6 Ways to improve your dogs loose lead training

Loose lead training is something that many seem to struggle with, here are 6 things you can do today that will improve your dogs loose lead training. Check them out…

1.Stop waiting for your dog to sit!

I don’t know how this started, especially as your goal, and your dogs goal, is to keep moving. Asking your dog to sit when they pull on the lead is not going to help them learn to walk on a loose lead. It’s actually quite confusing to your dog. It would be far better to start moving again when the lead slackens, after all, isn’t that the point of it?! So, instead, when the lead tightens, stop and simply wait for your dog to slacken the lead before you move forward.

2.Drop the treat!

Not literally, but stopping your dog to give them a treat while you are doing loose lead work is counter productive. And more often than not, the dog will take the treat and then rush ahead again because they haven’t properly connected the reward with the loose lead. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t reward your dog for walking nicely. You could introduce a clicker or a marker word as a way of telling them they are doing well, without having to stop. This can really speed up your training, especially when combined with stop/start training. But, actually, as the goal is to “get there” faster, just moving forward when the lead is loose is reward enough for a lot of dogs!

3.React faster

This will probably make the most amount of difference to your dogs learning speed. We have no way of telling our dogs what we want from them so they have to work it out for themselves! This means that the clearer we are about what is good and not good, the quicker they will get the idea. In loose lead training, this means you must stop moving the exact milli-second the lead goes tight. The sharper you are with your timing, the more obvious it will be to your dog that the lead tightening was what caused you to stop. If you let him drag you a few steps, or worse, wait until you get are really annoyed by it before stopping, then he’ll never be able to figure out what went wrong.

4.Don’t help him!

I know that sounds mean, but sometimes it’s better to let our dogs figure things out for themselves. Loose lead training is one of those times. If you stop because your dog has tightened the lead, you must now wait for him to loosen the lead before you can move forward again. By doing this he learns that loose lead means he gets to keep going – which is what they want the most. We all want our dogs to succeed, and we know we can’t move until the lead slackens, so we do something that loosens the lead for him. This doesn’t help, because ultimately, you’ll want your dog to manage the lead tension himself as you continue to walk together. When he can do this, you’ll always have loose lead walks, and you’ll not be doing all the work.

5.Fix your lead length

Your dog will never know their boundary if it keeps changing, so just use a normal dog lead and always keep it at the same length. Most leads are too long, so you might need to hold the lead somewhere in the middle to get the right length. To find the optimum length for you and your dog, first stand with them beside you and take hold of the lead. If the lead is tight, it’s too short. And if your dog can walk across you, it’s too long. Your perfect length is somewhere in between. When you find your ideal length, mark it with some tape, or a sharpie, so it’s the same every time.

6.Be consistent

Once he starts to get the idea, you should roll out the stop/start method into all of your walks. It’s no good letting him drag you around the park some days, but then expecting him to walk loosely round the streets on other days, he’ll never know what he is supposed to be doing this way.

How can I help you with your dogs behaviour training?

Private Dog Behaviour Consultations are currently available in-person in the Dundee area, and online via zoom. If you are looking for help solving your dogs behaviour and training problems, then please get in touch!