Whenever I was out with Jasper, loose leash training, I used to watch how others had trained their puppy dogs. They may walk well at the owner’s side when there were no distractions but when they saw something or want to go somewhere else, things changed.
This is when I would see owners yanking and pulling in one direction and the dog pulling in the opposite direction. It ends up as a tug o’ war. You realize that the owner doesn’t have full control of his dog after all.
Loose leash training puppies really isn’t too difficult to do. What you do need to do as I state throughout this site, is be consistent with your commands, corrections and rewards. Training a grown dog is different to training a puppy to walk on leash but not much more difficult.
You just need patience especially if your dog came from the pound, like Jasper or from a rescue group. You don’t know what he’s been through, so patience and TLC are the order of the day.
If you follow the puppy dog leash training tips, you will have a dog to be proud of that will walk beside you on a loose leash or even take the dog leash off training him to stay at heel and not one that is constantly tugging to go after something or to get away. They will learn that pulling on the leash is an unacceptable behavior.
When you first get your older dog, he is already going to be on a leash for you to take him home. Even if you put him in the back of the car, leave the leash on until you get in your house. When you get there, he may need to go straight out into the yard to go to the bathroom. Take him out on the leash and then bring him in when he has finished.
Don’t forget all the steps you have taken, meeting him, putting him in the car, getting him out of the car, taking him in the house, taking him into the yard, him doing his business, bringing him back in the house ALL deserve lots of praise.
This has got to be normal procedure ALL of the time. When he does something right, praise him for it. The more you do it, the more he will get to like and trust you and the easier loose leash training will be.
When you start out on your walks, you want him to enjoy it and to do that; he needs to learn that walking with you is a whole lot easier than trying to pull against you which will get him nowhere.
When you are puppy dog training leash walking should be a family affair. Take it in turns to hold the leash and issue commands. Only the person with the leash should give the commands. You don’t want half a dozen people telling everyone else what to do. It will confuse you and the dog.
Doing this is going to show everyone what the standard procedure is going to be. If everyone learns how to use the leash puppy training will be a breeze. Remember you must be consistent with your commands, corrections and rewards.
Loose Leash Training tips
Here is the process that I used to leash train Jasper. It’s not rocket science and is very easy. As a dog handling service, I have been to many people’s houses to observe their dogs’ behavior. I put them on a leash and take them for a short walk. They try to pull ahead and/or in the wrong direction because they have always been able to get away with what they want.
They may try to pull back because they don’t know where they’re going and what’s this rope around my neck for? They clearly have never had on leash dog training before or the only times they have been on a lead, it has been a bad experience. I have always had 100% success with this method and all the dogs look forward to their walks by the time their loose leash training is finished.
What we are going to teach the dog is that pulling in his direction gets him nowhere; following in my direction gets him on a nice walk where he strolls along quite happily.
First off, lets get the leash hooked up to the collar. (The collar should be on him already especially if you have just acquired him because you don’t know what his Houdini factor is and in most cities, it is law that a dog must be tagged). Give him a good fuss when putting it on and let him know that he’s going for a nice walk. Dog leash training is going to be lots of fun. Get him in a happy mood and looking forward to going. Don’t just clip the leash on, open the door and walk out because he won’t know what’s going on and may start fighting the leash.
Okay, the leash is on and it looks like he might play along. As you start walking, you want the dog to be on your left side. The handle of the leash will be in your right hand and the slack running through your left hand. The simple reason for this is that you have better control because you will feel any slack being taken up and can stop it by tightening your left hand. If he tries to make a break for it, you already have two hands on the leash.
When you are loose leash training a dog, he may want to start pulling ahead. There are several reasons for this;
he may want to get away,
he’s excited and wants to get on with the walk,
he’s seen a dead frog ahead and wants to go smell it
As soon as the leash tightens and he starts straining, stop. Stand exactly where you are and don’t move and at the same time call out to him. You may want to call his name. I use “dogs name, wait”.
He may be in a hurry to get somewhere and continue straining until he realizes that he’s getting nowhere. He’s going to look back and if he does and the leash slackens, praise him and offer him a treat.
He’s going to come back towards you for the treat so the leash will slacken so more. Give the treat and lots of praise and move on. If the leash remains slack at your side, give lots of praise and tell him what a good boy he is. If the leash begins to tighten, even slightly, call him back with “wait”.
I use a slightly deeper tone for a correction and a higher one for praise. Dogs sense the tone difference even if they don’t understand the words. If the leash goes tight, issue the wait command and stand still. Use the same procedure as before and issue lots of praise when the leash slackens.
He’s soon going to get the message that tight leash means nowhere; loose leash means nice walk, lots of praise and sometimes a treat. This is going to take time to perfect, but I find it very rewarding and stimulating. You can also start incorporating other commands such as sit, when you get to a road junction, or leave if you are walking past that dead frog.
Loose leash walking really is spending quality time together. He is pleased because he’s learning and you are pleased because you are teaching him right. Talk to them all the time. Talk about anything just so that he can hear your voice.
Have you seen the ads on TV about smoking and drugs and the opportunities that parents miss? Well, this is the same difference. Don’t miss the opportunity to bond with your dog. You will soon be giving your dog off leash training.
