Many owner struggle with teaching their puppy to walk on a loose leash.
When it comes to dog walking many owners may feel like this sis a daunting task and usually give up and by retractable leashes to compensate for the dog pulling and to save their arm from being dislocated by their enthusiastic dog.
Teaching your dog to stop pulling can be an easy task even with in a hurry puppies.
Here are some tricks that I recommend to teach your dog to keep the leash loose during walks.
For this lessons do not use retractable leashes.
also be sure that everyone in your household is going to follow these quick instructions so that you have success and that the dog is not selective with whom he/she pulls and does not pull.
Invest in a nice 6' leash for your dog.
Tie the dog to your waist, you can ether hook the leash through the hand hole or tie it.
You can also purchase a waist leash for running with your dog.
If you loop then be prepared to have your waist tightened by the dog until he/she learns how to walk on loose leash.
Arm yourself with lots of treats.
I recommend dried liver treats, no dog can resist them even when full.
Green Light/Read Light Game: The green light means that the dog gets to walk and red light means that the handler stops and so does the walk.
Green light is signalled by a loose and dangling leash and red light is signalled by a tight leash.
This works great on eager puppies who are always in a hurry.
The catch is never to give into the dog pulling.
Start walking with your dog.
If your dog puts tension on the leash stop walking.
The dog will wonder why the walk all of a sudden stopped and most likely try to pull harder.
Be patient and stay immovable until the dog puts slack in the leash even a little then start walking.
If your dog tightens the leash again stop and wait again.
Patience here is very important, if you get impatient and you give in and start walking or release the tension yourself the dog will be reinforced and will continue to pull.
You might not be able to take more then a step or two before the dog tightens the leash again in the beginning.
But keep firm the dog will figure out that when the leash is loose walk continues when the leash is tight walking stops.
Your dog will require some repetition here.
It will not learn to walk on loose leash in one shot.
What you will notice is a gradual decrease in attempts at pulling.
Keep it up and you'll reap the rewards of a dog that chooses not to pull.
Timing is very important in this game so be sure you stop the second the leash gets tight and never give in to the dog pulling.
This is where tying the leash around your waist helps as opposed to just holding the leash in your hand where the dog is more likely to pull you.
If at any time the dog is walking on loose leash and by your side give your dog treats...
lots of treats! Be very generous here.
This will teach the dog that good things happen when your dog walks besides you, treats are dispensed.
He will learn that the walk stops when the leash is tight.
How long this will take depends on how long your dog has been pulling.
Also if you at any time reinforce the dog for pulling or someone in the family reinforces the pulling the dog could regress to pulling and lengthen the time it will take for you to train your dog to walk on a loose leash, Always reward your dog when he/she is walking close to you and keeping the leash loose.
Only deliver the treats from the side of your leg and never reach out to give your dog treat.
This way the dog will eventually come to the conclusion to keep its head right by your leg since that's where the goodies dispensed.
Even when your dog is a top notch loose leash walker it is good to give treats once in a while to make reinforce and make this behavior stronger.
When it comes to dog walking many owners may feel like this sis a daunting task and usually give up and by retractable leashes to compensate for the dog pulling and to save their arm from being dislocated by their enthusiastic dog.
Teaching your dog to stop pulling can be an easy task even with in a hurry puppies.
Here are some tricks that I recommend to teach your dog to keep the leash loose during walks.
For this lessons do not use retractable leashes.
also be sure that everyone in your household is going to follow these quick instructions so that you have success and that the dog is not selective with whom he/she pulls and does not pull.
Invest in a nice 6' leash for your dog.
Tie the dog to your waist, you can ether hook the leash through the hand hole or tie it.
You can also purchase a waist leash for running with your dog.
If you loop then be prepared to have your waist tightened by the dog until he/she learns how to walk on loose leash.
Arm yourself with lots of treats.
I recommend dried liver treats, no dog can resist them even when full.
Green Light/Read Light Game: The green light means that the dog gets to walk and red light means that the handler stops and so does the walk.
Green light is signalled by a loose and dangling leash and red light is signalled by a tight leash.
This works great on eager puppies who are always in a hurry.
The catch is never to give into the dog pulling.
Start walking with your dog.
If your dog puts tension on the leash stop walking.
The dog will wonder why the walk all of a sudden stopped and most likely try to pull harder.
Be patient and stay immovable until the dog puts slack in the leash even a little then start walking.
If your dog tightens the leash again stop and wait again.
Patience here is very important, if you get impatient and you give in and start walking or release the tension yourself the dog will be reinforced and will continue to pull.
You might not be able to take more then a step or two before the dog tightens the leash again in the beginning.
But keep firm the dog will figure out that when the leash is loose walk continues when the leash is tight walking stops.
Your dog will require some repetition here.
It will not learn to walk on loose leash in one shot.
What you will notice is a gradual decrease in attempts at pulling.
Keep it up and you'll reap the rewards of a dog that chooses not to pull.
Timing is very important in this game so be sure you stop the second the leash gets tight and never give in to the dog pulling.
This is where tying the leash around your waist helps as opposed to just holding the leash in your hand where the dog is more likely to pull you.
If at any time the dog is walking on loose leash and by your side give your dog treats...
lots of treats! Be very generous here.
This will teach the dog that good things happen when your dog walks besides you, treats are dispensed.
He will learn that the walk stops when the leash is tight.
How long this will take depends on how long your dog has been pulling.
Also if you at any time reinforce the dog for pulling or someone in the family reinforces the pulling the dog could regress to pulling and lengthen the time it will take for you to train your dog to walk on a loose leash, Always reward your dog when he/she is walking close to you and keeping the leash loose.
Only deliver the treats from the side of your leg and never reach out to give your dog treat.
This way the dog will eventually come to the conclusion to keep its head right by your leg since that's where the goodies dispensed.
Even when your dog is a top notch loose leash walker it is good to give treats once in a while to make reinforce and make this behavior stronger.