How to teach loose leash walking?

To make sure you’re safe from being pulled over, it’s important to teach them to walk calmly. Teaching your dog to walk with a loose lead takes a great deal of patience and time. Walking nicely on the lead, follow these steps and your dog should be walking nicely and calmly on the lead in no time. 1Choose equipment that is comfortable and safe, a quick internet search will show you equipment that promises to ‘cure’ pulling, but some equipment causes pain or discomfort when the dog pulls by putting tension in a sensitive area. 2Reward your dog when they are by your side, you need to teach your dog that being near you pays off, starting in your home or garden where it’s calmer, reward your dog for sitting or standing by your side. 3Practice without the lead to begin with, at first, practice without the lead attached, then you can start to introduce it once your dog is reliably following you. 4Next, add in movement, as you move forward, reward your dog whenever they are by your side, when they begin to get the hang of it, slowly increase the time and distance between rewards. 5Consistency is key, be consistent with your training each time you go out with your dog, this may take time but will be well worth the effort in the end. 6Stop walking when the lead starts to tighten, teach your dog that walking next to you with a loose lead means they get to move forward – and pulling means they don’t, the second the lead starts to tighten, stop walking, stand still, keep quiet and don’t move forward again until the lead is slack.

To teach your dog to walk on a loose leash you will need a collar or harness, a leash, and treats. Fill your pocket or treat pouch with treats. Decide what side you’d like the dog to walk on, and hold a few treats on that side of your body. Hold your leash in the hand opposite the dog. Take a step, then stop, it’s okay if the dog doesn’t stay in “heel” position, feed the dog some treats from your hand, in line with the seam of your pants. Repeat, take step, stop, feed a treat at your side, along the seam of your pants. When the dog is looking eagerly up at you for more treats, take two steps instead of one before stopping and feeding the dog. If the dog pulls ahead, stop walking immediately, call your dog back to you, or use the treats in your hand to lure the dog back to your side, but don't treat her yet, take two to three steps forward before feeding. Gradually take more steps between each treat. You can talk to your dog to help keep her attention on you.