Play All Day Trainer, Jenny Lapke, is guest blogging this week. Here are her tips on how to achieve better loose-leash walking, for a less stressful and more enjoyable walk with your dog.
In addition to training classes and Day Training at Play All Day, Jenny offers in-home, private training through her business “The Good Dog Training Academy”.
Are you dreaming of your walks with your dog being “a walk in the park”? The calm, leisurely walk without pulling isn’t just something we see in movies, you can get there with your dog too! These training tips will help make your walk more enjoyable for you and your dog.
- Use a longer leash.
This is such a simple trick to make your walk more pleasant. Using a 6 foot leash is common, but it often doesn’t allow our dogs to have any room to explore or move around. By switching your leash to something a little longer, like 8 or 10 feet, your dog will be able to move and will reach the end of the leash less frequently, reducing the amount of pulling.
- Bring treats on your walk.
We often focus on what we don’t want our dog to do, but we often get better results when we let our dog know they are doing a good job. A walk is full of opportunities to give your dog a small tasty treat to reward them for doing what you would like them to. Stick some treats in your pocket as you head out the door and then reward your dog for walking close enough for the leash to have some slack in it or when they glance up at you. I often like to give treats by my side where I want my dog’s head to be. This will put your dog in a good starting and ending position, right where you want them! By letting your dog know you like the way he is walking, he will start to walk that way much more frequently. You might need to have really high value treats because there are many exciting distractions outside.
- Exercise your dog before your walk.
“But isn’t that what a walk is for?” I hear you, but walking in a straight line is not natural for dogs. As they are learning to walk politely, it can be hard for your dog to walk calmly if they have pent up energy. To make your walks easier, especially early on in the learning process, spend a little time playing with your dog before setting out on your walk. You can play tug, chase, fetch, or even just let your dog run around. This will get some of your pup’s energy out, so it is easier for them to walk next to us.
- If your leash is tight, stop moving.
If we keep moving while the dog is pulling, we are actually reinforcing the pulling and your dog will pull more frequently. When your dog’s leash gets tight, stop moving and wait for your dog to glance back at you. Your dog might not look all the way back at you, but that is just fine. Any glance in your direction will be enough to reward with a treat by your side and then start to walk again.
- Let your dog sniff!
Dogs love to sniff while on a walk, and it is actually good for them too! Sniffing will help provide your dog with mental stimulation that just as important and beneficial as physical exercise. In fact, your dog might be more tired if you allow them to sniff along their walk than if you go jogging with them.
- Practice walking before you go into the big wide world.
You can always practice walking your dog inside! You don’t need a large space to start. Just take a step or two at a time, and reward your dog for being by your side as well as looking up at you, just like you would outside. By practicing inside, you allow your dog to learn what you would like him to do before asking for those behaviors in a more distracting environment. After you master walking inside, try walking someplace like your backyard before going to the park.
