Keys to Success
Set a reasonable goal. The goal should be a curved smile in the leash and not a strict “heel”. Even highly trained competitive obedience dogs only perform a “heel” for a very short period of time. Think of the target behavior as “with me” and a loose leash. For most dogs, achieving this in a low-distraction environment should be considered grand success.
The right equipment helps, but don’t expect equipment alone to be the solution. A properly fitted harness works well as it avoids putting pressure on the dog’s neck. A longer leash can be helpful because it gives the dog some freedom to walk in a natural way and have enough length in the leash to keep some slack. It also gives you more opportunities to reward him for checking in with you, their human partner. More: Equipment – Collars, Harnesses & Leashes
Long leash use: Leash Skills – Walks with a Long Line. This trainer isn’t using treats as the dog is already leash-proficient, but it’s a great example of how to handle a long line.
Work on the component skills.
- Treat delivery by your side. Rewards will be available at the “take out window” by your leg. “Take out window” means the dog comes to you for the treat and you don’t provide “delivery”. The dog needs to learn where to be for good things to happen.
- Maintaining slack in the leash. Forward motion is rewarding to the dog. Pulling must not be rewarded by allowing forward motion. This means that even looseness in our shoulder and arm can allow forward motion that rewards the dog for pulling. Forward motion needs to be a reward when there is slack in the leash.
- Checking in with the handler voluntarily. Reward the dog any time he checks in with you. In the beginning, even a head turn in your direction should earn him a treat. This is actually the foundation of loose leash manners, as a dog who is tuned in to his human can’t be simultaneously pulling on the leash.
- Teach the dog to orient to you on cue. Once he’s voluntarily checking in with you frequently, choose a cue word to elicit the behavior.
- Make kissy noises, say his name in a happy voice, etc, to elicit attention, and reward it!
- Anticipate his behavior – Just as he’s turning his attention to you, say the cue, mark and reward for success.
Work very incrementally, starting in a boring environment. Start inside. Hallways or along a bare wall work well. Progress to working in other parts of the house and introducing greater distraction. When you go outside, start by working in the driveway or yard. If progressing to walking in the neighborhood is too much, you may need to find boring places to practice like an empty parking lot before advancing to more exciting locations. Work in very short sessions to begin with. For many dogs, five minutes is plenty. A short, fun session with a high rate of success and reward a few times a day is much better than one long slog.
Set him up for success. Before heading out the door for a leash walk, let the dog run in the yard to burn off a little steam. Sprinkle kibble in the grass for him to forage, throw a ball a few times to bring down his arousal level a notch or two. Expecting calm leash manners when the dog has had no outlet for pent-up energy is asking for failure.
Let the dog sniff. Sniffing is a very important innate need for dogs. Anticipate the upcoming figurative fire hydrants where he’ll want to stop, and use those places as natural rewards for walking on a loose leash. Reward him generously for checking in with you after sniffing.
Keep it fun. It’s up to us to teach them slowly and incrementally, making it fun and rewarding, so they can be successful and want to walk with us. A forced march with a bucking, straining dog and a frustrated human is no fun for anyone. Make it a game, and you’ll have a willing participant.
