Leash Training a Dog
The Daily Walk Doesn't Have to Be the Daily Chore 
Leash training a dog will be frustrating at times and can take weeks and months to master. However, once you've mastered the walk, you will look forward to this fun time with your dog. How well your dog walks on a leash is determined in part by his breed, size and overall activity level. If your dog’s only activity is the walk, he may initially have too much energy to have any hope of walking properly. If you have a dog that needs to greet every passerby and wants to chase every squirrel up a tree, it may be hard to get him to focus enough on you to begin to walk properly.
Dogs Need to Walk Dogs are pack animals with an instinct and need to walk. The pack leader walks out in front and the rest of the pack happily follows behind. A successful walk with your dog is NOT stopping every few feet for him to sniff something new. A successful walk is NOT your dog pulling so hard that you feel like your arm is about to pull out of its socket. The goal of leash training a dog is to have your dog walking beside you or slightly behind you. The leash should be slack and your dog matches your pace. If you start to jog, so will your dog. If you slow to a snails pace, so will your dog. The walk should be a stress free enjoyable time for both you and your dog.Before You Start To be successful, you want to start leash training a dog when he is most tired. Play fetch with him in the backyard, or let him go swimming in the lake. The more tired the dog is to start, the more success you will have and the easier it will be to get the dog to focus on what you want.
Note: If your dog wants to bolt the moment the door is opened, take some time to work on it and fix the problem. If your dog is not calm and tired when you begin leash training, you will become frustrated and will be more likely to give up. Set yourself up for success by making sure to start properly. The training standard is to have your dog on your left side. However, there is no absolute rule in place and if you and/or your dog feel more comfortable with him on your right side, you can do so. The key is to be consistent. Every member of the family needs be consistent when leash training a dog. Each person needs to walk the dog in the same way with him on the designated side each time. With your dog in a sitting position on the designated side, give him a verbal command cue (walk, heel, let’s go, you decide on the word but be consistent with using it.). The physical cue that you give is to take a step. Your dog should begin walking nicely at your side. Leash training a dog will NOT be successful on day 1 or even day 2. If you are consistent with the training and walk your dog twice a day, you should see improvement within a week. Every dog is different and every owner is different. Keep your focus on the goal of having your dog walk nicely beside your and soon enough you will be enjoying the walks with your dog instead of making excuses to avoid them. Tips for Leash Training a Dog 1. Make sure you have a short enough leash to give you good control of your dog. You want a leash that will reach from you to your dog with a bit of slack. A 4 foot leash is generally the best. You do not want to have a 10 foot leash that you have to wrangle. If you have a very large dog, you can find leashes that are not much longer than a foot or two and are just a handle that clips to the dogs collar. Make sure the leash always has some slack, but not so much that the dog gets tangled or you lose control. Do NOT use a retractable leash when trying to teach your dog to walk properly.
2. If your dog begins pulling, stop. Your dog wants to move forward and when you stop he will eventually look up to your or will relax enough to allow slack in the leash once again. The moment you have slack, begin to move forward once again. You may only get 1 or 2 steps before your dog pulls and you may have to wait him out for a few minutes. When starting with this method, a walk around the block could take an hour. Patience and consistency will get you there. If you are truly not making progress, when the dog is pulling, put him in a sit and begin the walk again.
3. If your dog is food motivated, try holding a piece of food at your knee. This works very well for the medium to large dogs. You do not have to feed the treat with every step, just hold it so the dog will focus at your knee as you walk. Now and again, let him have the treat and put a new one in its place. Your dog will be focusing on the treat and he will walk next to you with slack in the leash. This is a great method to start with if you have a larger dog. This does not work well for the smaller dogs because it is very difficult to walk when you are bending over to your ankle to lure the dog with a treat. 4. Turn or walk in circles. If your dog is pulling, turning 180 degrees and going the opposite direction immediately puts your dog behind you. There is now slack in the leash and you can praise him for a job well done. You may find that you walk 5 paces in one direction, turn and walk 5 paces back. This may look goofy to your neighbors, but it really helps get the message across to your dog. Frequent left or right turns or walking in a circle instead of a straight line can be useful as well. 5. Use a training aid as needed. There are harnesses and halters available that are designed to discourage your dog from pulling. You can find a halter that goes over the dogs muzzle and face much like a horse’s halter. There is also a harness with the leash attachment on the dogs chest instead of the back. Both of these discourage the dog from pulling by turning the dog when he does try and pull. These can be very effective tools to start with but you don't want to use them for the life of the dog. We highly recommend the Gentle Leader head collar or harness. 6. Do NOT use a choke collar or pronged collar or other device that will inflict pain when leash training a dog. These may work initially to give you control of the dog, but your dog is not learning what you want and it is not an enjoyable experience for him. Positive training methods are always preferred. 7. Use your positive and negative words. When the dog is walking properly, don’t forget to praise him. If the dog begins pulling, use the negative word to let him know that is not what you want. Be careful not to overuse the verbal cues. Lots of praise for the dog could get him overly excited which may result in pulling on the leash. If you are getting frustrated, yelling the negative word at your dog will not benefit either of you. 8. Be careful of distractions. When you begin leash training a dog, pick a location with the fewest distractions possible. Try a jogging track at a local school on off hours or school parking lot on the weekends. Do not start your training in an area with lots of people, dogs or wildlife. Limit the distractions at the begining and walk in the more populated locations as your dogs leash walking improves. Patience Required Remember that leash training a dog can be difficult to master. Patience and consistency will bring you success. The rewards are well worth the time and energy to get there. You and your dog will be walking happily for many years to come.
Custom Search
return from Leash Training a Dog to Black Dog Rescue Project Home
|
