“Are you ready for your walkies?!”
You coo in a high pitched baby talk type voice.
Your formerly snoozing dog rockets off of the couch and at you, jumping around, wiggling, and making it very difficult to get their collar and leash on to head out.
You open the door, get dragged out, and it begins:
It’s time to go for a walk with your best furiend!
You get outside of the building and your pup is pulling everywhere:
to the curb, to that tree, to that cute friend across the street, and it all seems like no big deal, until they see THAT friend and begin frantically pulling, barking, screeching, and jumping attempting to get at them.
You look around horrified, wondering who is noticing their screeching and attention demanding behavior. You shake your head and ask aloud:
“Why is this dog always pulling me all over the place?” as you allow them to greet their furry friend and mutter an apology to the owner for your dog dragging them over so overzealously.
Generally speaking, it turns out that we humans aren’t great at communicating clearly and consistently. We are especially not great at this when it comes to communicating with our dog.
Canines communicate through nonverbal communication, including body language and telepathy, according to research. And yet, take your pup to any Puppy 101 Basic Training class, and you’ll find a trainer telling you to begin barking English words at your pup as though they understand.
It is helpful for us humans to understand a bit about dog behavior and communication in order to clearly communicate what behaviors we are looking for to be repeated.
When it comes to leash manners, this is exceptionally hard because we humans are often distracted, multitasking, and inconsistent in our expectations and thereby communication.
For example, consider: Are there times when pulling is ok and you don’t address this with your pup? And other times where you become frustrated and decide it’s not ok, but maybe haven’t communicated this to your pup in order to set them up for success?
Awareness is key!
What is rewarded is repeated.
You can think of this similarly as dogs will repeat behaviors that get them access to something they want, attention, food, and/or enjoyment.
The simple formula for positive reinforcement dog training is as follows: 1) Ignore what you don’t like.
2) Give attention to and reward what you do like.
When we apply this formula to leash training and leash manners, we simply ensure we praise and reward behaviors we like and want to see repeated and ignore or interrupt and redirect behaviors we prefer not to see repeated.
One of the easiest exercises you can implement this formula in leash walking skills is to reward and praise your dog anytime they are walking alongside you/ a step behind and maintaining a loose leash.
For example, whether Penny Grace is on leash or off, she knows that walking alongside my right side tends to be very rewarding for her, and so she will not only easily walk there in anticipation of a reward, but she will frequently check in when off leash to also be rewarded from this spot.
You can teach this by ensuring you Mark and Reward every time your pup is walking where and how you prefer them to. Begin by Marking and Rewarding behaviors that are even close to what you’d like the final behavior to be, knowing you can fine tune as you proceed.
In addition to treating, praising, and rewarding from the spot where you prefer your pup walk, as often as possible, (I suggest aiming to handfeed your dog as MUCH of their meals as possible, every day, by doing simple exercises such as this as well as looking for other behaviors you like and want to see repeated throughout your day,) you can practice a “Let’s Go” cue paired with a U-Turn.
This looks and sounds like, approaching a potential distraction/ trigger, and rather than continuing to approach and get closer, thereby decreasing the likelihood of your pup’s ability to remain focused on you (at least at first,) instead, utilize “Let’s Go!” and turn 180 degrees away from the distraction/trigger while you are plenty of distance away and still have your pups attention. (Do not wait to lose their attention; proactive is always better than reactive.) The moment your pup moves with you AT ALL (makes fleeting eye contact, turns their body at all, releases tension on the leash,) be sure to enthusiastically Mark and Reward the behavior with YES!! And a treat from the place you prefer they walk.
Practice and use the Let’s Go U-turn often, in low distraction environments, so that you and your pup can be very practiced and habitual in this. That way, when you need the skill in more challenging environments (like around squirrels, other dogs, etc) your dog will know the expectation and the impending reward for making good choices and you can get distance quickly.
Practice these simple steps to help your pup have great leash manners:
1. Use positive reinforcement:
Reward your dog for desired behaviors rather than punishing or correcting them for unwanted behaviors. This can include treats, praise, and playtime.
2. Start indoors or in a calm environment:
Begin training in a quiet and familiar space where distractions are minimal, allowing your dog to focus better on the training.
3. Introduce the leash gradually:
Let your dog become comfortable with the leash by allowing them to sniff and explore it without attaching it to their collar. This helps them associate the leash with positive experiences.
4. Practice collar or harness desensitization:
Introduce your dog to their collar or harness in a positive way, associating it with treats or rewards. Gradually increase the time they wear it, starting with short durations and gradually lengthening them.
5. Use target training, like using the Touch cue:
Teach your dog to target an object, such as your hand, by offering treats or rewards when they touch it with their nose or paw. This can help establish focus and attention.
6. Teach loose leash walking:
Begin by walking in a straight line indoors with your dog on a loose leash, rewarding them for staying close and not pulling. Gradually increase the difficulty by adding distractions or practicing in different environments.
7. Use redirection techniques:
When your dog starts to pull, stop walking and wait for them to come back to your side. Reward them with treats and resume walking. This helps teach them that pulling doesn't get them closer to their desired destination. You can also incorporate that “Let’s Go!” + U-turn to help create distance and regain their focus.
8. Reward appropriate behavior:
Whenever your dog walks calmly on a loose leash, provide praise and rewards to reinforce the positive behavior. Consistency is key. Look to Mark and Reward eye contact, loose leash walking, and walking alongside you where you prefer they be OFTEN.
9. Avoid punishment or correction:
Force-free training methods focus on positive reinforcement, so avoid using punishment, choke collars, or any techniques that cause fear or discomfort to your dog. A dog performing a behavior or a cue because they respect their owner and are incentivized positively is doing so from a very different emotional place than a dog who is forced to comply due to fear of repercussion/ pain/ consequence etc. Our dog’s mental health is equally as important as ours is.
10. Be patient and consistent:
Leash training takes time! Be patient with your dog and maintain consistency. Dogs, like humans, are lifelong learners. With practice, your dog will learn to walk politely on a leash.
Remember, every dog is unique, so it's important to adapt the training to suit your dog's individual needs and temperament. Keep in mind that YOU set the tone for the walk. From the moment you decide it’s time to walk, be mindful of the energy and emotions you are putting out and whether you may be accidently hyping your dog up when you’d really prefer exiting and walking calmly. YOU are the tour guide in this relationship!
If you encounter challenges, set up a consultation! We offer virtual consultations (dog training is really human training after all!) as well as in person training if you are local to SWDC.
Follow us on all social media for more leash manners tips like these: @Engaged_Dogs
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Check out this Video of Hudson performing all of the outlined techniques above so you can see how these skills are used in action.
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