A guide to loose leash walking

When teaching a dog to loose leash walk I like to approach it in three different manners. Each section focuses on a different piece of loose leash walking; all behaviours the dog needs to be successful at walking nicely on leash in various locations.

Long Line Meandering

By utilizing a long line we can really focus on reinforcing the dog with forward movement without having a tight leash. Long lines decrease the dogs chance of hitting the end of the line and unlike Flexi-leads do not rely on the leash being pulled for the dog to move. Start the dog off in an open environment -so avoid the sidewalk for now. It is also beneficial to have interesting things in the environment for the dog to interact with, like trees and bushes. Until my dog is fairly reliable on a shorter leash, these are the walks I take when I don’t want to focus all my attention my dog not putting tension on the leash.

Movement Together

This game I play to reinforce the dog moving with me in the same direction. It’s pretty simple at first and starts off with the handler moving backwards as its easier for the dog to remain engaged. I keep this game short and break it up with some releases to sniff!

1. Mark the dog for offering attention
   1. Reward the dog by tossing the treat behind them
   2. Continue until the dog is quickly orientating back to handler
2. Move 2-3 steps backwards when the dog looks at handler
   1. Mark while the dog is in motion at the same time as handler
   2. Reward by tossing the treat behind handler
3. Move 2-3 steps forward when the dog looks at handler
   1. Mark while dog is in motion at the same time as handler
   2. Reward by tossing the treat behind the dog
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 slowly increasing one step at a time
5. Slowly decrease backwards motion and randomize moving backwards or forwards.

Marking the Leash Clip

This is all about teaching the dog that the movement the leash clip makes while the leash is being pulled tight in important. If your dog is aware of this movement it means they can generalize their loose leash walking skills to varying leash lengths. This game gives the handler a very clear criteria to work with – the movement of the leash clip – and relies on the dogs understanding of a marker word or click.

If you have never used a marker word or clicker with your dog – step 1 in the previous game can help solidify it’s meaning.

This game is simple. The handler is going to meander with the dog in a low distraction area. Whenever the handler sees the leash clip starting to move – because the leash is becoming tight – the handler will mark. Once the dog orientates to the handler they will be rewarded by hand or right at the handlers feet. Overtime what happens is the dog will slow or check in when they are getting to the end of their leash. Just like any new behaviour the dog is learning keeping in a low distracting environment and slowly build up will decrease frustration and increase learning for the dog.

Putting it all together

In essence these three exercises really focus on the main key points of loose leash walking. These are: moving on a loose leash, engaging with handler and moving in a similar direction, and re-orientating / slowing down when they get to the end of the leash. Once the handler and dog have the skills individually they can start practicing these exercises mixed together. If at any time something seems to have gone off the rails, or your dog seems to be practicing the opposite of loose leash walking – be sure to reach out to your local trusted dog trainer.