11 Tips For Walking A Dog On A Leash

Puppies are delightful bundles of curiosity! However, one of the challenges that come with bringing a puppy home is their inability to behave during outdoor walks. You may worry that they might grow too strong and pull you on the leash and make you trip and fall.

If you have a puppy or an adult who has never been leash trained, begin with short, positive sessions. Walking your dog is not only healthy for her body, but it’s also good for her mental health. Leash walking your dog allows you to get exercise and exposure to new things, too, and it helps bond the two of you. Remember that structure and consistency are the most important factors that will impact how successful you are with almost any dog training task.

1) Training Is Crucial –

Remember that good puppy behavior should start at home. Don’t take them for any more walks until you’ve first taught them to stop pulling inside your own home and yard.

The right leash training will provide you years of memorable walks together. Improved companionship. A well trained and leash-obedient dog is a pleasure to walk with. What you will need for your walk..

Start with the proper walking gear. Dogs require a lot of walks. But there’s more to it than that. Dogs need lots of exercise.

• Don’t try to take your pup for a walk if she protests wearing a collar. Get her used to wearing her collar first. Next find a collar or harness that fits her properly, as well as a suitable leash. Many people prefer to use a harness. Harnesses offer greater control over the dog’s body, and they distribute the restraint pressure away from the fragile neck area to the strong core of a dog.

2) Engage Your Dog’s Sense of Smell

Before attaching a leash or putting on the harness for the first time, encourage your pup to sniff them. Smell is an important way for puppies to communicate; a good sniffing is important. But a leash is not a toy, so don’t allow the dog to chew or play tug with the leash.

• When choosing a leash keep in mind the size of your dog and how much freedom they can have on your walk. Something strong and durable and easy to clean. If you will be street walking or around lots of people you will want a shorter leash. “The leash is used as a safety line, not for controlling your dog.” A retractable leash isn’t as helpful for training, since it can encourage undesirable behaviors like roaming because there’s so much slack.
• In the beginning you should have lots of treats or some other reward for your dog. Have small treats so you can reward them often.
• Use a marker for good behavior; a clicker or an emphatic “yes!” works.
• Time your walks. Learn when most dogs in your neighborhood are walked and strive to take your dog for walks in off-peak hours to minimize confrontations.

Your dog needs to learn how to have manners on the leash.

3) Good things happen in “heel position.”

Once you’re ready to get started, it’s time to begin teaching your dog that good things happen when they walk at your side. This can be the left or right side – personal preference. When teaching this I like to make sure the dog is hungry. You don’t want them starving because they’ll be too difficult to work. You want them hungry enough where they’re motivated to work and still retain a steady focus.

• For your first training session, step out your door. When your dog hits the end of the leash, stop. Hold the handle of the leash close to your body and become a statue. When your dog turns back to you, praise him, “Hey, yeah, I’m here! Good boy!” and offer a treat or toy. You are praising his attention to you. You may not go for an actual walk this first training session; in fact, you may move only a few steps. That’s okay.
• Begin by capturing your dog’s correct behavior on leash. Place a treat in your fist and let her sniff it. Say “let’s go” and take a couple of steps while leading her along with the treat in your fist near your thigh. Even if she’s wild or major puller, there will be times when she stops to let the leash go slack. She may turn to look at you to see what’s the holdup. Praise and reward her with a treat when she is following your fist with her nose.
• Try walking just one or two steps forward, and reward your dog from the hand that’s on the side your dog is on. If your dog is on the right side, the right hand rewards. This is very important! Your dog will return back to the location of the reinforcement. Continue this setup, rewarding less and less frequently as your dog becomes proficient.
• Now, practice having your dog follow your empty fist. Continue to praise and reward for every couple of steps that she follows your fist.
• The instant the leash goes slack, reward her. The only rule will be, “You can’t pull forward.”
• They can sniff, change sides, look around, lie down occasionally; anything but pulling.
• If you’d like your dog to walk in “heel” position (due to an approaching walker, bike, etc.), bring her back to your side and cue her (“heel”).
• Continue practicing heel and increase your standards with each session. Your closed fist will remain as a hand signal for “heel”. 

Any time your puppy turns and looks at you, praise her and offer a treat. This is also a good time to use a clicker if you have decided to try clicker training. When your puppy’s attention turns to you, click and treat…you are teaching your puppy that it is rewarding to pay attention to you.

4) Why Do Dogs Pull On The Leash?

• Dogs pull on the leash because we’re slower than they are. When you leave your house heading out for a walk your dog is excited and wants to go! He wants to smell all the smells, hear all the sounds, see all the sights, and explore the neighborhood. Unfortunately, few of us want to move as quickly as dogs do.
• You cannot be inconsistent with loose-leash walking. If you ask him to walk nicely some of the time and ignore him, allowing him to pull, at other times, his leash skills will never be good. Remember, he pulls because walks are fun and rewarding to him. You have to be more exciting than the grass he’s sniffing.

5) What happens when your dog pulls ahead?

• It’s as simple as this: pulling doesn’t get them anywhere. Your dog is not pulling on the leash because he’s dominant, nor is he trying to achieve dominance. He just wants to explore.
• Your dog pulls because in the past, it always worked to get them where they wanted to go. So when the leash becomes tense, you have 2 choices. First, quickly change direction and head another way. Your other option is to stop, back up until your dog is back at your side again, and then continue forward.
• This is NOT easy training, but it works, and it works permanently. 5-10 minute training sessions are all it takes to have a dog that walks beautifully on leash and will work for you happily.

6) Different Types of Dog Walks

• If your habit is to walk him to his potty spot to relieve himself, that’s a purposeful walk – usually of short duration.
• Then there are mentally stimulating walks during which your pup is allowed to stop, sniff, investigate, mark a spot and so forth. Most dogs on a leash don’t spend as much time sniffing and investigating as off-leash dogs. (This is probably because leashed dogs sense their owners aren’t really into the same things they are!)
• Here are some final tips to success:
  1. Keep training sessions short, frequent, and don’t exhaust your dog.
  2. Be consistent and let the dog know that pulling is not acceptable – the first time, every time.
  3. Walk at a quick pace when training. It keeps your canine more focused on the walking, and less focused with the smell you just passed.
  4. Make your pup sit calmly before putting on the leash. You want to start the session with you being the boss from the very beginning. Make sure focus is always on you from start to finish.
  5. Keep at it! If you stop walking for a while, be prepared to have to do some refreshing on leash manners. Keep to a regular routine, and your pooch will train faster, and retain the knowledge.

7) Always Keep Safety in Mind

• Putting your dog on a leash means you take responsibility for their actions and you are paying attention to their training. Do not let your dog create problems for anyone else!
• While walking your dog, always consider the weather and walking conditions. If it’s very cold or very hot, shorten your walks, so your dog doesn’t get overheated or too cold. Consider booties and sweaters for cold weather. Don’t walk your dog on hot asphalt, which can burn her paw pads. If walkways are slippery, consider using dog booties to help her maintain her footing, and walk more slowly.
• Don’t text or look at your cell phone while walking your dog. You need to be paying attention at all times, so you can react quickly if you need to. For instance, if your dog suddenly sees something that she finds interesting, you need to be ready to hold the leash tightly in case she tries to chase it.
• Allowing your pet some time to sniff around and investigate is good for him mentally. Dogs gain knowledge of the world through their noses.

8) Keep ID on Your Dog at All Times

• Vets do not recommend you take your pup out to parks, or even down the street, until it has had all its core vaccinations.
• Having your dog microchipped is a great idea. That way, if she’s ever lost and picked up by an organization that scans her, you can be reunited quickly. But it’s also crucial to keep visible ID on her, too, with your current contact information. That way, if someone who doesn’t have a microchip scanner finds her, you can be reunited faster.
• It’s important to be fully present and pay attention to your surroundings when you’re walking your dog. Know what might scare, startle, or aggravate your dog, and anticipate potential issues and head them off before they can happen. “Your dog needs to know that you, the owner, is not going to let anything bad happen to him.”

9) Common Leash Problems

Your pup is a dedicated puller who won’t respond to any of your training tactics.

He may need a different collar or a head halter for a while to give you better control. Of course, it may also be that you are inadvertently encouraging him to pull by hurrying along with him. Many dogs pull because the things that stimulate their senses are more interesting than the person on the other end of the leash. Put your phone away, pay attention to your dog, and teach him what you’d like him to do.

Jumping up for a reward.

Your puppy should not be jumping up for the treat or toy, so lower the position if the puppy is trying to jump up. You can also use a long wooden spoon with a sticky treat or a commercial “treat stick” designed for that purpose so you don’t have to bend over. After a few steps, stop and tell your puppy to “sit.” Reward the pup with the treat.

Your pup weaves back and forth or runs circles around you.

Lure him beside you with a treat. When he takes a few steps in the right place, praise and reward him. Repeat until he stays beside you, slowly increasing the time between treats until he no longer needs to be rewarded. If his weaving or circling is wild enough to pose a risk, shorten your leash so that he has to stay on one side of you, and reward him when he does.

Your pup is such a determined puller that stopping just makes him pull and dance more.

When he pulls, rather than simply stopping, turn around and walk the other way. Don’t yank your dog, don’t talk to him, and don’t wait for him. It’s his job to pay attention to where you are and to stick with you. When he catches up to you, be very happy to see him, and reward him for being with you. Most dogs quickly learn to pay attention and not to pull.

10) Is leash training an older dog possible?

• Although leash training an older, adult dog may take more time and dedication, it’s never too late to train good behaviors. In these instances, routine training sessions and continual practice are key to getting your dog to learn good leash behavior.
• If your dog shows any signs of leash reactivity, make sure to be extra cautious when out on training sessions or walks until they are more comfortable on the leash. This is especially important in areas where you may encounter off-leash dogs. “Be prepared for how you’ll respond.” “Better still, walk your dog in areas where this is less likely to occur.”
• If you’re struggling to train an older dog to walk on the leash, consider enrolling your dog in training classes or work with a dedicated trainer or behaviorist who can help you address your dog’s specific behavioral problems.

11) Reward Your Dog After the Walk

• Don’t worry if it seems to be taking longer than other owners say it took them. This is your quality time spent with your dog. Only worry about moving at the pace that is right for yours and your dog’s personality and schedule. The main thing is not to give up! If you are consistent with your training, the results will come.
• By providing a meal after the walk, you have allowed your dog to “work” for food and water.
• And don’t forget to set a good example by always picking up after your dog!
• Be consistent and positive. In time, your dog will learn how to walk properly on the leash.
• Exercise consistency is really important. Dogs need exercise every three days, minimum, in order to maintain muscle tone and prevent muscle wasting. In my opinion, consistent daily aerobic exercise should be the goal. It’s important to elevate your pet’s heart rate for 20 minutes during exercise sessions. If your dog is out of shape, you’ll need to start slow and build gradually to 20 minutes per session.
• Your dog depends on you for her quality of life. Walking her every day or at least several times each week – taking advantage of different types of walks to stimulate her mentally and physically – will help your canine companion be balanced, healthy and happy for a lifetime.

How about you? Are you having trouble mastering the walk? Share your experience with us in the comments!

Share Now!