Loose Leash Walking- Part 1

Gimme Some Slack! 

Just picture it–you and your dog peacefully strolling along side-by-side down the street. Enjoying one another’s company in the carefree, effortless way that dogs and people are made to do. No one is falling on their face, no shoulders are being pulled out of socket, squirrels run to and fro and no one bats an eye. It might seem like a fantasy, but it is possible to accomplish with enough practice!

Loose leash walking can be one of the most difficult skills for a dog to learn. It’s because of this that I’ve split this topic into three blog posts. First, we’ll discuss what a walk actually entails. “One leg in front of the other, right?” Not so fast…

Humans walk very slowly compared to dogs, and if you’ve ever helped a wobbly toddler or an unsteady grandparent walk, you know how grueling it can feel to slow your pace down to what feels like a crawl. On top of that, humans aren’t even interested in stopping to sniff, and you hardly ever see one peeing on things! For dogs, we’re terribly boring to walk with, so it makes sense for them to want to power forward and get to the good stuff faster. There’s so much interesting stuff in the world and some slow-poke human is slowing them down!

Regardless of the difference in species, it is possible to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash. Plus, it’s an important and valuable skill to have; dogs who are polite on leash are brought along to more places, meet more people, and learn how to conduct themselves in different environments. Going for walks with your dog is an excellent bonding experience as well–exercising, socializing, and just enjoying some fresh air with your best friend is good for everyone! It’s also safer for your dog to learn not to pull; dogs who pull on leash can develop injuries to their neck or trachea from the pressure of their collars.

What is a walk?

Walks serve multiple purposes. For an urban dog, walks might be the only way for him to relieve himself outside, and the only time he gets to stretch his legs. For all dogs, they are an information-gathering session. Just as humans like to look around and take in the sights, dogs enjoy and thrive on taking in the scents of their neighborhoods.

Walks provide an opportunity for you and your dog to practice good manners behaviors in different environments, thereby strengthening those behaviors. You may have practiced “sit” and “down” in your house or yard, but how about in the park? Or next to a schoolyard with noisy children? If you encounter friendly strangers who want to pet your dog, you’ve got a great opportunity to practice polite greetings (not jumping up). Practicing your dog’s skills in new environments teaches them that “sit” means “sit,” whether you’re in front of the fridge or standing in a parking lot (this is called generalization).

Walks are a way for humans and dogs to socialize and experience new things. You might encounter someone with a cane on your walk with your puppy, giving your puppy the chance to learn that people with canes aren’t scary, but are actually fun! Maybe a motorcycle passes by, and you take the opportunity to toss your dog a really delicious treat. They’ll still be loud, but motorcycles won’t be the terrifying monsters they could have been. Perhaps your dog hasn’t been exposed to strollers, or people in sunglasses, or bridges, or noisy gates, or lawnmowers–all of which you might encounter in an outing together. The more your dog experiences—and has a good time experiencing—the more socialized and well-adjusted they will become.

What isn’t a walk?

Walks are not adequate and complete exercise for the majority of dogs. Unless you have a very tiny or aged dog, a walk around the neighborhood is a drop in the bucket of their physical needs. If you have a dog with an average or above-average level of energy, you’ll need to supplement your walks to tongue-dragging, panting, hardcore exercise. (Tug, fetch, flirt poles, training games, and running around like crazy are all good options.)

Walks are also not the obedience ring; allow your dog to sniff and enjoy themselves without having to be in a perfect “heel” the entire time. Humans get to go wherever they want whenever they want, they can use language and money and have thumbs. Meanwhile, our dogs are at our whims as far as their outings and adventures go. Don’t we owe it to them to let them enjoy themselves at least a bit?

Finally, walks are not a time for greeting or socializing with other dogs. Allowing your dog to greet other dogs while on leash is an unwise and potentially dangerous habit. When dogs are greeting one another politely, they turn to the side and approach each other like a yin-yang, nose to rump. Dogs on leashes are unable to turn to the side and greet others appropriately, they can only pull straight ahead. Many dogs on the receiving end of this type of greeting are understandably frightened, stressed, and even defensive. Dogs of the giving side of this on-leash greeting are stressed and highly aroused–not the best moods to interact politely and appropriately.

“But my dog’s friendly! He loves everyone!” you might protest. While it may very well be that your dog is friendly and gregarious to all other dogs, that doesn’t mean that every other dog you may encounter is or that they feel like meeting your dog. Dogs who are otherwise happy to play and romp with others can easily and understandably take offense to someone barging into them head-on when they’re trying to enjoy a peaceful stroll with their person. That’s not to mention dogs who are elderly, are easy to startle, ill or injured, are in training, or who are afraid of other dogs.  These dogs deserve to have a happy and safe walk with their people just as much as your social butterfly.

By abstaining from on-leash dog greetings you also set your dog up to understand that “on-leash time” = “people time.” Your dog will learn that when they are on leash, their attention is to be paid to their person, and there’s no sense in getting excited about the dog across the street because they are never allowed to play with or greet dogs when they’re on leash. This will make it much easier for you to walk with your dog in areas with other dogs without having them get ramped up, expecting to say “hello” to every canine in sight.

Who’s walking whom? 

With all of these rules and considerations rattling around in your head, you might be wondering what we’re actually going to teach the dog! When we’re training a dog, we need to have a very clear picture in our head of what we want the dog to do so we can set them up to achieve it. My walking rules for dogs are the following:

• The dog stays on one side of me while walking (I prefer my left side). No sudden lane changes!
• The leash needs to remain slack. As soon as the leash tightens, walking (and fun time) ends. When the leash is slack, walking resumes. 
• The dog is allowed to sniff or investigate things that are within the length of the leash.He or she may not tighten the leash to get to something.

And since too many rules are never much fun, I also have some walking guarantees for dogs. I guarantee that on our walks together…:

• The dog is given frequent sniff breaks. She or he may take a break from walking beside me when I give a cue for a sniff break, and the sniff break ends when I give a cue to indicate we’re moving along. Beginner dogs will need many sniff breaks, experienced dogs can usually manage with some really choice sniff spots.
• The dog will not be forced to confront, meet, or socialize with anything–living or otherwise–that makes them uncomfortable or afraid. Walks are about enjoyment, and should be a safe and fun activity for everyone involved. If a dog is uncomfortable with something or someone, simply walk away from it. No explanation needed.
• The dog will not be pulled, yanked, “corrected,” tugged, or directed by the leash.Leashes are safety belts, not steering wheels. Leashes are there to keep your dog safe in the case of an unexpected event, not to be used like the reigns on a horse.
• The dog will be given every opportunity to succeed. I will not ask more of a dog than I am confident they are able to achieve, even if it means our walks are only two blocks long.

In the next post, we’ll actually get to taking a step!