Walking

[Aladdin]

I am sure there is a thread about this somewhere. I am not sure where to look but how do I teach Abu to walk behind me and not tug. How to stop when I do and sit before crossing the road. All those things it seems impossible.

[Bec]

I am sure there is a thread about this somewhere. I am not sure where to look but how do I teach Abu to walk behind me and not tug. How to stop when I do and sit before crossing the road. All those things it seems impossible.

They definitely aren't impossible, just remember that he is still a puppy and they have a short attention span - take training slowly to start with

The best way to think about how to teach loose leash walking is to think about this: if our dogs pull on the leash it is because we have inadvertently taught them to do so. They only pull on the leash because they learn that's how they get where they want to go.

So the best way to teach loose leash walking is to teach the dog that pulling gets them no where.

There are a few methods that people use to do this but the most effective way I was taught was the change of direction technique. Put some high value treats or your dog's favourite toy (whatever motivates him the most) in your pocket. Have him on your left side. Hold the leash loosely - holding it so it's taut will create resistence in the dog and he will be more likely to pull. We want to use the leash going tight as a way of signalling to him that he is not going to get where he wants to go.

Start walking and the instant he pulls, turn quickly on your heel and do a 180 degree turn. Turn sharply so he has to run to catch up to you. When he catches up to you and is at your heel, with the leash nice and loose, say 'yes', give him lots of praise and treat him with a piece of food or his toy.

Make sure you are holding the leash so it's loose, the instant he pulls and the leash goes tight change direction again and repeat the above process - say 'yes' when it is in the right position and walking with a loose leash and give him a treat for doing the right thing.

If he's already got a bad habit of pulling because he's learnt that pulling gets him where he wants to go, it may take a few training sessions to get him walking on a loose leash reliably. But once he 'gets' it and learns that the leash going tight means he will not get where he wants to go, he will start walking nicely. It's better to take this time to teach him the right way to walk on a leash now then have the problem continue as the bigger and stronger he gets the worse the pulling will become.

The key is to be consistent and have patience, remember YOU control the walk not him.

I personally don't care if my dogs walk a little bit in front of me or next to me, as long as they aren't pulling.

[Bec]

Oh, also meant to add.

The best way to get him to stop when you do is to teach the automatic sit. It's easy to teach and a smart dog will pick it up pretty quickly.

Start teaching it at home. Get your dog in the heel position (sitting in line with your left leg). Step off with your left foot. It helps when you are teaching this to start with to hold a piece of really yummy food in your hand, hold your hand against the middle of your stomach so the dog is inclined to look up at you. I like to use soft and smelly treats like roast chicken, sausage, cheese etc.

When you step off tell the dog 'heel' and walk a few paces before stopping. Make sure the dog is still in heel position and tell him to sit. Give him a treat as soon as his butt hits the floor. Repeat this so that the dog sits when you stop without you saying anything - it may take a couple of training sessions with a pup. Once the pup is consistently sitting automatically, that is, sitting when you stop walking without you telling him to sit, take it to your backyard or the front of your house so you can practice it with more distractions. Gradually introduce higher levels of distraction each time he does it reliably, until you are able to get him doing it when you are on a walk.

It didn't take long for my dogs to pick it up at all, here is an example of my beagle doing the automatic sit. This is a little bit more advanced in terms of heel work (we were practice left about turns) but it will give you an example of what I mean above:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8DJ2mFWNh8[/ame]

ETA: Please excuse our crappy heel work, I hadn't done any formal heel work with her in ages, as you can tell by my crappy handling and the fact I step off on the wrong foot at least twice - Daisy is heeling too widely in some parts, her back end awareness needs to be worked on and I am a bit clumsy, hehe. But you get the idea when it comes to the automatic sit

[SnowSpirit]

[Sarah]

good advice smeagle, added to rep

[siberian_wolf]

Fantastic advise Bec as always added to rep

Aladdin, I used Becs advise on the changing of direction with mine and it made a brilliant difference! I will be honest though and say because Ive been more focused on training them the commands they need to know to pull the rigs/sleds, etc I havent been concentrating on the loose lead walking and so it is more pulling again so you do have to stay consistent with the training and never give up. It does take patience but it is more than worth it afterwards

Here is a video of Gizmo walking next to me on his walks when we were concentrating on the loose lead walking:

[ame]

[/ame]

[Bec]

Thanks guys

Looks at Gizmo, Amy! He's a real star

[siberian_wolf]

Thanks guys

Looks at Gizmo, Amy! He's a real star

I was so proud of Gizmo when he did that without any commands too, think it was a mixture of shock, excitement, happiness and amazement lol

He will still do this now but I have been more focused on training him to pull the rigs/sleds.

[Bec]

It can be tricky to balance the two - do you have different commands for each thing? Do you walk in a collar and train in a harness?

[siberian_wolf]

It can be tricky to balance the two - do you have different commands for each thing? Do you walk in a collar and train in a harness?

I use different commands for the two and not got harnesses yet so I use different leads for the both, shorter one for the loose lead walking and longer one for the sled training

[Bec]

I use different commands for the two and not got harnesses yet so I use different leads for the both, shorter one for the loose lead walking and longer one for the sled training

Once you get them into harnesses you will find it easier to get them to differentiate between going for a walk and sled training. They learn eventually that harness on = time to work and a collar and leash = walking nicely.

[Kiba]

i always need to have my dog at my side and never able to pull. i walk her with my son in his stroller so a Husky mushing us across a busy street during rush hour wouldnt be the best idea.

i use one of those 50 cent nylone leashes that loop around the neck. I have it up at the nape of the neck directly behind the ears and i have the leash short enough so she has to just walk with her head off the ground and with the leash there she naturally cannot pull.

I basically do it the cesar millan way from the Dog Whisperer. I learned most of what i know as far as walking and leader of the pack from that show.