This web log is devoted to another interest of mine - dogs and dog training. Look for more information. Today's topic loose leash walking. Today I want to talk about loose leash walking. Many people find walking their dog a real chore. The dog constantly pulls against the leash, runs all over the place in general makes the experience unpleasant. If you have a larger dog, walking is nearly impossible as a dog that is as strong (or even stronger) than you pulls you all over the place. You may look at other people walking their dogs in a easy pleasant fashion and wonder,"How do they do that?" Well in just a few easy steps, I show you how to eliminate that pull problem and walk the dog on your terms.

When initially training your dog for walking, I would recommend that you start with a short leash, preferably no longer than 6 feet try this lead for example, a 6 foot leather leash. Avoid retractible leashes for the time being. Until you and your dog have developed a rapport walking, too much freedom is not a good thing.

The collar can be your standard collar. In a later segment I will cover the use of choke collars and choke chains. For a beginner these can be dangerous tools which can injury your dog. I don't recommend prong collars.

Remember that pulling is a learned behavior. A dog gets a reward when he pulls. He gets to go where he wants to go, be it further down the street or to the park. This behavior can be unlearned but the longer the dog has been pulling, the longer he might take to unlearn.

1. Find a comfortable area to work with your dog free from distractions. This can be in front of your house or a park. I would not recommend a dog park or a street that is too busy. You will need your dogs attention and need to be free from distractions. Your own driveway might be a good place to start.
   
   
2. Now, although what I am going to describe is simple, it doesn't work quickly for most dogs. The longer the dog has been successfully pulling, of course, the harder it will be to convince him that it is no longer going to work. So, you want to set yourselves up to be as successful as possible. The first thing you want to do is get him tired. Be sure your dog is not wearing any kind of choke or prong collar - just a plain "buckle" collar. Then you are ready for your training walk. Warm him up a bit with that first. Then start walking, just holding the end of the leash. Within a second or two he will probably hit the end of it and dig in to start pulling. YOU STOP (remember... you are teaching him that pulling no longer works to get him where he wants to go).. Give him a short correction sound, an "Uhn Uhn" should be enough when he pulls.
   
   Once he stops pulling and looks back at you, praise him. Praise & continue walking forward. And as soon as he hits the end of the leash STOP again with a small correction sound. Try to imagine that your dog pulling on the leash steps on your brake! This will take several sessions depending on the dog.
   
3. Some dogs get the concept pretty quickly, others have the pulling habit ingrained so well they have a more difficult time. They are not stubborn, just well trained pullers!! Eventually, though, your dog will figure out that pulling no longer gets him where he wants to go. Now, to get there he must not pull.
   
4. To be successful you are going to have to be as consistent as possible. That means never letting him pull you anywhere EVER (unless you actually have a harness on him for carting or tracking, of course). I think it's important to try to get several good long walks in at the beginning of the training. By long I mean time, not distance. People with hard core pullers may not get more than down the driveway the first few times! I believe the dog needs the many repetitions of him pulling-you stopping so he gets the point & can make the connection. At that point he can decide to alter his behavior to get what he wants, which is to move forward.