All the Pretty Girls(and Boys) Walk Like This: Leash Walking Tips
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Do you dread walking your dog because it is just frustrating for you both? He’s pulling you the entire time, or she may walk fine for a few minutes, but then lunges forward if she sees another dog or person?
The good news is, you can have a more enjoyable walk for you both! These three tips can help meet your dog’s needs and make walks less stressful for you.
Gear up - Sometimes changing up your walking gear can really make a difference. I recommend using a front clip harness such as Blue-9 or Petsafe 3-in-1 Harness. It’s also beneficial to use a bit longer than average leash such as an 8-10 feet leash as that gives your dog a little bit more room. For really heavy pullers, a properly introduced head halter can be really helpful until your dog has had more practice at not pulling on leash. Once they’ve gotten better about not pulling, you can then transition to a front clip harness.
Reward Check-Ins - Many times we miss opportunities to reward our dogs for looking at us, in other words offering a “check-in”. Maybe we are looking at our phone, listening to music, or talking with a friend. These are not bad things, but I encourage you to be fully present with your dog on walks and really watch them. Any time they offer a glance towards you, mark that behavior with a “Yes!” and give them a treat. You should start to notice that your dog is checking in with you more often! While we want your dog to check-in with you, the walk is also for you dog to sniff and explore so we don’t need them to watch you ALL the time. Once your dog has started checking in with you regularly, you can start to decrease the amount of treats you give and instead just give verbal praise.
Decompression Walks- Decompression walk is a term coined by canine behavior consultant Sarah Stremming of The Cognitive Canine (her podcast, Cog Dog Radio is fantastic if you’ve never listened to it). Decompression walks are a way for your dog to be as free as possible and get to enjoy nature as a dog should. Your dog can either be off leash (in an area that is safe to do so. Think many acres of private land, not public park. Sniffspot is a fantastic resource for finding places that can be safe to have your dog off leash). If your dog is not able to be off leash, that is okay! We definitely want safety to be top priority. So, instead, you want to use a harness that has a back clip (most front clip harnesses have both!) and a longer long line, at least 20 feet long. Allowing your dog to have longer walks where they get to just run, play, and sniff as often as you can take them will really make a difference in your dog’s ability to focus more on you during your shorter, day to day walks.
Following these tips, you should see better results on your walks! Need more help with leash walking? Join us starting August 2nd for our 3 week virtual leash walking class! Click here for more info and to sign up.
