Pets
Walking Nicely on a Leash
Many of you are probably already experiencing the problem of your puppy pulling on leash. As with most behavior problems this does not simply go away with age. In fact the older and larger your puppy gets, the worse it becomes. To allow your puppy to pull, actually tells your puppy that pulling is acceptable. Many owners inadvertently teach their puppies the fine art of mushing by yanking and pulling their puppies back while continuing to walk. Instead of teaching them not to pull, you teach them to pull harder. When a puppy pulls forward and the owner pulls back but continues to walk, the puppy's reaction is to pull forward again, only harder. He is being inadvertently rewarded since the walk continues; he gets to sniff and his obedient owner (you) follows behind him.You will begin to teach your puppy how to walk nicely on leash by introducing "let's go". "Let's go" means "walk with me without pulling." You will teach your puppy to first stand nicely while on lead. Along with several treats, hold the leash with both hands against your body and reward your puppy anytime he is calm, looking at you and not pulling. Watch your puppy. He will eventually notice that paying attention to you brings about rewards. When a behavior is reinforced, it typically is repeated; when it is not reinforced, the behavior usually is extinguished or doesn't increase in strength. Therefore, not rewarding your puppy for attention will mean that your puppy will look elsewhere for a reward (i.e. the ground, another dog, a person, etc.) If your puppy begins to pull forward, lean slightly backward or take a few steps backward. Do not pull back. Anchor your hands holding the leash securely against your body and wait. Tension may remain on the leash for a while. Continue to brace yourself in this position until your puppy slackens his pull. As soon as he looks back to you, verbally praise him and reward him with a treat next to your side. Continue to verbally praise until you see him start to move forward toward the end of the leash. If your puppy continues to pull and refuses to slacken the lead, say nothing, wait it out until your puppy releases the tension on the lead. If your puppy is very strong, you can tether him and reward him whenever his collar is loose.
Once your puppy stands nicely by your side, you are ready to walk. Begin by saying your puppy's name, "let's go" and begin to walk. As stated above, "let's go" means walk along with me and should be said the second before the pup moves forward with you on a loose leash. Watch your puppy. As long as your puppy walks nicely without pulling, the walk continues and he is periodically rewarded with food treats and verbal praise. Whenever you see that your puppy is about to pull, stop all forward motion and turn yourself into a tree. Wait until your puppy attends to you by looking at your face, verbally praise him and reward him with a treat as you begin to walk forward again. He will quickly learn that when his collar is tight, you no longer follow him; instead the walk is temporarily discontinued. Walks only continue when the puppy is light in your hands (you should feel as if there is no puppy at the end of the leash). Continue to repeat the above steps each time you feel your puppy pulling.
At home, review and practice stationary positions with your puppy in a variety of places. Just because you are not walking, doesn't mean that the puppy is allowed to pull. Start inside, in a distraction free, quiet, familiar areas. Once your puppy is consistently responding, move to more distracting locations. When you train, always set your puppy up to succeed. In order for him to be successful with this training, you should not take him out for a walk to get rid of pent-up energy. If you attempt this, you will only be able to take one step before you have to stop. Instead, tire him out at home and then take him for a nice long walk. You will surely be more successful when he is calm and tired. Ultimately, work outside and incorporate loose leash walking into all of your puppy's walks.
For a few weeks, feed your puppy his daily ration of kibble on walks as a reward for walking nicely. If your puppy is doing well and the entire meal was not given on walk, give the remainder to him in his bowl when you get back home. If the entire meal is gone in the first block, either change to a more motivating reward or practice more at home before working with your puppy in distracting areas.
Enforce loose leash walking anytime your puppy is on leash. Do not allow your puppy to pull to go to the bathroom in the backyard, when you are sitting with him on leash in class, at the veterinarian's office, etc.
When you can walk your puppy in a social situation, or outside, while holding an open cup of liquid in your leash hand, without spilling the liquid, you and your pup have mastered loose leash walking.
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PETsMART Accredited Training Instructors, in addition to their previous experience, receive a minimum of 120 hours of training in a curriculum which includes: Canine Behavior, Learning Theory ("How Dogs Learn"), Problem-Solving, Classroom Management, Equipment, Handling Skills and more. Where possible, hands-on training is completed in partnership with local shelters, using shelter dogs to demonstrate training methods, behavior assessment and handling skills. This enables us to accredit our instructors while contributing to the community, as we help to make these dogs even more adoptable.
Suzanne Hetts Ph.D. is certified as an applied animal behaviorist and co-owner of Animal Behavior Associates, Inc., in Denver, CO.
Terry Ryan is the well-known author of training books such as The Toolbox for Remodeling Your Problem Dog and The Bark Stops Here.
Pia Silvani is the Director of Pet Training and Behavior at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, N.J.
Mary Lee Nitschke, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology at Linfield College, an Animal Behavior Therapist and the Director of Training for Animal School in Portland, OR.
Trish King is the Director of the Animal Behavior and Training Department at the Marin Humane Society in Marin County, CA.
Pamela J. Reid, Ph.D. is a certified applied animal behaviorist and assistant professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, where she teaches veterinary students courses in Applied Ethology and the Principles of Learning.
Information and advice contained on this site is for your consideration only. Please consult your veterinarian for specific advice concerning the care and treatment of your pet.
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