It is also the one behaviour issue that has generated more product development (and some of the nastiest equipment too) than any other - all those "miracle" cures and still leash pulling is a problem; go figure!
Believe it or not nice loose leash walking (LLW) manners are pretty easy to teach but as usual we teach our dogs to pull! (Are you beginning to see a pattern here? we are the cause of many of the 'problems' we blame our dogs for!!)
Dogs pull for a number of reasons:
- first off they have twice the number of legs we have so move faster than we do
- they have different priorities than we do when out walking - we like to take in lovely sights where as dogs move so as to gather as much scent-information as possible by following pee-mails and scent trails
- the act of pulling, which causes an opposition relfex is highly rewarding to dogs (you have seen sled-dogs pulling? they look like they are having fun, right?)
- dogs get where they want to go by pulling to get there - works every time, with owner in tow!
Despite all the tools, training is the only solution - tools are just that, they don't necessarily change behaviour forever. So lets look at how to train the dog to walk nicely.
Is it heeling, LLW or just not pulling?
First thing you need to understand is that different people have different ideas of what they want when walking their dog on leash. Decide what you want and work for that.
Heeling is traditionally a competitive obedience position that involves the dog walking on the handler's left side, dog's shoulder level with handler's trouser seam, maintaining close position and eye contact.
This position, although it looks smart, is usually not necessary for pet dog walking.
Loose leash walking (LLW) can mean a number of different things, depending on who you talk to. It is essentially just the dog walking at such a pace and in such a position that keeps the loose leash. Many people like to categorise a loose leash as one that looks like a 'smile' as the dog walks.
I ask owners to hold the leash and their belt buckle - if the dog puts sufficient pressure on the leash to move their hand away from their belt buckle then that is not a loose leash.
When teaching LLW we usually look for a close-ish position, some eye contact and attention on the owner. The leash should form a J shape between handler and dog. This position is suitable for crossing the street, walking along busy streets or close to other dogs.
'Just not pulling' is what most people want from their dogs. For the most part this is the position we aim for - no pressure on the leash. Dog can range and wander within the leash's length e.g. 6 feet but no more. This is a normal everyday walking position ideal for most dogs in many situations.
A combination of 'just not pulling' and a closer LLW with attention are the basics in leash walking that pet dogs require at a minimum.
Step 1: you've guessed it, its management
We have to stop the dog getting the opportunity to practice this behaviour any longer - lets face it, they are already pretty good at it! This is where tools come in but be careful not all tools are suitable for all dogs.
Up to a couple of years or so ago, I would probably have recommended head collars in many situations where we were re-training leash walking.
Not so anymore and there are a couple of reasons.
The first being that many dogs find head collars really aversive and in some cases even after I have worked hard on gradual desensitisation and counterconditioning (D+C) in an attempt to teach them to enjoy wearing it. Out of all the head collars out there I find dogs most able to enjoy wearing a Gentle Leader but only after a careful D+C program.
Secondly, I find that many pet owners don't want to go through the gradual process of introducing the head collar and they lose faith and abandon the process too early.
Don't get me wrong head collars are still part of my tool box but I use them only in very specific cases, usually connected with reactivity and rarely with loose leash walking exercises.
Instead, I have almost totally converted to the use of front-leading harnesses for LLW training. There are several brands including the Halti harness, the Easy Walker and the Sens-ation and Sens-ible Harnesses.
Right now I prefer the Halti one as there is a ring for leash connection at the front and in the more traditional withers region. This adds to versatility and I like to use it with a training leash that has two trigger hooks on it or alternatively with two leashes, one attached to each ring.
When out walking, this will stop the dog from pulling because as he does the leash tightening on the front ring will guide the dog to the side and back towards you. Along with training techniques this is a very effective tool.
But, like all tools it is limited - there is no point using it unless you are going to work on training the dog too. Otherwise the dog will learn to pull on this just as he did on all the other tools that you have tried.
When working on LLW (or indeed any training exercises) please do not use choke chains, prong collars, tightening collars, shock collars, extendable leashes, regular harnesses or any gimmicks. These are not necessary and will make training and behaviour change more difficult. Not being able to go where he wants to go at the pace he wants to go at is aversive enough without adding more aversives to the process.
Did you know that other than being unreliable and dangerous, extendable leashes teach the dog to pull?! The dog must pull so that the leash extends therefore the dog is rewarded for putting pressure on the leash. Also, when pulled the leash provides a little resistance as the spool extends - this creates that opposition reflex further reinforcing the pulling.
Jerking, popping, yelling, hitting, poking, kicking are not necessary for leash training (or indeed any training) so please don't include these acts in your training programs. They don't stop the dog from pulling (think why you must repeatedley do it?) and just serve to cause your dog to think worse of you.
APDT (UK) Why we don't use choke chains - remember pressure on the neck caused by any training tool can lead to problems so train your dog to walk nicely rather than rely on tools.
Step 2: training exercises
There are several different training exercises that I incorporate when training leash manners. Not only do we work on leash working but also on other cues particularly positions such as sit and on eye contact and attention.
Red Light Green Light
This is really another management exercise as I don't believe this on its own to be truly powerful enough to teach a dog to walk nicley on leash.
Because we have taught our dogs to get where they want to go by pulling that has now got to STOP.
If the dog puts pressure on the leash, stop in your tracks and be a very boring tree. Do not move nor engage the dog - totally ignore him.
For what ever reason the leash slackens, immediatley start walking again. This must become a regular part of your dog's walks and you must be consistent.
Red light green light should start from the time that the leash is put on the dog, even while still in the house. The dog must be calm to have his leash put on firslty and then must not put any pressure on the leash from that moment onwards.
The first time it might take you several minutes just to get to the front door but after just a little consistency (and a lot of visualising calm blue oceans!) you will be able to proceed on a walk in a calm manner.
While implementing red light green light you may also want to use penalty yards for dogs that really put effort into pulling you toward something smelly plus sometimes its easier to move backwards than to stnad still.
If the dog pulls, use the front clip harness to guide the dog gently back as you take a step or two backwards. This is also nice as it gets the dog focused on you again. Reward a slack leash with a brisk walk back to whatever was initially so interesting.
Attention!
Lets start with focus exercises as these are needed for all sorts of training. Having the 'watch me' means that he is paying attention to you and not watching (and getting excited by) all the things going on around him. This is important in situations that your dog is likely to get wound up about.
Teach your dog that watching you is very rewarding. Begin by teaching a focus cue indoors in a low distraction area. You can lure or capture this behaviour - I prefer capturing as once you get the behaviour, it is quicker as you don't have to fade lures.
- To lure the dog start with something tasty in your hand and move your hand to your mouth as if you were going to eat it (but don't). You can make yummy noises to get his attention.
- Before moving your hand to your mouth, say 'watch me' or 'look'.
- Your dog's gaze will hopefully follow your hand and as soon as his eyes flicker to meet yours say 'YES' and give him the treat.
- After 4 or 5 trials like this begin to hold the treat in your hand but move your other, empty hand to your mouth - still use the treat as a reward delivered from your other hand.
- After another 4 or 5 trials you should have a dog that will make eye contact on the verbal cue and not have to wait for the hand movement.
- Now begin to fade the moving hand by making smaller movements after you say the focus cue. (for example, only move your hand to your chin, then only to your neck level etc.)
- After only a couple of training sessions you should be able to ask for eye contact without the need to move your hand or lure the dog.
- Remember the most important part of lure-reward training is the removal of the lure as early on as possible -otherwise it is likely to become a crutch for dog and trainer.
- To capture eye contact, sit with your dog in a boring situation. Ignore your dog's attempts to get attention or to get a game going and wait.
- Eventually he will give eye contact, as soon as he does even if only for a split second be ready to click and treat.
- Very soon he will begin to offer eye contact, add a focus cue and only click and treat eye contact given after the focus cue.
- Saying that however, I am happy to reward my dog for offering spontaneous, un-cued eye contact at any time, especially if we are around other dogs - so much so that it has become part of Rufus's default behaviour when he wants something; he sits and bores his eyes into yours, moving his big slobbery face close to yours until you give in and let him have whatever he is looking for!
Regardless of how you get the behaviour as soon as you have it on cue you can begin to build the amount of time the dog is required to look at you. You will soon be able to proof this while out and about in ever more distracting situations.
Try these advanced exercises:
- Hold a ball, toy or yummy treat out to the side of your body and waggle it. Your dog will focus on that and wait for him to offer eye contact. As soon as he does deliver the ball, toy or treat. Top Training Tip: use distractions as rewards - something your dog really wants is a perfect reward. Ask for a desired behaviour such as a watch me and then allow him access to the distraction.
- Ask your dog for a sit AND eye contact as part of his Learn-to-Earn exercises.
Bring your dog to an area where there is lots of doggie traffic. Sit at a distance that is mildly distracting for your dog. Play 'Look at that' by clicking and treating everytime your dog looks at another dog. Soon your dog will be watching you rather than other dogs. You can then move closer and begin working at that distance. - Stand in front of your dog and ask him to watch you. Turn slightly to the side and wait for your dog to find your eyes again - reward him and repeat. This is great exercise for teaching your dog to keep eye contact while on the move.
Recognise the above focus exercises, yes they are from out recent posting on training recalls! That's how important focus exericses are - they are needed everywhere.
Sit to Greet
Sit is probably one of the most important and helpful exercises to teach your dog. It can be applied to a million different situations and in some is literally a life saver.
For LLW training at the very least you should have a good verbal sit cue and teach your dog to sit to ask to greet other people and animals.
Sit, Stand and Down - lure reward training positions, remember to get rid of the lure as quickly as possible.
Now that your dog has learned to sit in a low-distraction place, you have to proof it in all sorts of exciting situations. The best place to practice sit training at home is just inside the door so that your puppy likes sitting here, and can be taught to do so when greeting people. Have a little pot of kibble inside the door so that your dog can be rewarded for polite greetings.
When out and about start training Sit to Greet at such a distance from the greet-ee that your dog does not get too excited. Your dog should be getting the idea that the way to greet others is to sit first and the way to keep the greeting pleasant is for him to keep all-4-on-the-floor.
Say Please!
Teach your dog that access to exciting, yummy things comes through you only. This is especially important if your are training (or rather re-training) an adult dog. Implementing a 'Learn-to-Earn' program is easy and a great relationship booster.
The dog must perform a desired behaviour such as a sit before you allow him access to anything that he wants such as being fed, throwing the ball, playing tug, jumping up onto the sofa, going out the door, getting his leash on, talking to that dog, greeting that person...well you get the idea. Anything that the dog wants they must ask politely for.
Like any training exercise this needs to be proofed in different situations so remember to practice while out on walks too.
Saying please includes before having the leash put on. If you take your dog's leash out and your dog goes nuts then do not put his leash on until he is calm. This may take a while - you have trained him to be crazy as he is rewarded for this behaviour with a walk.
Follow Me!
Before we teach the dog to walk nicely on leash we have to teach him to follow us. This is an exercise more for the owner than the dog (aren't they all, I hear you say!) You need to learn how to keep the dog with you without having the back up of a leash and collar - be an interesting, exciting owner and your dog will want to stay beside you.
I prefer rewarding with a toy for this exericse that I hide in my pocket until we have a break for a quick game of tug.
The secret to getting your dog following, is to move away from him while talking to him in an excited voice. If your dog loses interest, tries to get ahead of you or moves off in another direction you should change direction to encourage following again. Essentially you will do the opposite to your dog - if he slows you speed up, if he turns you go in the other direction etc. This way the dog learns to keep an eye on you.
Start, as always, in a low distraction area and reward following after a few steps. Build the distance you can maintain a following dog and then move onto higher distraction areas.
If your dog does not follow do what ever you have to get and keep his attention. DO NOT work with your dog off leash in an unsecured area unless you have a 100% reliable recall.
Following Course at Home
Following Course at the Park
Open Field Following
If you have learned to keep your dog with you, paying attention to you, even in a distracting environment then you are ready to start LLW!
One-Step-Sit
Now we are going to put these three exericses together: sit, watch me and follow.
Start working on this in a boring situation (on leash) and just wait for your dog to sit. As soon as he sits take a giant step and wait for your dog to join you. It doesn't matter what he is doing, whether he is staring into space, barking or pulling on leash - just wait.
He will eventually come to find your face and he will sit. As soon as he does reward him and take another giant step.
Next time won't take so long and soon you have a dog that is calmly moving with and sitting as soon as you stop.
Now you can begin to delay giving him his treat and wait for him to make eye contact with you (while sitting) before treating him.
When you have progressed to the point where he is offering eye contact as he moves with you and then automatically sits when you stop you can begin building the number of steps that you take.
Follow different patterns so that the dog is encouraged to walk along side you - walking in a circle, with the dog on the inside of that circle will encourage him to walk closely.
As you build to taking several steps you will notice that as you slow down in preparation to stop your dog will watch you closely and then sit. You are learning how to have him pay very close attention to you -slow down slightly.
This lovely simple exercise teaches a very nice attention giving closer walking position which is ideal for distracting, exciting and busy situations. You will need to proof it in ever distraction situations and build the number of steps up.
Default Loose Leash
This along with the above exercises are really the important ones for me and like with any training program, with a bit of fairness, consistency and patience you will see success. A loose leash should be a default behaviour for your dog - what I mean is that the dog should always be aware of keeping the leash loose, without cueing from you. So if you stand still the dog may move within the length of the leash amid distractions without a word from you - sounds hard to believe? well get started working on it so!
First decide what length of leash is comfortable for walking your dog (well, ok this should be decided at the very start but here we are!). I think the best length for comfort and versatility is a 6 foot leash that has another ring so it can be shortened if necessary.
Begin this training exercise in a small room, such as the bathroom so as to give the dog a chance at success - he can't move too far away in a small room.
Click and treat (C+T) the dog while the leash is loose - which should be quite a bit because you are working in a small area.
As you get the hang of it, start putting a small amount of pressure on the leash, just so it goes taught and wait for the dog to move in such a way that slackens the leash.
C+T as soon as he moves to loosen the leash.
After a few sessions of this move to a larger room, after a few sessions here the dog should be getting the idea and you should be able to move around the room. If he tightens the leash you move so that the pressure is slight and then wait for the dog to move in such a way that loosens the leash again. C+T his efforts to keep the leash loose.
Remember anytime the dog moves with you keeping a loose leash, C+T.
After a few sessions, you can begin to up the distraction level by training outdoors in relatively low distraction situations.
Regularly stop and stand still and remind the dog that a loose leash is the way to C+Ts.
I really like the Silky Leash videos from Grisha Stewart of Ahimsa Dog Training - she trains dogs that tension on the leash is cue to return to you - neat! Check out the videos and see for yourself.
Walking in a wide circle, with your dog to the inside of the at circle, is the best way to develop a close walking position. Take a few steps, wait for your dog to join you at your side, then C+T. Repeat until you can move around the entire circle with the dog at your side - this will take practice.
Cavaletti, Ladders and Balanced Walking
Whenever I do Who's walking who? Workshops for pets and their people one of the favourite tools is cavaletti, ladders and obstacles.
Let me explain - cavaletti are borrowed from the horse world and are basically ground or very nearly ground poles that are spaced according to the size and condition of the animal. They are used to help the animal develop and extend gait, to develop the animal's rear strength, to teach the animal how to improve placement of their feet, to raise awareness of their body positioning and lots more. There are lots of uses for these tools in performance horse and dog training.
By using low cavaletti or a ladder flat on the ground we can teach a pulling dog to slow and steady their gait and concentrate how to place their feet.
I first heard of balanced walking when I started to research and study T-touch. Pulling dogs are off balance all the time and by helping them to maintain balance they will find it easier to walk without forging ahead.
For more information check out these resources on T-touch walking in balance by Jennifer Merrit:
Walking in Balance with T-touch
Walking in Balance with T-touch video
For more information on T-touch why not check out Getting in T-touch with your dog by Linda Tellington-Jones.
During Who's walking who? Workshops we also use several different clicker training methods including these discussed here.
Walking your dog should be a pleasure for you and your dog and should not be dreaded or cause you to have an aching body (pulling causes much aching for dogs too). Please teach your dog to walk nicely on leash so that everyone enjoys daily walks and trips.
The first and most important thing to remember is to not allow pulling - remember when going on walks during training use your front clip harness and red light green light (with penalty yards) so that you prevent pulling being rewarded.
Work on training exercises in the mean time in ever increasingly distracting situations so that soon you will be able to walk from A to B without having to stop and start.
Walking nicely is beneficial to people and pets and does wonders for the pet-owner relationship so give your dog a new loose leash on life!
If you would like any advice on LLW with your dog don't hesitate to contact Pet Central for help.