How to Teach Dogs and Leash Training For Calm Walks

Leash walks can be an enjoyable activity for dogs and their guardians; however, when your canine begins pulling at his leash it quickly turns into a frustrating tug-of-war game!

With just a few simple techniques, we can teach your dog to walk calmly alongside you. Listen to this episode for tips on starting Calm Walk training with your pup.

1. Be Prepared

Walking on a leash is not natural for dogs; therefore, their owner(s) must teach them this skill through consistent training processes that help their pup develop this vital ability.

First step to ensure a happier dog: make sure it understands that picking up its leash doesn’t automatically indicate a walk. Too often people take their dogs outside for a stroll when they become excited – which could teach their pup to associate picking up its leash as being associated with excitement and other undesirable behaviors such as pulling and BBS dog reactivity.

When you plan to go out for a walk with your pup, set out his clothing and shoes so they become associated with walking. This can help avoid his becoming overexcited about going for an outing while teaching him that going for walks is something enjoyable he can look forward to rather than something stressful or unpleasant.

2. Be the Pack Leader

Dogs need a pack leader who is strong enough to lead them where they want them and provide direction. A pack leader needs to be capable of walking ahead of a human without pulling, barking, lunging or marking every inch of ground ahead.

People often grab their dog’s leash when they are excited, expecting them to walk nicely once outside. Therefore, it is crucial that they wait until your pup has entered a calm assertive state before placing it on.

Practice leash walking your pup in low distraction environments is key for learning the correct mechanics and building trust with them. Additionally, this makes transitioning into more intense situations like outdoor settings or being around other dogs or humans much simpler.

3. Reward Your Dog’s Check-Ins

Your dog may occasionally glance back at you as part of his walk, to check in. When they do this, mark it with a clicker or verbal signal like the word “Yes!” and reward their attention by offering treats or clicking. By rewarding their gaze back at you and decreasing their pulling behavior.

Indoor training begins with using your sense-ation, freedom or easy walk front clip harness to play an attention game with your pup until he walks next to you without pulling on his leash. When transitioning outside, repeat this process until your puppy can give your full focus without pulling, while ignoring other people, animals, cars or distractions while on leash.

These techniques will teach your dog that walks are enjoyable bonding experiences where he or she can have fun, not simply an outlet for pent-up energy. As Eddie (a Golden Retriever with no leash skills, who pulled so hard that it injured his owner’s shoulder) went from pulling violently past squirrels to staying calm when passing busy parks filled with children playing soccer – watch Eddie turn into an animal who walks calmly alongside squirrels while remaining focused during an active park scene full of children playing soccer!

4. Keep the Leash Loose

Leash control is essential in keeping your dog from pulling, so the key to this skill is using a front clip harness or long line (10-30′). Practice should include both indoor and outdoor sessions where your pup can become used to moving without feeling like he/she is participating in an Iditarod-esque race – something which you will later use on walks and outings in different environments.

Tip number two is to train your dog to focus more on you rather than their environment, by rewarding their attention when they focus on you instead of checking out grassy patches or scents in the distance. This will teach them that focusing on you is the most rewarding aspect of walking with you and make each walk even more pleasurable for them!

Another effective anti-pulling tip is to regularly switch directions when your dog starts pulling. This will stop them from becoming overexcited and will show them that pulling is not the way they can reach their destination.

5. Stop When the Leash Goes Tight

An excessively tight leash restricts a dog’s choices by restricting their natural response of fleeing from triggers; they become frustrated, feel trapped, and can engage in fight-or-flight behaviour to escape it; this often results in barking, lunging or growling behaviors from them to create distance from triggers; this factor plays a huge role in leash reactivity.

Tight leashes make dogs feel under constant pressure, which they transfer onto their handlers and associate with whatever object or subject matter is before them.

When your dog begins pulling, stop walking and loosen the leash (about 6-8 feet). Allow them to explore, sniff, and check-in with the environment until they come back towards you and walk by your side – use clickers and verbal cues as reinforcement. Once they become consistent in doing this, start your walk again with additional slack in the leash; this will show them that a tight leash does not signal undesirable behaviors that you want them to avoid.