How to Walk With Your Dog on a Loose Leash
No pulling - it sounds like a pretty simple request. But how many of us have seen the picture of the dog trotting along with its person sliding behind, as if on water skis, trying desperately to keep up? Maybe you’ve even experienced this epidemic yourself. But in my mind, trying to hold on as your dog brings out his inner “Balto the Sled Dog” isn’t my idea of a good time walking with your dog. And honestly, it’s probably not too fun for your dog either, especially if you’re constantly trying to pull him back. In today’s times, however, it’s imperative that we follow leash laws for the safety of ourselves, our dogs, and others (people and dogs).
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Some people blatantly disobey leash laws. They say that their dog doesn’t like being on leash, he can’t have fun, he can’t be free. When in reality, your dog CAN enjoy being on leash and still feel happy and free! Really, most of the reason people don’t like leashes is because initially, it takes some work on the person’s part. Instead of taking the time to teach their dog how to respect the leash and who’s behind it, they simply don’t use a leash – that way, they don’t have to deal with the pulling, tangling, or the barking and lunging their dog might do when he sees another dog. But not using a leash is NOT the answer. Leash laws are in place for a reason and I fully support that. Some people don’t want to share their space with dogs – maybe they are allergic, or they don’t like dogs (can you believe that?!), or maybe they have had a bad experience and are afraid of dogs. And many dogs don’t like a dog they don’t know just running up to them, smacking into them to say “hi, wanna play?” The last thing you want to do as a responsible dog owner is put your dog in a position to get him in trouble. Remember, if your dog is off leash and something happens (he doesn’t get along with another dog that’s on leash, or he jumps and nips at a person walking by), YOUR dog is at fault and YOU can be held accountable for any legal action. Or worse, if a bite is involved, the legal system can deem your dog “aggressive” and order him to be put down. Do you want that on your conscience? I sure don’t! So how can you get your dog to walk politely with you, tension-free, as if that leash isn’t even there?
The way I see it, three key words will solve just about all of your leash problems: RESPECT, CONNECTION, and BALANCE. If a dog doesn’t understand how to RESPECT the leash and its use, or he’s never been taught, it makes perfect sense that he would unintentionally disrespect the leash (and you) by pulling. Likewise, if your dog doesn’t understand how valuable his CONNECTION is with you (and I’m talking about an emotional connection, not the physical tether that’s keeping you together), then it’s only natural for him to find more interesting things in his environment that he’d like to check out (even if that means leaving you behind). Lastly, walking on leash with your dog is all about BALANCE. You and your dog both have needs that you are trying to meet while walking. For him, it is usually exercise, potty time, or having a chance to explore the world around him. For you, it is usually getting your dog exercised, or getting yourself exercised by going on a leisurely stroll on a nice day with your furry friend. But it certainly isn’t going to be a leisurely stroll for you if your dog is pulling like a banshee. So here’s a breakdown of what you can do to make a walk with your dog A LOT more pleasant!
The way I see it, three key words will solve just about all of your leash problems: RESPECT, CONNECTION, and BALANCE. If a dog doesn’t understand how to RESPECT the leash and its use, or he’s never been taught, it makes perfect sense that he would unintentionally disrespect the leash (and you) by pulling. Likewise, if your dog doesn’t understand how valuable his CONNECTION is with you (and I’m talking about an emotional connection, not the physical tether that’s keeping you together), then it’s only natural for him to find more interesting things in his environment that he’d like to check out (even if that means leaving you behind). Lastly, walking on leash with your dog is all about BALANCE. You and your dog both have needs that you are trying to meet while walking. For him, it is usually exercise, potty time, or having a chance to explore the world around him. For you, it is usually getting your dog exercised, or getting yourself exercised by going on a leisurely stroll on a nice day with your furry friend. But it certainly isn’t going to be a leisurely stroll for you if your dog is pulling like a banshee. So here’s a breakdown of what you can do to make a walk with your dog A LOT more pleasant!
RESPECT:
First, nobody likes being pulled on. You don’t, and neither does your dog. If I were to grab your arm and pull you one way, your natural reaction would be to balance yourself by pulling in the opposite direction. The same is true for our dogs, and so sometimes WE (yes, us humans) actually cause the pulling in the leash. By holding a leash short and tight, many people think they can have control over their dog. This may be true in the sense that you will be keeping your dog in one spot, directly next to you, but if your dog is pulling against that tension, you actually have no control. It just becomes tug-of-war. Many dogs don’t naturally want to walk directly next to a person – especially if they are feeling forced to be there, it makes many dogs uncomfortable. This sounds pretty familiar, right? How many of us fight against something we are being forced to do? I often find that when dogs are not forced to be right next to us, they actually choose to be closer to us. They don’t necessarily need that freedom – they just like to know that it’s there.
To build respect on your walk (and in your relationship with your dog in general), it’s important to understand your dog’s needs and act accordingly to meet them. You may have seen amazing videos of trainers that can get their dogs to walk step by step next to them, the dog watching the trainer the whole time. Many people who practice agility and obedience training do this, and it can be quite impressive. The difference here, however, is that when a dog is “heeling” on command and looking up at the person the whole time, this is WORK – the dog is focused and he has a job to do as he “watches” you. There is a big difference between a dog that is doing this kind of work, and a dog that needs to get his energy out and explore his world on a walk. These are two DIFFERENT needs being met, so the use of the leash (and even the connection, read more about that below) are for two different purposes. I feel it’s critically important to understand this.
If your dog is focused on you and in a formal “heel” the whole time, he cannot always get out his pent-up energy appropriately because he doesn’t have room to physically move about and get his large muscle groups stirring or mental juices flowing. If your dog isn’t a particularly confident dog, he will have no chance to build his intrinsic confidence if he cannot explore and process what is happening around him because he is too busy staring at you. So if your goal is to get out energy in a high-energy dog, or to build confidence in an insecure dog, the militant structure of heeling on command while out on a walk may not be your best choice.
First, nobody likes being pulled on. You don’t, and neither does your dog. If I were to grab your arm and pull you one way, your natural reaction would be to balance yourself by pulling in the opposite direction. The same is true for our dogs, and so sometimes WE (yes, us humans) actually cause the pulling in the leash. By holding a leash short and tight, many people think they can have control over their dog. This may be true in the sense that you will be keeping your dog in one spot, directly next to you, but if your dog is pulling against that tension, you actually have no control. It just becomes tug-of-war. Many dogs don’t naturally want to walk directly next to a person – especially if they are feeling forced to be there, it makes many dogs uncomfortable. This sounds pretty familiar, right? How many of us fight against something we are being forced to do? I often find that when dogs are not forced to be right next to us, they actually choose to be closer to us. They don’t necessarily need that freedom – they just like to know that it’s there.
To build respect on your walk (and in your relationship with your dog in general), it’s important to understand your dog’s needs and act accordingly to meet them. You may have seen amazing videos of trainers that can get their dogs to walk step by step next to them, the dog watching the trainer the whole time. Many people who practice agility and obedience training do this, and it can be quite impressive. The difference here, however, is that when a dog is “heeling” on command and looking up at the person the whole time, this is WORK – the dog is focused and he has a job to do as he “watches” you. There is a big difference between a dog that is doing this kind of work, and a dog that needs to get his energy out and explore his world on a walk. These are two DIFFERENT needs being met, so the use of the leash (and even the connection, read more about that below) are for two different purposes. I feel it’s critically important to understand this.
If your dog is focused on you and in a formal “heel” the whole time, he cannot always get out his pent-up energy appropriately because he doesn’t have room to physically move about and get his large muscle groups stirring or mental juices flowing. If your dog isn’t a particularly confident dog, he will have no chance to build his intrinsic confidence if he cannot explore and process what is happening around him because he is too busy staring at you. So if your goal is to get out energy in a high-energy dog, or to build confidence in an insecure dog, the militant structure of heeling on command while out on a walk may not be your best choice.
CONNECTION:
I worked with guide dogs for nine years. Imagine if you were blind and someone pulled on you – you could quickly lose your balance and fall over. These dogs had to learn from a very young age that they couldn’t pull on leash, for the safety of their person. So how did we do that? By teaching the pups how valuable it was take responsibility and check in with their person, choosing their person over distractions. We can apply the same lessons in building a connection between you and your dog. While your life may not depend on it, it is in my mind an invaluable skill for any good dog to have. It’s natural for your dog to notice distractions in his world. I’m not saying that your dog should have blinders on – otherwise he is not taking in valuable information and processing his environment. And he certainly cannot build his confidence if he is never exposed to distractions or different kinds of social situations and cannot learn how to handle them appropriately. But if you utilize key skills like name response, checking in, and simply engaging with your dog during your walk, you will have a pleasant experience that will still let him explore his world as appropriate, yet stay with you at the same time. |
BALANCE:
As the leader of the household, it’s important that you have a mission for your walk with your dog. YOU will get to decide where you are going to walk, what you are going to explore, how long you get to explore something, and which areas or items are off-limits. Without you to be in charge of your mission, your dog may go rogue and create a mission of his own. Following a dog around and letting him walk wherever he chooses is not a sign of strong leadership on your part; in fact, it teaches the dog that you are at his beck and call and will go wherever he wants you to go. Not a good precedent to set.
This doesn’t mean that you will walk around like a robot or homing beacon, however. Your mission may change in the blink of an eye as you notice your surroundings and decide that heading straight for that other dog coming at you, pulling his person right to you, may not be a good idea - so you abort that mission and turn another direction. Your mission has now changed, but you are still in the driver’s seat (not your dog).
However, if your dog shows interest in checking out something in particular (like sniffing a grassy patch or wandering into that cool stream), you can by all means ask him to work with you in some way, and then you will go check out that area together. He may have to sit or check in with you to earn his opportunity (you decide what), but when he does what you ask, you will go with him and let him check out his interest for a few seconds or minutes (however long you think is appropriate). Your dog will be happy that you respected his need and desire to explore, but you will be happy because he didn’t pull you nonstop toward the object of his affection, disrespecting your authority. There may be some items or areas that you don’t want your dog to explore, either because they are unsafe (like the edge of a ravine) or inappropriate (like a big ole pile of goose poop), and this is completely OK. You simply confidently redirect you dog to the direction you want him to go instead and praise him lavishly when he goes with you instead of pursuing the object of his desire.
As with many things in life, all in moderation! Understanding the balance between letting your dog be a dog and your demonstrating confident and structured leadership is significant in getting your dog to work with you when you need him to.
As the leader of the household, it’s important that you have a mission for your walk with your dog. YOU will get to decide where you are going to walk, what you are going to explore, how long you get to explore something, and which areas or items are off-limits. Without you to be in charge of your mission, your dog may go rogue and create a mission of his own. Following a dog around and letting him walk wherever he chooses is not a sign of strong leadership on your part; in fact, it teaches the dog that you are at his beck and call and will go wherever he wants you to go. Not a good precedent to set.
This doesn’t mean that you will walk around like a robot or homing beacon, however. Your mission may change in the blink of an eye as you notice your surroundings and decide that heading straight for that other dog coming at you, pulling his person right to you, may not be a good idea - so you abort that mission and turn another direction. Your mission has now changed, but you are still in the driver’s seat (not your dog).
However, if your dog shows interest in checking out something in particular (like sniffing a grassy patch or wandering into that cool stream), you can by all means ask him to work with you in some way, and then you will go check out that area together. He may have to sit or check in with you to earn his opportunity (you decide what), but when he does what you ask, you will go with him and let him check out his interest for a few seconds or minutes (however long you think is appropriate). Your dog will be happy that you respected his need and desire to explore, but you will be happy because he didn’t pull you nonstop toward the object of his affection, disrespecting your authority. There may be some items or areas that you don’t want your dog to explore, either because they are unsafe (like the edge of a ravine) or inappropriate (like a big ole pile of goose poop), and this is completely OK. You simply confidently redirect you dog to the direction you want him to go instead and praise him lavishly when he goes with you instead of pursuing the object of his desire.
As with many things in life, all in moderation! Understanding the balance between letting your dog be a dog and your demonstrating confident and structured leadership is significant in getting your dog to work with you when you need him to.
Some other factors that influence pulling on leash...
Dogs are more likely to pull when their arousal level is high due to overstimulation by the intensity or frequency of triggers (see this article from the Whole Dog Journal about arousal and thresholds). If this is the case, walking your dog in a new place or large loop where the distractions are new the whole time may not give him the chance to process the lesson as easily. It’s better to walk back and forth in the same area a bit initially, as this will give the dog a chance to process his environment (sights and smells, etc.) on the first pass through but he will be able to focus on the lesson much more easily on repeated passes through (once the novelty of the sights and smells wears off).
Dogs will also pull more if they have a lot of pent-up energy that has to come out! If this is the case, I would try taking the edge off by romping in the back yard for a few minutes, or playing some fetch or tug before attempting to go for a walk (think of it like gently loosening the top of a shaken soda bottle to let some of the bubbles settle first before opening the whole thing in one fell swoop!). If this is your dog's regular mode of operation, he may need some more productive outlets for his energy. For more information about keeping your pup in a better state of balance, see Understanding Your Dog's Need for Balance - Mentally, Emotionally and Physically.
Dogs are more likely to pull when their arousal level is high due to overstimulation by the intensity or frequency of triggers (see this article from the Whole Dog Journal about arousal and thresholds). If this is the case, walking your dog in a new place or large loop where the distractions are new the whole time may not give him the chance to process the lesson as easily. It’s better to walk back and forth in the same area a bit initially, as this will give the dog a chance to process his environment (sights and smells, etc.) on the first pass through but he will be able to focus on the lesson much more easily on repeated passes through (once the novelty of the sights and smells wears off).
Dogs will also pull more if they have a lot of pent-up energy that has to come out! If this is the case, I would try taking the edge off by romping in the back yard for a few minutes, or playing some fetch or tug before attempting to go for a walk (think of it like gently loosening the top of a shaken soda bottle to let some of the bubbles settle first before opening the whole thing in one fell swoop!). If this is your dog's regular mode of operation, he may need some more productive outlets for his energy. For more information about keeping your pup in a better state of balance, see Understanding Your Dog's Need for Balance - Mentally, Emotionally and Physically.
Some mechanics that lead to a looser leash...
Since you will be utilizing the skills of name response, checking in, and using your leadership to direct the walk, and there are many little pieces for you and your dog to learn, it’s a good idea to practice each skill individually in a lower distraction area (like your home or yard), and then begin putting them all together, gradually adding in more distraction or working in new environments.
Since you will be utilizing the skills of name response, checking in, and using your leadership to direct the walk, and there are many little pieces for you and your dog to learn, it’s a good idea to practice each skill individually in a lower distraction area (like your home or yard), and then begin putting them all together, gradually adding in more distraction or working in new environments.
- Name Response – To teach the dog to respond to his name without hesitation, it has to have a positive association for him. So start in an area with minimal distractions, say your dog’s name once in a happy, confident tone, and when he recognizes that you said his name, praise and reward him with some treats and pets. Resist the urge to repeat the name – doing so may confuse the dog and become an equivalent of “nagging.” Also, do not use his name in a punishing tone when he’s doing something wrong or he will not value the response. Once you build up a good name response around minimal distractions, you can begin gradually adding more distractions. Once a solid skill in multiple scenarios, you can utilize this tool whenever you need to get your dog’s attention, even to redirect him from chasing a rabbit or out of play with another dog.
- Check In – Name response is a prompted behavior – YOU are cuing the dog to do something and respond to you. With a check in, the DOG is choosing to look at you, without being prompted by you. This can be one of the strongest conditioned responses you can teach your dog! If he’s watching or processing something else, but then makes a CHOICE to bring his attention back to you, that’s a check in! He is actively choosing you over distractions! So be sure to give him plenty of praise, treats, and all sorts of good stuff for making that decision. When a dog has a thorough understanding of the check in, he also has a thorough understanding of his connection with you and how valuable that is over everything else the world has to offer.
- "Let's Go" – This is a verbal cue I use when I want the dog to move with me. Since dog’s naturally pick up moreso on our body language than our verbal cues, it’s important when we say “let’s go” that we actually turn in the direction we want to go and begin moving. Even if the dog is caught off guard for a second and you end up putting a little calm steady tension in that leash as your body moves further away from your dog, the SECOND you feel your dog move in the direction with you and that tension in the leash is released, be sure to praise and reward him for moving along with you. When you build up a strong “let’s go”, this can also be a good redirect for the dog in many different situations – i.e. he wants to go to the pond but you don’t want him to go swimming right now, he stops to smell something and you want to keep moving, he notices another dog and begins reacting, etc.
- "This Way" – I use this verbal cue like one would use a blinker on a car – just to give the dog a heads-up that while you are walking you decide to change direction and, in this case, you’d like him to follow you. Just like the “let’s go”, it’s important you begin moving like you mean it in the direction you want to go, and praise and reward your dog when he changes direction with you.
- Stay Engaged – If you want the dog to choose you over distractions and walk on a loose leash, it’s important we keep the lines of communication open. If you “drop” your dog and are so focused on anything else other than him (such as your cell phone), it’s no wonder he will try to find something more interesting to do. So instead, as you’re walking and the leash is loose, I recommend periodically throwing in some conversation with your dog. It doesn’t even matter what you say (sometimes I talk about the silliest things that come to my mind when I’m on a walk with my dog). He doesn’t understand exactly what I’m saying; he just knows that I look happy to be engaged with him.
With respect, connection and balance combined, you can get your dog to walk nicely with you on leash as if that leash isn’t even there – though you will be respecting leash laws at the same time. You won’t be micromanaging him and using the leash to communicate, and he won’t be pulling you wherever he wants to go with no regard for your safety or authority. With enough practice implementing these methods, you can find that it doesn’t matter whether your dog is on a 6-foot leash or a 15-foot long line – his desire to choose to be with you will cause the tension in the leash to disappear, making walking a pleasant pastime you can both enjoy together!
For help in implementing these techniques, contact Maria at (845) 549-0896 or maria@mghcanineconsulting.com. Together we can help you have more pleasant walks with your dog!
For help in implementing these techniques, contact Maria at (845) 549-0896 or maria@mghcanineconsulting.com. Together we can help you have more pleasant walks with your dog!
Written by Maria Huntoon, Maria G. Huntoon Canine Consulting Services