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How to get your dog to walk perfectly on lead.

Get it right and walks with your dog will be a new found joy!

In our experience lead training is invaluable. If you can crack it, you will have a healthier dog and we guarantee you will enjoy your walks so much more! What you are aiming for is to get your dog to walk obediently on a lead, and to remain by your side at all times without tension or pulling.
 
Why a dog pulls
In a dog’s eyes, the more he pulls, the faster he is going to get where the action is.
If you allow this pulling to happen then the dog will continue to repeat the behaviour on every walk, because in the dog’s eyes, if he pulls, and you keep walking forward, he is being rewarded.  
 
So Before You Begin Lead Training….
An excited dog finds it harder to learn so before lead training even begins, teach your dog to be calm when you put his lead on. Most dogs get excited when you pick up the lead because they know they are going for a walk, but you need your dog to sit and stay quietly when you put on the lead so that he becomes obedient to you from the outset.

If your dog begins to jump and react to the lead, wait to begin the walk until he sits down calmly for at least a minute.  Your dog needs to understand that he must obey you by being calm and sitting if he wants to go out on the lead. If you can’t get your dog to stand beside you on a slack lead, then you will not get him to walk alongside you.
 
The right position
Once your dog is calmly on a lead you need to get into the right position. Your dog should be on your left hand side with his shoulder next to your leg. The lead should be not too slack or too tight and held in your right hand which should be resting by your right leg. Your left hand should also be loosely holding the lead. Keep your elbows in and control the lead with your hand and wrist only (not your arm). If your dog goes in front of this position whether there is tension in the lead or not, this is called pulling.

The incentive
You will be luring your dog with titbits and they should be in the hand next to the dog. (When we say titbits we don’t want you to be feeding your dog a second meal! We mean tiny miniscule amounts of a foodstuff that they love and can smell)

The method
Start by standing your dog alongside you.

If he pulls forward, you remain standing still, and tempt him back beside your left leg with that treat. Don’t pull him back, let him sniff the treat and come. You may have to repeat this action quite a few times to make your dog understand that he is not going anywhere and that he is getting rewarded for remaining by your left leg. Do not lose your temper!
When he is still and looking up at you, smile and praise him verbally, but do not touch him. (Touching him makes him want to move and we want him standing still)

You can now take one step forward.

Use the command “let’s go” in a happy voice. (Dogs can tell so much by just the tone of your voice.)

If the dog rushes ahead, you have to stop dead, and tempt him back with a treat to the correct position. This enticement should happen the moment his shoulder goes to pass your leg.  Don’t wait until the dog is at the end of his lead.

If the dog walks in the right position and the lead is slack, praise your dog, (with words or a treat, not touching, remember). It is important that you let him know when he is doing it correctly.

Conversely, don’t tell your dog off for being out of position, simply entice him back and praise him when he is in the right position.
You need to concentrate totally on this exercise and do not rush it.

The best time to teach this is when your dog is a puppy but for dogs that need to unlearn their bad habits, before they can learn good ones, you need to keep stress levels to a minimum. So start one step at a time and try to use a calm place like a hallway, and the move outside only once the dog understands what he is expected to do.

Patience is the best tool to use with these exercises, so make sure you take proper time out to do these exercises.
Good luck and we know that once you have mastered it walks will be great fun for both of you!

A few extra tips

Remember every time your dog has his lead on he is learning. Make sure he is learning the right lessons all the time, so be consistent.

Always keep that lead slack. If you don’t it will cause your dog to pull even harder and it is unhealthy for your dog. A tight lead only teaches a dog to pull more and many dogs start pulling to get away from the tight lead and the severe voice that goes with it.
 
Do not use a retractable lead.  We really don’t like them as firstly, they always pull on the dog even if he is walking nicely, so it makes it impossible to train a dog to not pull. Secondly, dogs/puppies learn that pulling against it gives them freedom to run/walk where they want while still on the lead. We think it is better for a dog to understand the rules of walking on a lead safely and then give your dog real freedom off lead once you have reached the park.

Make your self nice to be near! Your dog will want to be with you if you reward him with your praise/general happiness and sometimes with a treat as he walks without pulling. Snatching at your dog or bullying him into the correct position will not encourage him to learn and will simply ruin any trust that your dog has in you. If he jumps up, just put the food back in your pocket or the palm of your hand. He is only rewarded for being in the right place with all four feet on the ground.

If you have two dogs you have to do these exercises separately with each of them and they have to be walking well on the lead individually before you can think of walking them together!

If you continue to have problems you can always book in for a training session with our in-house trainer for individual help.
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