There is nothing better for a dog owner to be trotting down the street with your pet pooch happily strolling along by your side. Those moments of mutual connection are special for us dog owners. We have a sense of peace and we can simply enjoy the company of our dog and relish in the walk itself. For many dog owners that is the dream rather than the reality. Being dragged out of the door and then off down the street is not peaceful, the feeling of connection is none existent, and the idea of enjoying the walk is absurd. In fact it can be downright frustrating at times and can even lead to resentment, because the reason we chose to take the plunge and bring a dog home has been shattered by the dog itself, so it seems. If this is our reality then we should question ourselves and ask what are we going to do about it?

We certainly can’t rely on our dog to change their behaviour, because from their point of view there is nothing to change. It is the norm for them to walk that way and they are quite happy to keep going, even if they get told off, because they won’t understand why! After all, this is the way things have always been! If we really want to change how our doggy walks go then we must apply training and discipline to the situation, to teach our dog what we want from them and ourselves how to do it! Unfortunately, good lead walking can be difficult to train, especially if bad lead walking has prevailed for a long time. It is possible though, with effort, consistency and bundles of patience, as well as applying some well-timed methods.

The steps below point out the reality of loose lead walking and they are not a quick fix. It is best to follow them one by one, and learn to be assertive, confident and relaxed, as our emotional state can either excite or calm our dogs. It is a good idea to include the time we spend training in to our walk time as otherwise we might see it as a chore, something extra to do, and give up.  With this in mind if the walk doesn’t get beyond the garden gate then so be it. Your dog will still be learning from the experience! One more thing before we begin and that is a note on equipment. A material lead and flat collar are best to teach loose lead. Harnesses and extendable leads encourage lead pulling so avoid these if you want to see results. You should hold your lead with a little slack but not a lot, as this promotes walking in front.

1. Lead walking in the home – if our dog is one of those that gets bonkers excited when it sees its lead and then drags us out of the front door, then its no surprise then that we are going to have problems when out on the street. For this reason, proper heel walking must begin in the house, to reduce excitement and begin to form new habits of behaviour. Try this instead then: Allow your dog to get excited as normal, but instead of heading to the door as you normally would, take them for a walk around the house instead. They will be sure to begin to walk in a perfect heel position as no doubt they will be looking up at you wondering what the hell is going on. When they are in a nice walking position then introduce a command, such as Heel, and reward them with a treat whilst still moving. Repeat this many many times. It’s a good idea to introduce the sit command in to the walking routine too, so stop walking, give an upward lead tug so they sit by your side in the heel position. Repeat this as much as possible. Give yourself a pat on the back as you have just completed step 1.

2. Leaving the house – if there is excitement when heading to the front door then repeat the above step until there is more calm than normal. Now get your dog in a sit at the front door. Remember there is no rush. If you feel rushed then there is no doubt that your dog will feel that way too. Now, when you begin to open the door only do so a little bit and then close it again quickly. Repeat this about 10 to 20 times or so. If your dog moves to go through it you’ve probably opened it too far. Now repeat opening and closing the door but do it more randomly, slowly, quickly, a little, a lot, with no real pattern to it. Your dog will soon get the idea that they should not move through it and you are in control. Hey presto, your dog will now become calmer and sit by the open door waiting for you to tell them what to do. Well done, that’s step 2!

3. Walking through the door – your dog will now be paying you more attention than before because of the training that you have done up to now. The moment you take the step towards the door however they will revert to previous behaviour and zip past you and away they go if you are not careful. Very slowly then take a step towards the door, fully expecting a rush of excitement from your dog. The moment they move out of the sit apply a backward lead tug and say a firm No whilst taking that step back into your previous position and then closing the door. The message you are sending them here is ‘do not move until I tell you to’. Repeat this until they become compliant and you can take a few steps out of the door. Gently praise them for doing really well. Remember though that praise should be none exciting, so no words for now, just slow strokes! If you have a garden gate beyond your front door then repeat the above method their too. Good job, that’s step 3 done!

Up to now you have learned to be calm, assertive and take control of your dog. Your dog will have learned to start to pay attention to you more and will have started to understand the No command a little.

4. Pavement pacing – the control that we have started to get over our dog at this point should begin to be applied to our lead walking on the street. The usual pattern that we follow when we take our dogs for a walk is normally the same each time, so our dogs have a level of expectation about what they are going to encounter, and this encourages their excitement. What we need to do then is begin to desensitise their mental habit, by doing something completely new and unexpected. This will confuse them and that is what we want because they will begin to look to us for guidance.

There are literally shed loads of various heel techniques out there that are taught and none of them magically teach your dog to walk at heel, but what is essentially important is your understanding of what you are doing, your timing, your consistency and your calmness. Let’s begin then. You should have it in your mind that you are not going to walk beyond the pavement outside of your home, or in your street at least. Not for a few days that is.  Remember we are in part trying to cut through our dog’s preconceived excitement triggers, which they will be in places that they know by heart. Also, don’t worry that your doggie is not getting their regular exercise, because it is more important for now, at least, that they are getting some discipline from you and a new routine as well! Increase the lead length a little out on the pavement and bring your dog to the sit position at your heel like you have been practicing in the house. Stand in that position for a while, if your dog comes out of position give a timely No as they start to stand and return them to the sit. Praise your dog when they begin to hold position.

Now take a step forward. If and when your dog takes off in front of you give a firm No command as they pass by your leg and quickly turn around 180 degrees, giving a lead tug and walking in the opposite direction. Do not wait for them as they should be seeing the back of your head and not your face as you go! Walk swiftly along, and as your dog passes you again, you got it, give them a firm No, turn around and quickly walk the other way. At first you may find that you are turning around a lot and even getting dizzy, but that just goes to show how much attention your dog pays to you when out. When your dog does begin to slow down and walk in the correct position you should give the Heel command and praise to associate it doing the right thing. You can and should also incorporate in to the training the sit at heel command too. You can do this by simply going from the sit position, taking a step forward with them and returning them to sit. When this becomes automatic without a command you can train it taking two steps.  Congratulations you have just completed step 4 and are well on your way to having your dog at heel!

If you have any further questions about dog training, please get in touch on 07926 911825 – or fill out my Online Contact Form.