Taking your first Loose Lead Walk

This is the final part of 4 blogs in my loose lead walking series, so if you haven’t yet read the previous blogs, I’d really recommend going back and starting there, as this will make more sense to you then.

In the previous blogs, we covered:

• Why dogs pull on the lead

• How engagement and communication change everything

• How to set yourself up for success before you leave the house

  Now it’s time to put it all together so you can have a successful loose lead walk.  You are all organised, and you know how to troubleshoot any sticky moments.

Before we get started, it’s important to understand what we’re aiming for.  A loose lead walk doesn’t mean your dog walks glued to your side for their whole walk.  What we’re looking for is a loose lead most of the time, with your dog choosing to engage and check in with you, while still enjoying sniffing along the way.

Make sure you are set up correctly

• You have laid your foundations and taught your dog a strong voluntary eye contact and reflex to name

• You have a comfortable harness and a standard length lead so your dog can learn the length of it. 

• You have your treats (high value preferably) in a treat pouch on the opposite side to where you mostly hold the lead

  If so, you are ready to take the show on the road!

Getting out the door

If your dog likes to rush out the door as soon as it opens, we need to change something about how you exit the door.  The easiest way to do this is to sprinkle some treats on the floor for them to eat as you get the door open.  Once you exit, repeat this exercise.  This gives your dog something different to do so we can try to break the charging out the door habit.

Starting the walk

Once you are out the door, you need to ensure you are holding the lead correctly and it isn’t all wrapped around your arm.  This way your dog is more able to learn how far ahead they can go without you stopping.

As you are walking, as soon as your dog starts to pull, you simply stop walking.  You wait for them to loosen the lead.  As soon as you get a bit of slack, you can say ‘good’ and walk on.  Often this is what your dog wants more than anything, especially at the start of the walk.  If your dog just walks on, then this is the correct reinforcer for this moment.  If your dog looks around at you giving you eye contact, then you can offer them a treat.

Remember the hotspot

If you are giving them a treat, remember to give it in your hotspot.  This is the area where in an ideal world, you would like them to learn to walk, so somewhere very close to your legs.  Your dog will have to come back to get the treat.  Over time and with consistency from you, your dog will want to walk in this area as this is where all the good stuff happens.

Chat to your dog (nice engagement)

If your dog is walking nicely next to you, just chat away to them telling them how good they are at walking.  As soon as they pull ahead, repeat the above steps.  If you stop and your dog doesn’t immediately release the tension, give them a few seconds to figure it out.  If nothing happens, this is where you can use your reflex to name to help them re-engage with you, then mark and reward.

What we’re aiming for is:

• Your dog sniffing close to you and not pulling ahead

• A loose lead most of the time

• Nice voluntary check ins

Potential sticky spot

Your dog gets a scent on the breeze from a tree or lamppost ahead of them and starts to pull you.  This is an important moment, as if they pull and get to the scent, then that pulling behaviour has been reinforced, making it more likely to be repeated in the future.  It’s crucial that you stop and wait for the check in before you then say ‘good’ and take them to the scent as a reinforcer. If your dog sometimes gets where they want to go by pulling, then they will keep trying that behaviour.  However, if pulling never works, and checking in always works, your dog will start to make better choices.

Practise being consistent

Getting all of this up and running will take practise and consistency.  It is really important that you stick with it and be as consistent as possible if you want to transform your walks.  Your dog must learn that checking in with you pays dividends, rewards are always delivered by your leg, they can only get to trees and lampposts when you take them there and when the lead goes tight, you always stop walking. 

If you are consistent with all of this, then your dog’s walking behaviour will change.

Management tip

If your dog is really strong, then instead of clipping the lead to the loop on the back of their harness, clip it just to the one on the chest.  This will massively reduce pulling and make it easier for you to stop when they do pull.  This is by far the best method to manage a strong dog’s pulling while you teach them how you would like them to walk on a lead.

I hope you found this blog series useful.  If you would like to learn more, please sign up to my email list where I will advertise future events including webinars, walks and other educational pieces.

Need more help?

If you’d like help building engagement and focus with your dog, I run training walks and one-to-one sessions in Romford, Essex and surrounding areas. Feel free to get in touch or keep an eye out for upcoming events.

Christine x