Loose Leash Dog Walking

 

 

LOOSE LEASH WALKING:  (Stop,   Start,    Change Direction)

Theres no doubt this exercise is best taught when they’re young, so they never get into the habit of pulling. The first thing you must do is NEVER let your dog pull on the lead ever again!
A Head Halter is ideal as it gives you brakes and power steering.

Most of us think of the WALK as HIS WALK so we tolerate pulling & lunging behaviour. Remember, your tolerance is what reinforces the behaviour. From now on, think of this as YOUR WALK.
When the leash is tight & he’s in front, he doesnt have to CHECK IN with you, as the leash is telling him everything he needs to know including:
-where you’re at
-where you’re going
-what you’re doing,  &how soon after him you’ll arrive

STOP          START         CHANGE     DIRECTION  
This exercise is designed to make you appear UNPREDICTABLE & in OWNERSHIP OF THE WALK.  You must walk briskly, like you’ve got somewhere to go. REMEMBER: the more unpredictable you are, the more he’ll focus on you! You need to get him to focus on you more than the environment. This doesnt mean he cant pee on a bush, or roll in the grass etc (use these as a reward system for good walking). He should make direct eye contact with you when you call his name.  Reward quickly. A little Focus Training will help a lot with Leash Training.

LETS GET STARTED:
*From the minute you clip his lead on, till the moment you take it off, your dog
must not pull you.  *Decide on your verbal cue: “HEEL”    ” WITH ME”     “LETS GO”
*Hold the leash with the hand that is opposite to the dog (the leash will be going across your
body to the dog. Your treat will be in the hand that is the same side as your dog.
*Start in the house where there are no distractions .
*Have your dog on your LEFT side (in the HEEL position)
*Using your “HEEL” command, take a few steps forward until your dog moves
ahead of you.
*Immediately change direction, call your dogs name & when he follows you say
YES & Reward.

HINTS:
Teach your puppy that he gets goodies for staying in the “magic zone”, near your side.
Try to practice when your pup is already well-exercised and therefore more likely to stay by your side and pay attention!
Heelwork is pretty boring for dogs, so start to vary speed etc (speed up, slow down, speed up). If you just walk a straight line at the same speed, its going to get boring and he may start to pull.
Do lots of changes of direction. If he knows you could change direction at any time with no warning, he’ll keep his eye on you.

**REMEMBER not to let the lead go tight.
Practice getting it right inside before moving out to your yard/garden.
Practice in your front driveway or front lawn, then the neighbours yard.
Practice for at least a week at home before moving to a new area.
Dont be in a hurry: PRACTICE & PATIENCE is the key.
Dont move to a new area until hes DEPENDABLE at the previous location.
When you go to a new area, dont expect miracles.
Dont expect to take too many steps before pulling occurs as theres lots of distractions
Remember: short sessions with lots of Positive Reinforement along the way.
Once your dog is walking well beside you, you can start to lose the treats, but keep them handy so you can still reward randomly. Start to make it fun. Once you’re happy, then you can
say “GO SNIFF” or “GO POTTY” and let him offleash as a reward.

Thankyou and see you next time,

Leah & Angela O’Meara (Hound Dog – Specialists in Dog Daycare & Petting Brisbane )