-
Loose leash walking tips
I am going to be working with a young cattle dog about a year and a half old on her loose leash walking. I know of some techniques myself but as a new trainer I was curious what techniques others have found successful.
-
3 Replies
-
Hi @Cory ,
For clients who want to teach their dog to walk at their side, I take a pretty standard approach of rewarding moving position with very high-value treats, gradually increasing the duration of that position between treats, and teaching a specific ‘go sniff’ cue so the dog can be rewarded with freedom on a regular basis.
With my own dogs, I almost never require walking at my side anymore. I use a longer leash (like 10′) so each dog has a bit more freedom to sniff/explore without the leash constantly getting tight, and my main rules are: stay to one side of me (rather than crossing my body), and we don’t move forward if the leash is tight.
-
Congrats on working on LLW. I have seen so many techniques. My favorite is really taking it slow and setting that pup for success. Starting in a house with really no distractions. I start with no leash ( obviously dog is safe in house) down a hallway is good. And start with dog by my side and lure each step. Treat at nose – one step – yes and reward – then slowly add another step treat and reward. If dog seems to follow and do well I treat every other step. I then add leash dragging by side same concept. Then me holding a loose leash. I basically start layering the cake. After the dog is doing well. I start outside the hallway. Living room with tv on , starting off in a review. And so on. For me. It’s watching the dog , are they getting the behavior I am looking for , setting up for success. LLW takes weeks sometimes months all depends on dog. Short sessions, and keep it fun. I would love to hear others and their tricks!
-
@Cory Nice! Congrats on the new client! LLW is such a commonly needed skill that we have a whole channel devoted to sharing tips & tricks. See if anything here is something new to you! Enjoy the ride!
Log in to reply.