loose leash

[Stacy Deitrich]

Hi everyone, I've really been working with Rosie lately on walking on a loose leash.  Rosie has caught on to most trainings right away... but, this one is really a challenge for both of us.  I do have her in obedience class and that is helping.  But, I'm hoping to get some tips from you all.  What is your best bit of advice to teaching my 9 mo old to walk on a loose leash?  Thanks in advance!

Stacy & Rosie

[Adina P]

Heel is a very precise position relative to you while you walk or stand and it means when you come to a halt she sits.  Heel means your left leg is lined up with her left side (anywhere between her ears and shoulder--although Carol can tell you for sure).  When you speed up, slow down, turn left, or turn right, or turn around she doesn't leave that position.  She is committed to staying in position regardless of where you go.  It is not meant to be a position for a whole walk because it is very mentally taxing and a little extreme to be walking in SUCH a precise manner. But it is extremely useful at times during a walk so that if you need her close by and paying attention to her work you can get that from her.

Loose leash walk just means the dog isn't pulling.  I, personally, think that is harder to train because 'not pulling' is not a DO it's a "DON'T" and teaching a position is easier because it's a real thing to learn and practice.  But 'not pulling' can mean all sorts of things..it can mean walking in front, way to the side...not pulling depends on the length of the leash to some degree.  Keep your dog on a 50 foot leash and she'd probably not pull ;-)

At the same time, regardless if what you are doing is aiming to train 'heel' or 'loose leash' -- "Loose leash" is something you should always strive for.  This means never LETTING her get to the end of the leash to pull.  Your leash pop or other correction should always happen BEFORE she gets to the end of the leash.  So you have to catch her as she is leaving the correct position, not after she's already far gone.

The CGC doesn't care about heel or precise position, only that she doesn't pull or wander and bug people walking nearby.  They just want a dog that appears to be safe in public. You can chatter, pat your leg, sweet talk, whatever as long as you're not correcting or bribing with treats. CGC is not an obedience exam.

I would move to a prong collar if your trainer is okay with it.

They have those no-pull harnesses or gentle leader head halters, etc... it keeps the dog from pulling (though it doesn't keep the dog in any position) because it is awkward or uncomfortable to pull.  I don't like these things because they are more of a crutch and often mean you quit training because these mask the problem by allowing you to walk your dog without training it.  BUT...they are useful if you just need to get out with your dog for exercise until training is complete.

Do you use a command for this position she's supposed to walk in?  Do you use a release word?  I would add a command for this position or type of walk so you can tell her when it's about to begin and when she's done working and can take a sniffing or pee break. 

BUT ALL THIS is stuff your trainer hasn't told you to do...so talk to him first.  If I were a trainer, I'd be annoyed if my student went to everyone else but me and added all these things in that I didn't suggest.  He's a teacher as any other teacher and deserves to be first to help and assist because perhaps something was misunderstood/communicated.  After all, you're paying HIM, not us =)

[Adina P]

It would be helpful to know exactly what you've been taught in class, as specifically as possible.  Because although what I do works superbly well, it isn't something you can just mix and match with other things.  And what Jane and others do also works well for them, but a random assortment of 'tips' when you're following a specific plan won't always help.  Describe as best as you can how you were taught to train Rosie to walk politely without pulling and tell us where you're at, where you struggle, where you do well, etc and we can better assist.

The method I use produces excellent loose leash walking in less than two weeks.  My dogs will walk within about 2 feet of me (not in heel) with no commands or hand signals or eye contact on a 15 foot leash. So despite the fact they can get 15 feet away from me...they stay within about 2 feet...all in two weeks time and around moderate distractions.  So, that said, if this class doesn't help you train a decent polite leash walk to your dog by the end, it's time for a different trainer/class.

[Maria, Ton & Zoe]

Adina, what is your method?  I would very much like to know as we tried multiple things and none seems to work very well.  Zoe is also 9 months old...

[Adina P]

Here is my review: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum2/topics/david-dikemans-command

It's a complete system for full obedience training--on and off leash.  It is very demanding, but worth it if you want a fully trained dog.  I know an excellent trainer about 15 min from you who holds classes who would probably be a better option.  ALWAYS better to have a live trainer, than do it by video or book.

[Stacy Deitrich]

I just replies to Jane's question above.  Should answer your questions.  =)

[Carol Brand]

Loose leash walking requires that a dog learn "self carriage".  This means that THEY have to learn to carry themselves in in a certain space.  Self carriage is hard work on a dog's part.  They have to be paying attention to the handler and they have to adjust their pace which is difficult because a person does not always walk at a pace that is naturally comfortable for a dog.  The dogs have to collect themselves up and not just be constantly plowing forward.

How do you teach self carriage?  First you have to make the dog responsible for finding the correct position.  I always walk on a leash that has quite a bit of slack in it.  Holding a tight leash only encourages a dog to pull.

Next, there has to be a consequence for moving out of the correct zone.  If the dog moves out of the zone and puts any pressure on the leash, I use a strong bump to back the dog off.  PULLING DOES NOT WORK.  If you pull against a dog, it will pull harder against you.  You have to give little bump bump bumps to back the dogs off.  This is where the prong comes in so nicely because you don't have to use a lot of force to get through to the dog.  Sometimes, if the dog is not paying attention at all, and it is totally blowing me off, I will give a really hard yank back to make my point. 

When the dog is moving in the zone, make sure to praise the dog and point out how smart and good it is.  Slipping down a little treat once in a while is also a good idea.  If you have to correct the dog and bump it back, make sure to praise it the second it take two steps in the correct position. 

Changing directions is also a great technique to keep a dog thinking.  It really helps if the handler has good foot work so that she can telegraph her turns.  I always walk my dogs on the left side and I always lead any change off with my left foot.  At first with a turn, I might lure the dog around with a treat and praise.  After a couple of times though, it will be the dog's responsibility to keep watch.   Here again the prong collar is helpful.  If I turn 180 degrees and the dog is not paying attention, it will get a correction when the slack of the leash is taken up.  Ditto a turn to the right.  For turns to the left, I try to make sure that the dog is in the zone before I turn.  If it is forging a bit, I turn right into the dog, knocking it a bit if it is in my way.  I know all this seems a bit harsh, but it puts the choices back on the dog.  If the dog doesn't like getting bumped when I turn, then it will learn to pay attention, stay back a bit and turn when I turn. 

[Dos Doodles--Sam & Luke]

Oh, I can really relate.  Sam used to pull on the leash like it was his job!!  I tried everything!  And just like you, his other training was smooth sailing, but not loose leash walking.  So frustrating.  It was taking the fun out of walking and it was actually hurting the relationship because it was just sooo frustrating!

I got one of those no-pull harnesses.  It's not just a harness for walking.  It actually constricts if the dog pulls into it and makes it uncomfortable to pull.  Aha!  Worked like a charm.  It seems like Sam actually got it after a brief while, and we graduated out of the harness after just a few months.  

I know some people also use the gentle leader.  I don't like the look of those things so I opted for the harness.  It changed my whole relationship with my dog.  Walking was fun again!  Still is!

[Stacy Deitrich]

Ugh!  Just had to bring Rosie back home.  It's a windy day and because of the blowing leaves she has ZERO focus!

[Adina P]

So how did the training look to you?  I mean if I were to be watching video footage of the event...what would I see?  What would I see her do?  What would I see you do?  How long were you out there? 

Remember, that in training, it's not what the DOG does...it's what YOU do in response that makes it a good or bad training session.

[Stacy Deitrich]

Ok, so today's walk was 1.5 miles.  We started out in the house.  We walked around for a while.  LOTS of praising because she was in perfect position doing EXACTLY what she was supposed to be doing.  We stop and sit at the door and wait until I "ask" her to come out.  Then, once outside I try to do a few "halts" so that she is focusing on me.  Whenever she gets out of position I pop the leash.  The further we go the more pops she was getting.  It usually doesn't faze her towards the end of the walk.  I also use a sound with my voice...  Don't know how to spell it.  lol  "AH, AH" with the pop.  as soon as she is in place I praise her.  If she gets really crazy, like when she sees a squirrel or a dog or a leaf  I usuallly have to have her sit next to me for a while to get her back into focus.  We tried to add a few short burst of jogging into it today but she just wasn't focusing because so many leaves were blowing around. 

[Adina P]

So one thing you can do is move away from the distraction if it is too much and go another direction...get a few steps in that are in position, praise, and release her for a reward for a minute or so.  By release I mean the command is over and she can sniff on leash a bit---assuming she doesn't pull.  Then try again or end for the day. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

If you're giving her leash pops, and they are not changing her behavior they are not motivational enough (IMO).  I would definitely talk to your trainer about the possibility of using a different type of training collar.  I trained Guinness using just a slip lead (very similar to what you're using), and he was fine with that.  That would never have worked with Murphy, because the corrections from this collar wern't enough during his training to motivate him to change the behavior.