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Home » Home & Garden » Dog Tricks & Training » How To Do Loose Leash Walking With Your Dog & Put An End To Pulling Once And For All!

How To Do Loose Leash Walking With Your Dog & Put An End To Pulling Once And For All!

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When walking your dog on a leash, do you keep the leash tight?  Most people do.  It’s usually the style of leash walking that most dogs gravitate to — where the dog is in the lead, and you’re on the other end of the leash following (or being pulled!) along.

Have you ever tried loose leash walking?

loose-leash-walking-by-Edgar-Zuniga-Jr.jpg

The fact is dogs actually need to be taught how to walk on a leash the right way.

With loose leash walking, your dog trots next to you at the same exact pace that you are walking while the leash loosely dangles between the two of you.  In effect, you would only need to tug on the leash if your dog got really curious or distracted and wandered off to explore something — like a tree, a person, or another dog.  It’s actually more effective to just stop walking (instead of tugging on the leash) any time you need to get your dog’s attention.  Loose leash walking is a great technique… and it works.

Once you’re ready to give loose leash walking a try, I’m sure that you’ll find loose leash walking is much more comfortable (and enjoyable) for both you and your dog!

The socialization period in a puppy’s life (roughly from 4-12 weeks) is the most influential time in a puppy’s life. One measure of how successful early socialization is how easily a dog walks on a leash, a significant indicator of a dog’s comfort level with humans. Well-socialized dogs feel safe around humans and like to be close to them, so they exhibit less pulling and straining. A study conducted in Maine found that puppies that spent time with humans between 5 and 9 weeks had the fewest problems on the leash, following happily, with minimal coaxing.  ~Katz on Dogs

 

My Own Experience

I’ve definitely learned this to be true firsthand.

When walking my dogs, it is a lot easier to walk them on a loose leash.  However, I will admit, it doesn’t happen all of the time.

This is something that I’m still working on.

Both of my dogs love to pull when they are being walked.  My youngest Min Pin will usually stop pulling and walk beside me, so I can comfortably walk her on a loose leash now.  But her sister is another story.  I’m still working on loose leash walking with her!

I’ve found the following tips and video to be most helpful…

 

How To Teach Loose Leash Walking

For loose leash walking you want to make sure the clip to the leash stays under your dog’s chin at all times.  That means there should never be any tension on the leash.  When there is tension, your dog will give resistance and start to pull; it’s just a dog’s natural reaction.

This next point might seem strange, but you don’t want to start walking your dog right away as soon as you clip the leash onto your dog’s collar.

Instead, start with your feet planted firmly on the ground.  Have the leash in both of your hands.  Then, practice pulling back and letting the leash go slack.  When the leash is slack take a step.  If your dog still pulls, keep practicing with pulling back and then giving the leash some slack.

The goal is to always have some slack in the leash between you and your dog while your dog is walking next to you (rather than in front of you).

This video demonstrates how to practice loose leash walking with your dog:

Here are some tips for teaching loose leash walking, based on the age of your dog.

There is another way to keep dogs from pulling when leash walking as well…

loose-leash-walking-by-jenny-downing.jpg

 

How & Why A Gentle Leader Works

If you are still having trouble with loose leash walking, you may want to give a gentle leader head collar a try.

With a gentle leader, your dog follows (rather than leads) on walks!

I just got one, and I plan on using it on my oldest dog.  I am hoping that with the help of the gentle leader head collar I will be able to walk both of my dogs on a loose leash very soon — instead of just the one.

This video shows how and why the gentle leader works:

Here are 7 ways to improve loose leash walking.

Carrie
Carrie

I have 2 Miniature Pinschers. My husband and I consider them our 4-legged kids.

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Filed Under: Dog Walking Leashes & Collars, Fun Dog Stuff, Home & Garden Tagged With: Dog Behavior Issues, Dog Games & Activities, Outdoor Fun With Dogs, Walking Tips & Leashes For Dogs

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LynnetteI like to help Dog Parents find unique ways to do things that will save time & money -- so I write about "outside the box" Dog Tips and Dog Hacks that most wouldn't think of. I’m a lifelong dog owner -- currently have 2 mixed breed Golden Aussies that we found abandoned on the side of the road as puppies. I've always trained my own dogs and help friends train theirs, as well. Professionally, I worked at a vet and have several friends who are veterinarians -- whom I consult with regularly. (And just because I love animals so much, I also worked at a Zoo for awhile!) I've been sharing my best ideas with others by blogging full-time since 1998 (the same year that Google started... and before the days of Facebook and YouTube). My daily motivation is to help first-time dog owners be better prepared from the first day your new puppy enters your home. I like to help dog owners understand what's 'normal' and what you can expect in terms of living with and training your dog -- how to get through the ups & downs of potty training, chewing, teaching commands, getting your dog to listen, and everything else that takes place during that hectic first year! When I'm not training, walking, grooming, or making homemade treats for my dogs, you will find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites). To date, I've written over 500 articles for dog owners on this site! Many of them have upwards of 200K shares.

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