5 Tips for Loose Lead Walking
In our previous blog post, we busted the myth that harnesses cause dogs to pull. Now it’s time to share tips that will help you teach your dog to walk with a nice loose lead, whether this is attached to their harness or collar.
1. Training begins at home
Before you take your loose lead walking on the road, it is vital that you spend time teaching your dog this skill at home. By starting your training in an environment where your dog is relaxed and able to focus on you, you’ll set your dog up for success. In the meantime, it’s best to temporarily avoid situations where your dog must walk on a short lead. This might mean jumping in the car to visit your favourite off-lead spots instead of walking there, but avoids setting your dog up to fail whilst they are learning.
2. Lead off, game on!
Before clipping on a lead, you want to teach your dog that being beside you and walking with you is a great thing in itself. Take your dog and some tasty treats out to the garden, and reward them for following and walking with you. At first, you might need to reward your dog continuously to keep them engaged, but once you have practiced some more you can begin to extend the gap in between rewards. If your dog is struggling to focus, start by rewarding them for any eye contact they offer before you make things harder by asking them to follow you.
3. Add the lead and practice, practice, practice.
Once your dog is happily following you around, it’s time to add a lead. You should still be practicing in the garden for now, and rewarding your dog every few steps for walking on a loose lead or offering eye contact.
"then the walk can continue and so can the treats"
4. When the lead goes tight, the fun stops.
Now that you have the lead attached again, your dog could pull if you don’t keep them engaged. Whenever the lead goes tight, immediately stop and wait for your dog to re-focus on you. When they do, the walk can continue and so can the treats. It is vital that you don’t let your dog move ahead when the lead is tight, as this will reward them for pulling. If your dog struggles to refocus when you stop walking, try walking a few steps in the opposite direction (without jerking the lead) and reward them when they start to follow you.
5. Slowly increase the distraction
Once your dog has mastered the art of loose lead walking in the garden, it’s time to up the ante and take their new skill on the road. But be careful not to make things too hard, too quickly. Start by visiting quiet residential areas with only a few distractions, and slowly build this up as your dog proves they have mastered this skill in new and increasingly challenging environments.
Written by Kerry Woods - Out of The Woods Dog Training
Kerry has a degree in Animal Behaviour & Welfare as well as being a certified Separation Anxiety Pro Trainer. After working with hearing dogs for deaf people for 3 years and gaining experience working with dogs from 8 weeks old right the way through to placement Kerry now works as a dog training and behaviourist consultant specialising in Separation Anxiety.