It can be like this!
First a little note on where your dog should be on a walk. Have you heard that you should never let your dog walk in front of you because it will make him think he is the pack leader? I’m convinced that someone spread that as a rumor to see how gullible people are. Dogs don’t worry about things like this. The point is for you to walk together. Nothing more, nothing less!
Here are 7 ways to improve walking on leash immediately.
Stop pulling dead in it’s tracks
Sounds pretty medieval, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not what you think. Dogs pull because it works. If a dog pulls on leash and despite your pulling back, complaining, and whatever else you might try, he still makes forward progress pulling is working. So make pulling fail once and for all: if you feel tension in the leash stop or change direction. This makes for some short (in terms of distance) and frustrating walks, but it works.
In the video I demonstrate stopping when Caffeine pulls to get a treat I tossed. (Total set-up, but it illustrates the point.)
Lighten up
Stop holding the leash tight. Dogs have opposition reflex. You pull on them, they pull back. Like any other reflex, it’s automatic. Keep your hands low and make sure you are not triggering this by pulling on the leash unnecessarily.
Attention
Oftentimes problems with pulling on leash begin before the walk begins. If you cannot get your dog’s attention something else has it, and chances are your dog is going to pull toward whatever that might be. Never start a walk without eye contact. Moreover, make sure your name recognition is effective in the face of distractions.
Hardware
If you are going to stop pulling completely, you may need some extra help, at least until you get some of the training done. In the video Gage’s (the second dog) leash is attached to a Sens-ible harness. This type of harness, one with a leash attachment in the front rather than the back, avoids triggering your dog’s opposition reflex.
Speed Up!
Walking slowly is booooring! Want to keep your dog’s attention? Pick up the pace!
Take a tired dog
A tired dog tends to pull less and get not get distracted as easily. Try a game of fetch, tug or tag before training. It will avoid a great deal of frustration.
Make it a game
In the video I show a game of “Find it” with Gage. This game encourages attention (looking at me gets the next treat) and makes walking with me rewarding. This is also a great game to play when you need to walk through a distracting area.
Here is a handout with some tips for loose leash walking.
26 Comments
Thx for these good tips. My 10 cents are: also keep the walk unpredictable. Change directions and routes, play a game or let them do a job in irregular intervals, do some obedience, also irregular with different excercises. You will find your dog having more focus as if thinking “what fun is next
”
Thanks! Good to see you back in the blogosphere.
Great stuff!
Great stuff!
Great stuff!
Great stuff!
These are great tips. After 14+ years of having my Dalmatian (my first dog as an adult) drag me hither and yon, I Love, Love, Love having Lilly who is often so light on the other end of the leash that I cannot even feel her.
Because of all the agility work we did when Lilly was young, she works to both sides, so often on our walks we just practice a side change. I use the cue “Side” for a change in front of me and “Switch” for a change behind me.
Since she is dog reactive, it's a great tool to have because I can always put myself between her and any dogs we see … simply by asking her to change sides and watch me.
I knew it had clicked for her when she changed sides automatically once when we saw a Rottie coming up the path.
These are great tips. After 14+ years of having my Dalmatian (my first dog as an adult) drag me hither and yon, I Love, Love, Love having Lilly who is often so light on the other end of the leash that I cannot even feel her.
Because of all the agility work we did when Lilly was young, she works to both sides, so often on our walks we just practice a side change. I use the cue “Side” for a change in front of me and “Switch” for a change behind me.
Since she is dog reactive, it's a great tool to have because I can always put myself between her and any dogs we see … simply by asking her to change sides and watch me.
I knew it had clicked for her when she changed sides automatically once when we saw a Rottie coming up the path.
These are great tips. After 14+ years of having my Dalmatian (my first dog as an adult) drag me hither and yon, I Love, Love, Love having Lilly who is often so light on the other end of the leash that I cannot even feel her.
Because of all the agility work we did when Lilly was young, she works to both sides, so often on our walks we just practice a side change. I use the cue “Side” for a change in front of me and “Switch” for a change behind me.
Since she is dog reactive, it's a great tool to have because I can always put myself between her and any dogs we see … simply by asking her to change sides and watch me.
I knew it had clicked for her when she changed sides automatically once when we saw a Rottie coming up the path.
Good example of telling her what you want her to do instead of what you don't want!
I heard that rumor too, and thought it was true. Thanks for shedding light on this.
I heard that rumor too, and thought it was true. Thanks for shedding light on this.
I heard that rumor too, and thought it was true. Thanks for shedding light on this.
I heard that rumor too, and thought it was true. Thanks for shedding light on this.
Great lesson, will be working on this w/ Prudence. Thanks!
Let me know how it works!
Great list of ideas to try. I feel like we've done them all and Ty and Buster continue to pull. Very frustrating!
Bummer! You've tried an easy walk or sensation harness?
We tried the easy walk harness … have not heard of the sensation harness. I'm sure it's us, AND its just so frustrating. One person walking one dog is best. One person walking two dogs is a crapshoot. And the two of us walking both dogs is NO FUN AT ALL. Even after making sure we have their attention, they start pulling within a few steps of starting off. We change directions, walk fast, walk slow, with harness, without, keep the leash loose – nothing.
Make sure they are tired and hungry. Try excellent rewards for not pulling?
Make sure they are tired and hungry. Try excellent rewards for not pulling?
This is fantastic. We're currently walking our puppies and we've picked up on some of these tips, but the other really pull it together. Guess who'll be going on a walk tomorrow morning before the trainer arrives.
Great tips, Eric. I hear all sorts of crazy theories about walking on leash. (Adhering to these is probably why they have trouble with their dogs!) Thanks for writing this!
Thank you!
Thanks for the tips
, I have been using a mesh harness for my rottweiler that helps keep him in control but I have seen the Sens-ible harnesses, thanks for informing me about them now I know why they are the way they are, I would see them and think that it wouldn’t work, but with the reflex explanation makes sense! the rottweiler is not a big puller but my foster a pointer hound walks all over the place and pulls quite a bit, we are trying the mesh harness but I may try the Sens-ible harness. Contrary to what Rod @GoPetFriendly experiences I find that if I walk them individually all three dogs pull some way or the other specially our foster dog, and when i walk all 3 dogs at once except the occasional leash tangle they all walk fine, but add in my fiance to the mix so 2 people and 3 dogs, it is generally difficult. I wonder why? And I have a question, I currently don’t make my dachshund walk a particular side of me but I would love to later on enter him on rally, should I start adhering to a particular walking side now? Is the side placement reinforced even if he is not the only one being walked? Thanks for the article and video!
I am pretty sure that for Rally you need him on the left side. The side placement when he is with other dogs probably is less important that when he walks alone with you. Different picture for him – which is related to why everything changes when your fiance is around.
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