Loose Leash Walking: Methods
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There are two things to consider when working with a dog that pulls on leash: your equipment (collar, harness, head halter) and your training methods. This page describes different approaches for teaching your dog how to walk politely on leash.
The approaches described on this page are firm but positive. I do not address leash pops and collar jerking because I have not found these methods to be personally useful, and I have witnessed the emotional fall-out that sometimes accompanies these methods when done improperly. If you believe collar corrections are the appropriate method of training for your dog, please get direction from a professional trainer; you may be advised to wait until your dog is six months old. The methods described below can be used with puppies as young as eight weeks old.
Of the approaches below, not one if them is the single "right" way to teach a dog how to walk politely on leash. Some dogs manage to walk politely with little to no training, while other dogs bounce off the end of the leash despite your best efforts. When training my own dogs, I often move between several of these methods, using the method that is most effective for my dog at the time. The methods described here are not specific to any kind of collar or other tool.
Methods
The one consistent message across all of these approaches is that your dog learns that pulling does not get him where he wants to go. If your dog pulls and you then take even a single step forward, you have rewarded the pulling with the prize of forward motion. When this happens, your dog actually believes (perhaps accurately!) that the appropriate way to walk where he wants and sniff what he wants is by pulling you over. In this case, pulling WORKS to get him what he wants. He doesn't know it aggravates you -- why on earth should he stop? To change this behavior, you will teach your dog that pulling is not effective; it simply does not get him the results he wants.
"Be a Tree": When your dog pulls on the leash, stop as though rooted in place, and do not take another step forward until the dog has released pressure on the leash. You've already identified the behavior you do NOT want (pulling, dog dragging you down the street). You want your dog to learn that pulling on the leash is essentially like activiting the brakes on a train. Pulling = Stopping. The more consistent you can be and the better your timing, the more quickly your dog will learn.
One variation on this is to use a word or phrase to signal your dog that he is pulling and that you are going to stop. The word or phrase should be something that you say in a happy voice, because you are not scolding your dog, you are simply giving him information. I use "whoops!", and I've seen other people use "uh oh!" You can certainly use something like "No Pull" or "Stop", but "Whoops" and "Uh oh" are difficult to yell or say in a cross tone of voice, and can therefore keep you from communicating any frustration to your dog.
Another variation is ask your dog to not only release pressure on the leash when you stop, but to also look up at you before you begin walking forward again. This can be very useful for a dog that seems to forget that you are on the other end of the leash. This may also help if your dog learns to release pressure quickly when you stop walking, but starts pulling again immediately when you start again.
If, when you stop walking, your dog dances around you in circles or runs to the end of his leash in every direction, gradually shorten the leash until there is nowhere interesting left to go. If you make the wrong choice (ignoring you) be very boring, it will be much easier for him to to make the right choice (relaxing on the end of the leash, looking up at you).
I find this approach useful as a starting point, and I mix in the other methods below as needed.
Penalty Yards: When your dog starts to pull toward something, not only do you stop movement in that direction, but you go backwards! You might simply take two or three steps in the opposite direction, or you might turn right around and walk 20 feet in the other direction. How far you need to go can depend on your dog's level of excitability.
I find this to be most useful when there is some specific target that your dog is pulling toward (like another dog, a favorite bush, the swimming hole). Not only are you sending the message to your dog that pulling gets him the opposite of what he wants, but you're also decreasing the distance between him and the exciting thing, which will help him gather his self-control. The advantage you have when your dog pulls toward something specific is that you can use that thing as a reward. Once he stops pulling, he gets to go see the dog or sniff the bush! Good dog!
Zig Zag & Circling: When your dog begins to pull, begin to walk in a large zig zag motion. Alternatively, you can curve off to the right or left in a wide circle. This helps deflect some of the pulling into sideways motion. It also reminds the dog that smart as he is, he doesn't necessarily know which way you're going to go; he'd better pay attention!
I find this to be most useful when my dog is simply not paying attention to me. Frequent changes of direction remind the dog that he needs to give me his focus.
Clicker, Treats: Using food, or other reward, can be a highly motivating way for your dog to learn politely.
What you need: Carry a pouch of pea-sized treats on your walk (can be store bought training treats or cut up pieces of chicken, hot dogs, cheese, or something else your dog likes). Make sure that the treat is something your dog will actually care about while out and about. There are some dogs who will work for their kibble as a reward, but don't automatically expect that your dog is one of them. You can either use a clicker (sold by every PetSmart and PetCo cash register), or you can pick a consistent word to use like "Yes!".
Your goal is to capture a moment that your dog is behaving the way you want. This will be the moment that you click or say "Yes!". After you click (or say "Yes!"), give the dog a treat. Your dog will associate the click (or "Yes") with getting a treat, and will begin to understand that the moment you click is the moment it earned the treat. If you don't click and simply call the dog over when he has been good, he'll be happy but he doesn't know what he did to earn the treat. The click tells the dog "Yes! That thing you just did is what won you the reward!". It is important to time the click right when the dog is doing what you want. If you click late, you reward the behavior your dog did *after* the click, which might not be something you want to reward! Also, do not get the food out until after the click. The dog should be thinking about how to earn the reward and not simply trotting after the food in your hand.
There are two different times when I will click and treat my dogs. If we are practicing formal heeling (dog's head lines up perfectly with the seam of your pants -- not necessary to teach the average pet dog), I only click and treat when the dog is in position next to me. If we are taking a casual walk, I will click and treat any time my dog hits the end of the leash and immediately backs off. I want my dog to catch himself right away when he hits the end of the leash, not rely on me to remind him not to pull. By rewarding him when he does this on his own, I build a habit for him. Later when I stop clicking and treating, it will already feel natural for him to back off when he feels a pull on the leash. I may occasionally also click and treat if the dog walks for a while on his own with the leash completely slack. Instead of correcting the dog when he messes up, we are actively looking for opportunities to let the dog know when he is doing things right.
When you start off, you will reward frequently (several times a minute, at least) and you will sometimes reward for behavior that's close to what you want. As your dog starts to understand what you're asking for, you will only click and treat behavior that is closer to what you want, and eventually, just for behavior that is exactly what you want. As the behavior becomes habit, continue to praise your dog for good behavior, but phase out the treats.
How Long Will This Take?
It all depends. A young dog will take much longer than a mature dog. An energetic dog will take much longer than an calm dog. A dog that is very focused on his environment will take much longer than a dog that is very focused on you. A dog that doesn't get out of the house much will take much longer than a dog that gets to see the world on a regular basis.
To keep the process moving along, make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise. Be very consistent; never allow the dog to get somewhere by pulling (you need all family members to be on board with this!) Above all, have patience. Some days may feel like your dog will never learn, then suddenly one day you'll look back and have to think hard to remember how hard he or she used to pull.
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Author: Erica Pytlovany
Created On: May 7, 2006
Last Modified: May 7, 2006
Feedback/comments welcome at: training AT blackacorndogs DOT com (remove spaces and substitute AT and DOT with '@' and '.')
