Dogs are lively companions that may get rowdy at times. This behavior may seem tolerable for dogs that are not trained properly. But, it becomes problematic when it comes to walking with your dog.
There may be situations where your dog will drag and tug the leash, pulling along to the direction where he wants to go. This scenario is pretty familiar for untrained dogs at present.
Don’t you want to enjoy your walks more with your dog? Of course, polite leash walking with your dog goes a long way. It does not come overnight. At first, it may seem frustrating for many dog owners.
But given the proper time and patience, you and your dog will be able to experience an enjoyable and fun walk for the both of you. Here are the top five tips to make leash walking less frustrating. Keep in mind the steps below to ensure a smooth and fun walk for you and your dog.
1. Trying out neutral environments
New smells and novel sights may distract your dog’s focus especially if he is being trained for leash walking. This usually happens if your dog mostly stays inside your home. Walking outside will distract him during leash training. It might help in making your dog focus if you start to work in a more neutral environment.
Example of these environments are your backyard or even inside your house. There would be no adjustments needed for your dog while leash training in your home.
2. Give motivation to your dog
To help boost your dog’s training, you may try motivating him into doing good behavior while walking. Plan ahead your leash training and it would help if you bring delicious treats along with you to entice your dog by means of rewarding.
Treat pouches may prove helpful for your dog’s training even when distractions are present. Dividing your treats in small sizes is a good idea to be able to reward more frequently for long walks and also to limit the overall number of treats but giving them in pieces so as to control how much food your dog will get.
Be careful in giving out treats to your dog. Make sure that you give rewards properly but not on situations that he should not be given out tasty treats. Reward for good behavior, but also do not punish for bad ones.
3. Wait for your dog to calm down
If this is the first time for your dog to wear a leash, he may go into a tantrum at which he may try to remove his collar. There could even be situations that your dog is so excited that he goes into an uncontrollable frenzy.
Both situations would make your dog too distracted to listen to your commands. This will not bear fruit while leash training. It is recommended to wait first for your dog to be calm enough that he will stay focused to your instructions.
If your dog is running wild, just ignore them and observe for the behavior to stop before going on with your walk. Do not remove the leash or give out treats while your dog is exhibiting this behavior. It would result to misunderstanding and might make your dog go wild more often if he wants to remove his leash or when he wants to have a treat.
This may take some time since your dog is trying to understand that this behavior is unacceptable, and you would not continue to go on your walk if he is still not calm. Keeping dogs their cool can not be forced but it can be learned. You may boost this quickly by handing out treats whenever your dog stays calm.
4. Give enough time for “sniff breaks”
Just like how humans rely on their senses, dogs rely greatly on their smelling ability. The dog’s nose, knows. This sniffing behavior is an essential part of being a dog. As a dog owner, you should not prevent your dog from sniffing smells while you are going for a walk.
However, do not let them drag you either while they are excited to experience a new smell. Go to the sweet spot of letting your dog encounter new smells by having sniff breaks.
Every time your dog behaves properly or follows one of your commands, you may lead him to an area where he can explore and smell. This is a classic variation of how you may reward your dog. If your dog tugs hard at the leash, stay and let him calm down first.
After calming down, go on your walk until he doesn’t tug hard at the leash anymore. Once this routine has been achieved, you can now organize sniff breaks to let your dog check his surroundings.
5. Do not let them drag you
This is a common misconception for most dog owners. Do not let your dog lead you. Instead, make your dog go by your side comfortably as a companion. This is the hardest part of the training, as this may not be commonly achieved because this will excessively test the owner’s patience.
If your dog pulls and you follow, your dog will misunderstand the action and instead realize that once he pulls, you will follow them instead. This will make your dog think that where he goes, you go too. And when he pulls harder, you will follow quicker.
What you need to do to correct this is every time that he pulls, stop and stay for a while. Hold the leash handle close to your hip, so as to maintain the balance of your body and prevent you from falling. You have to do this every time your dog pulls harder on the leash.
Start to walk again once he goes back to your side or follows your voice after you called. By persistent repetition and consistency, your dog will soon realize that pulling hard will not get you anywhere. He will now associate the behavior of tugging the leash to stopping of the fun walk.
Of course, your dog would want to stay walking, so he will manage to correct his behavior eventually with your patience and consistency.
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