-
Hi Abbie, great question. This is one that I teach without treats unless I need them. If the dog is resistant, I don’t jerk the leash but I’ll lean or step slowly and as soon as the dog moves along in my direction I’ll praise, clap, skip, whatever that dog likes! The idea here is to differentiate between sniffing mode and moving mode with just my body language. So per the video, when the dog sees my body language is all forward moving, it’s time for us to get in rhythm for a segment of the walk that is going to be exercise without stopping. You can then reward that following behavior with sniff breaks, but the main point is with the right dog and the right weather, the harmony of exercising together in moving mode becomes the reward in and of itself. ????????
One tip to get a dog started more smoothly with moving mode is to first walk a portion of a neighborhood in “sniffing mode” (allowing for all the stops the dog wants) and then walk back through the same portion of the neighborhood that the dog has already investigated and marked. You are likely to get less resistance and more following by starting this way.
Of course, if you have a dog who is already in a pattern of regularly putting on the brakes and refusing to move, you will have to troubleshoot that more carefully and systematically. In such a case you’ll consider using treats to teach a following response to leash tension rather than a “braking response” and then you would shape from there. But this isn’t heel where you’re teaching a very specific position with luring the dog in place – it’s more about pace and the dog staying with you at your pace.
This is one of those interactions that can really improve your handling skills. By focusing on your body language, movements, voice – and the dog’s responses to those – you can get great practice fine-tuning those elements of your “toolbox”. I sometimes call this naked training. No pouch, no treats, no clicker, etc., etc. Your body and your voice are the “items” you always have with you so sometimes I find it especially satisfying to teach with just them. There aren’t a ton of training scenarios where that’s practical (teaching with just your body and voice), but this “moving mode” concept is one of them. I also LOVE teaching fetch this way (no treats, two identical toys) but that’s a story for a different day!