Loose Lead Walking

Having a dog who walks nicely with us on a lead is what we all want right?

But if you are that person being dragged around by your dog trying to get to the park, or to get to the squashed sandwich that someone has dropped on the floor, then its probably not as joyful to walk with your dog as you might have hoped.

Some people resort to using equipment such as head halters, choke chains, harnesses that tighten when they pull. They work in the short term because they physically prevent your dog from using his strength, but they don’t address your relationship with your dog and so as soon as you take them off then you are back to pulling again.

So if you are wanting to improve your relationship with your dog and train him to walk nicely alongside you, then you need a calm dog (in thinking mode) not an over excited dog (in impulse mode), so that he will remember that you are at the end of the lead.

Here is my advice:

1. Training starts at home without a lead in sight!

Loose lead walking doesn’t start out on a walk. It starts at home. You need to build a bond with your dog so that he wants to be with you and trusts you. The following games will help put you both in the right frame of mind:

Play the name game - teach your dog to listen when you say his name.

Grab a bag of small but yummy treats.

Say your dogs name in a happy tone and when he turns to look at you - say “nice” (or click your clicker) and reward him with a treat. Repeat 10 times. Do this 3 times a day and you will soon see your dog respond positively.

This will help you both with loose lead walking and also when you are training recall or at any other time you want to get your dogs attention away from something else. Here is a short video from the brilliant Kikopup teaching this game.

Play the bread crumb game - teach your dog to follow you

Grab a bag of small but yummy treats and head to the garden.

Drop a treat on the ground and start scratching the ground, your dog will probably come to investigate what you have found that is so exciting… point out the treat to your dog and then move forward 2 paces and drop another treat… point out the treat to your dog and then move forward 3 paces and drop another treat. Repeat 10 times.

Do this 3 times a day and your dog will soon realise that following you can be very beneficial! Here’s a another video from Kikopup showing a similar game, if you need to include more movement to get your dog excited to follow you.

2. Check you are using the right walking equipment

If your dog is pulling on the lead, then I would strongly recommend you walk your dog using a well fitted harness and NOT on a collar which can cause long term damage to your dogs neck. If you want to build a positive bond with your dog on a walk then he has to be comfortable in the equipment you are asking him to wear. If your dog is reluctant to go for a walk, or goes and hides when you get out the lead then there is a problem here. The key questions you should be asking are:

Does the harness fit correctly and is your dog happy wearing it?

There are loads of harnesses for all shapes and sizes and purposes. I recommend a harness that is Y-shaped at the front so it allows free movement of your dogs legs. Some harnesses have a D-ring on the front as well as the top and you use them with a double ended lead which gives you 2 points of contact with your dog and much more control. The brands recommended by most dog trainers are Perfect Fit or T-Touch harnesses.

Please avoid:

- Harnesses with wide bands across the front as these will encourage the pulling instinct (think husky pulling a sled) and are not advisable.

- Anything that tightens or causes pain as your dog pulls, such as slip leads, choke chains or tightening harnesses - you do not want to associate pain with your walking equipment or you are more likely to end up with a reactive dog.

Are you using the right length of lead?

Your lead needs to be long enough that your dog can sniff the ground comfortably and it still have some slack, without him tripping over it. You do not want to walk a dog on a tight lead anymore - EVER!

If you are using a harness with a D-ring on the front you may wish to purchase a double ended lead something like this one.

Is your dog happy putting the equipment on?

If you are introducing new equipment then you might need to desensitise your dog to make sure he is comfortable with you putting it on. There is lots more advice on this on the lead anxiety page.

Let him sniff it. Give him lots of praise and treats around the harness and put it on slowly, rewarding as you go.

Try to avoid standing over your dog as you put the harness on as most dogs do not like this. Try to crouch down and approach from their shoulder rather than over their back. Some dogs can also be very sensitive to the sound of the clips.

3. Only leave the house with a calm dog

If your dog is already wound up about the walk before you leave the home then you will never manage a loose lead walk. So think about all these things before you venture into the outside world:

- Practice putting the equipment on calmly by putting the equipment on and wearing it at home so that your dog doesn’t make an association with harness on = go berserk. Try it in the house, in the garden and at different times of day so as not to make a chain connection in your dogs head.

- Practice getting through the door without your dog getting excited and pushing ahead . You need to leave the house calmly and in control and if you have a door dasher then this will not work. The exercise below will help you with this.

Practice getting through the door with a calm dog

1. Put the equipment on and stand at the door and ask your dog to sit by your side. Say “nice” (or click your clicker) then reward with a treat.

2. Put your hand towards the door handle, if he moves forward, take your hand away. Repeat until he doesn’t move, then say “nice” (or click your clicker) then reward with a treat.

3. Turn the door handle, if he moves forward, take your hand away. Repeat until he doesn’t move then say “nice” (or click your clicker) then reward with a treat.

4. Open the door an inch, if he moves forward, close it again. Repeat and reward.

5. Open the door 4 inches, if he moves forward,close it again. Repeat and reward.

6. Open the door fully if he moves forward, close it again. Repeat and reward.

7. Now add a “lets go” as you walk through together.

Here’s kikopup with another training video.

4. Start your lead training in the garden

So if you have mastered the name game, the breadcrumb game, can get the harness on without too much excitement and you can get out the door…then you are ready to start teaching him how to walk on the lead!

I would recommend you start your training in the garden where there are the fewest distractions, however if your garden is too exciting with the next door's dog barking or a cat sitting on the fence, then start in the house. The focus here is on teaching him what to do and rewarding him each time he gets it right. Don't worry if he doesn't get it straight away, repeat in short bursts of 10 mins max, so neither of you get too frustrated. Here's how:

You need to teach your dog what you want him to do:

Grab a bag of small but yummy treats, put the harness and lead on, get through the door calmly and head into the garden:

1. Hold some treats in your fist on the same side as your dog so that he can smell them. You only reward if he does what you want.

2. Make sure your lead is slack and that you are relaxed. Start with your dog alongside you next to that fist of treats. Say “his name” so he looks at you and then say “nice” (or click your clicker) then reward with a treat.

3. Take one step forward and say “lets go”, then stop. If he follows you and stays in the correct position, say “nice” (or click your clicker) then reward with a treat. Repeat 10 times.

4. Now try taking 2 steps forward. Reward. Repeat 5 times.

5. Now try taking 5 steps forward. Reward. Repeat 5 times.

6. Practice your turns by walking backwards a little, then he will turn and come around to the side of you.

If at any point, he pulls ahead or gets distracted and wanders off, don’t pull or yank the lead just let it go. Call his name to bring him back into position and try again. Just remember you are trying to teach him what you want him to do, we don't want him to practice feeling pressure on the lead. He may not grasp this straight away, so be patient, don’t tell him off or get frustrated. If its not going well, go back to playing the breadcrumb game above and then try again.

If you can manage to take 5 steps and he is still with you then you can start to gradually extend the number of steps you take. Don’t forget to keep rewarding regularly. If he starts to race ahead, don’t pull or yank the lead, just stop. If he doesn’t respond, you can turn your body 180 degrees. He will most likely come back to follow you. If he doesn’t come back, play a round or 2 of your breadcrumb game. Reset and start again.

If he stops to sniff, this is fine, as long as the lead stays slack. Sniffing will probably help to calm him down if he is feeling a bit anxious about what is being asked to do. But if he rushes away ahead to sniff then don’t pull or yank the lead, just stop, then turn your body 180 degrees and wait for him to come back to you. Reset and start again.

10 mins at a time is long enough, as he will have to concentrate hard and you want to end on a good note. Repeat little and often. Don’t be tempted to go for too long as you are likely to set him up to fail.

5. Gradually increase the number of distractions and the duration

When you have mastered walking reliably in the garden on your own, you can gradually build up the duration that you walk for and the number of distractions you are likely to see. So first, add some distractions in the garden like asking another another person to come outside, or walking around some obstacles that may have previously enticed him away.

Once you can do this confidently in the garden then you can gently head out into the world. But, if you live in a busy area where there might be lots of people, dogs and other exciting things like rubbish, then drive to somewhere quiet and practice there. The idea is to reward your dog for getting it right - so he learns, don’t set him up to fail by taking him into impossible situations.

Don’t forget to keep rewarding your dog each time he makes a good decision - so if he looks at you, instead of the distraction, or stays with you when there is something more exciting over there say “nice” and reward.

Try to consider the following when planning where to go on your initial walks:

If your dog is used to walking to the park, he will be worse on this route, as he will anticipate where you are going and pull to get there, so try another route that is not so familiar.
If you know there is a dog that barks at the gate, or a cat that sits on top of the fence, then try to avoid those areas until you have better control.
Don’t walk in places where there are lots of off lead dogs that will be way more exciting than you.
Try places like the backs of supermarket car parks, go out of hours to start with, then go at quiet times so there are distractions, but you can stay away from them if you need to.
Gradually get closer to the distractions as you get more confident. Grow the level of distraction by walking in busier places, or where there are other dogs.

Using a long line

Once you have nailed loose lead walking, you can upgrade to a long line and use the same technique to prevent your dog going to the end of the line and pulling.

So whilst there is no tension on the line you keep moving forward, as soon as there is tension, you stop and wait for him to come back. If he doesn't then turn 180 degrees and walk in the other direction.

Remember - never reward your dog for pulling by allowing him to pull forward.

Here are the experts showing how it is done

There is tons of advice out there - some of it great, some is awful! All these on-line trainers use positive methods to teach loose lead walking and are recommended. Please avoid any trainers that use a choke chain to inflict painful lead corrections on your dog (to show them who's the boss) this might work on your walk, but uses pain or fear for training will most likely harm your relationship and trust with your dog and may lead to other aggression issues down the line.

Kikopup

Absolute Dogs

Spirit Dog Training

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do about walking him whilst I am training?

Stop walking your dog on a lead whilst you are training. If you allow him to pull, he will continue to practice pulling and get confused about what he should be doing. So either stay home and play in the garden, or drive him to places where he can play on a long line, or go to secure places where he can be off lead.

My dog gets too bouncy and excited about the lead

If your dog is too excited when you put the harness on, then go back inside and sit down. Or give him a few treats scattered on the grass and try again when he looks a bit calmer. Think about what you are doing or saying and make sure you are not flapping or revving him up with “shall we go walkies” type voices. You should only leave the house with a calm dog (in thinking mode) not an over excited dog (in impulse mode).

I can do this perfectly in the garden, but he starts pulling again outside

The level of distractions where you are walking is too high. Go somewhere quieter and build up the distractions gradually. Try places like the back of the supermarket car park so there are distractions, but you can stay away from them if you need to. Gradually get closer to the distractions as you get more confident.

I find if my dog picks up an exciting scent he will still pull towards it, so I usually have to stop a few times (or do a couple of u-turns) until he remembers that I am at the end of the lead and comes back to me, then we walk on.

My dog is easily distracted and starts staring at other things

This is where your name game training comes in, and your “lets go” command. Work on both of these at home to get a speedy and reliable reaction from your dog. Practice saying his name and reward him when he looks at you. Say your "lets go" with a u-turn to get you away from the distraction and reward.

If we go out in the car, he gets too wired for training

Remember your door exercises?… well do the same but for the car. He doesn’t get out of the car until you can open the door calmly. You can practice this at home too.

I have 2 dogs. Can I train them together?

I would say no, it is much easier to reward the correct behaviour, if you can concentrate on one at a time. Once you have mastered it, you can definitely enjoy taking your dogs out together again.

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