Luvk9s Dog Training
Loose leash walking
Canadian-American chemist and author O.A. Battista once observed that “a dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk.” Unfortunately, many owners find walking their dog to be a nightmare. Dogs walk faster than we do and in their exuberance of being outdoors often yank and pull on the leash.
Dogs are bred to do the very things that can frustrate us on walks. Scent hounds were bred to locate game using their nose which explains why beagles typically walk with their noses glued to the ground. Retrievers were bred to retrieve game for hunters, so you will often find them searching for something to pick up and carry on their walk. Terriers were bred to chase prey which is why they can’t resist lunging after a squirrel.
It’s easy to forget that dogs are not born knowing how to walk nicely on a leash; dogs need to be taught this skill.
So how do you teach your dog to walk nicely on leash?
Indoor loose leash walking foundation exercise
Practice loose leash walking inside your home first where there are fewer distractions.
Teach your dog that walking next to you on your left is a good place to be. Initially, do not use a leash. While holding a handful of your dog’s kibble in your right hand, lure your dog to your left side by patting your thigh and start walking briskly, rewarding your dog with treats coming out of your left hand. Feed the treats low so your dog isn’t tempted to jump up for the treat. Keep your dog’s interest by moving quickly and unpredictably around the house. Keep it fun!
Once your dog is good at this exercise, add the leash. Continue to keep the game fast moving and unpredictable.
Outdoor loose leash walking foundation exercise
Next, begin working outdoors with your dog in a low distraction area. Start by having your dog either standing or sitting facing you. Make eye contact and begin walking backwards encouraging your dog to walk forwards towards you as you move backwards. The point of this exercise is to teach the dog to sustain eye contact and understand the walk involves both of you.
Keep the leash loose and practice this until the dog becomes proficient at it. Reward with treats while your dog is walking nicely towards you.
Next, after taking a few steps backwards, pivot slightly so you are walking sideways next to and facing your dog, always keeping the leash loose. Then pivot again so you are now walking next to your dog; take one step and stop before your dog pulls ahead. Treat your dog for not pulling.
Repeat the exercise (moving backwards, sideways and forward) but this time end the session by taking two steps forward before stopping. Continue the exercise adding one step each time.
Slowly build up the number of steps you move forward. If your dog lunges ahead, you may be moving too quickly.
Keep your initial training sessions to five or ten minutes and repeat two or three times a day. Note that you will be walking the same short stretches over and over again until your dog learns to stop pulling.
For a visual of what this looks like,CLICK HERE.
Next step - red light, green light
Once your dog has mastered the foundation exercises and you start going for walks, what should you do if your dog does pull towards something and the leash tightens up?
+ The instant the leash gets tight, stop and stand still – red light!
+ Wait until your dog turns around to see why you’re not moving. The leash will loosen up slightly when this happens.
+ Call your dog to come back to your side and continue walking forward – green light!
What we’re teaching the dog is that if the leash goes tight, the walk stops. If the leash is loose, the walk continues. It takes most dogs about 30 days to understand the concept and walk nicely on leash on a consistent basis.
Trouble shooting
Start your walk with a tired dog. This may sound counter-intuitive, but if you start your walk with an out-of-control, excitable dog, it is difficult to regain control. Get the edge off before you leave the house by playing a quick game of fetch or encouraging your dog to run back and forth in your yard.
Try these tactics on your walk to retain or recapture your dog’s attention.
+ Teach your dog to make eye contact when you call his name and sustain eye contact by asking him to “watch me.” Search YouTube for “watch me cue for dogs” for tips on how to teach this skill. This will enable you to get your dog’s attention as you quickly move past a distraction.
+ Always carry high value treats or a favorite toy for over-the-top unexpected distractions. Use the treats in conjunction with the “watch me” cue.
+ Consider using tools to better manage your dog on a walk. Loose leash walking skills can improve dramatically when using a martingale collar, a no-pull harness that attaches at the chest or a head halter.
+ The “leave it” cue is useful to redirect your dog before you “lose him” to a good smell or interesting distraction. Search on “leave it cues for dogs” and click on the Victoria Stillwell video for tips on how to teach this cue.
+ Keep your dog’s attention by being unpredictable. If your dog is losing focus, start making U-turns and rapidly change direction. Keep doing this until your dog begins to pay attention to where you’re going.
+ Be sure to walk briskly; walking too slowly may be boring for your dog, resulting in excessive sniffing. The suggested walking pace is two steps per second.
Practice walking your dog in low distraction areas first and work up to more challenging environments.
The key to loose leash walking is executing the “red light/green light” protocol and having a plan of action to get your dog’s attention back when something unpredictable occurs.
Happy training!