Loose leash walking

Hello all,

I was just wondering how long it took you guys to master the loose leash walking.
I'm talking about the type where the dog is loosely walking right next to you.
Any tips and tricks?
Kenji is 5 months old and he's pretty curious when we're walking him out in public.

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Permalink Reply by Cindi on November 12, 2009 at 12:22pm

When teaching walking loosely on a leash, if I have a pup, I start in the home with a light leash attached to my pants. Everywhere I go, the pup goes. I reward them for staying with me. They get the idea that their place is right beside me. It's a big help when beginning to teach leash walking.

I differentiate loose leash and heel. Loose leash doesn't mean they have to have the length of the leash. It's just that comfy dog walk we all want. Heel is much more rigid and requires your dog to keep eye contact and follow you implicitly. I teach a loose leash, short leash walk. (If your dog pulls, at least they won't pull you to the ground if they have short leash!)

I love some of the tools out there: Gentle Leader, Halti, Easy Walk. Each dog is different. Just find the right tool. And as we progress in class, I teach clients how to work their dogs out of the "tools" to walking on a regular leash and collar. It's a lot of fun in class and the dogs seem to respond well.

But starting out the way you mean to go along (as my dad would say) is the best. The leash in the house method is wonderful.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on November 12, 2009 at 3:59pm

I have used everything on my son's (now our's) doberman but she has been a puller for so long it is tough to stop her. I finally started Obedience classes with her and she is doing much better. I did not really like the Halti because it really can not be used for a correction. The prong collar just seems mean. We are doing well so far with a training collar and corrections. She is great in class but regresses when we are on a walk. Sparty and Izzy really don't usually pull but they also have had classes. The occasional treat and the watch or look command is a great way to get them to focus on you instead of the person and/or dog you are encountering.

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Permalink Reply by Cindi on November 12, 2009 at 7:29pm

Actually, you can correct with a Halti or Gentle Leader if you do it correctly. People tend to think you need to yank at the leash or snap the leash to make correction. All you really need is a light pull using the wrist. It gives a very gentle, but direct, correction without snapping the dog's head and neck.