Harry and Judy express the observation that when they are with their dogs, they feel safe because their dogs are looking out for them and alerting them to any dangers they can avoid.
My feeling is that our dogs are here to watch out for us, that is their job. When we allow them to truly connect with us, to be a part of our daily lives, the benefits for us humans and our dogs are manifold. This connection makes training faster and easier and finding a way to let your dog run freely off-leash deepens the connections between you and creates a deeply joyous and satisfying bond.
You will love hearing this story. Please enjoy this interview and this special premiere episode.
Featured in this episode
Persons being interviewed: Harry Kalish and Judy Kalish