Loose Leash Walking- Part 2

Let’s get walking!

So you’re ready to set out with your pup and work on your loose leash walking skills! As with any new skill, it is suggested to begin practicing in a low-distraction environment. If this whole process is brand new to your dog, it’s unfair to expect them to be able to learn it effectively at the park by the playground with squirrels all around. (You wouldn’t teach algebra to a child waiting in line at Disney World, unless you are intent on disappointment.) Start these exercises in your living room, then move them to the yard, then the front of the house, and so on, slowly exposing your dog to increasing distractions as their skills develop.

You’ll need to gather your supplies.

Just one strip of leash, lay the clicker on top

Once you have everything together, your first step is to take hold of the leash! Many people tend to wrap the leash over and over in their hand, giving themselves a big fist of awkward material with no room for their clickers and little control. I prefer to slip my hand through the handle at the end of the leash and grasp the leash just once at a point about halfway down. Then, with just one strip of leash in my hand, I lay the clicker right on top.

Dog, leash and clicker on one side, treats behind your back on the other.

You will want to hold your leash at a point where, when your arm is straight and flush against your side, the leash forms a relaxed ‘J’ between your dog’s collar and your hand. You might like to tie a knot in your leash at this point to make it simpler to hold.

Now that you’ve got your leash hand ready, hook up your pup. Your dog, leash, and clicker will all be on the same side for the duration of your walk. The arm that is holding the leash will remain fixed at your side. Your treats will be held in your opposite hand, behind your back. This is your “set position!” You will return to this pose as your default during your walk.

Any instant of slack in the leash is a rewardable behavior!

Your first steps

All journeys begin with a single step, so go ahead and take yours! When your dog follows along with you, click! the instant that she does. Then bring your treat hand across your body to deliver the treat to her at nose level, in line with the seam of your pants.

You want to make sure that you are delivering the treats while your dog is in the position that you want them to be. If your dog eats their treat while they’re in front of you or at your opposite side, you’ll get a dog who changes lanes and could potentially trip you. If you deliver your treat in the air, your dog will hop up to get it. Once you’ve delivered your treat, bring your treat hand back behind you.

Create a “loose leash zone” that’s a great place to be

Keep taking small steps and click! and treat for every one your dog takes with you. Step, click!, treat. Step, click!, treat. Step,click!, treat. Time your click! for the exact moment that the leash is slack–even if your dog darts out ahead just a moment afterwards. The more well-timed clicks!you make and well-placed treats you deliver, the quicker your dog will catch on to the game. You may only be able to get a split second of loose leash in the beginning, but as long as you keep reinforcing just that split second, it will get longer!

Our goal is to teach the dog that staying in the “loose leash zone” is a great place to be–they get treats there and they get to keep walking. They will choose to default to that zone to get the good stuff they want to keep getting. We build up that behavior through many, many tiny steps and successes

Taking it on the road

So your dog can take one step on a loose leash. That’s an improvement, but maybe not your end goal! How do you start to stretch this out?

Once your dog has figured out that you want them next to you when you move, start asking for just a bit more. Take two steps with your dog beside you before you click! and treat them. Then eventually, 3 steps, 4 steps, 5, and so on. As you are lengthening your spurts of loose leash walking, try to deliver your treats while you are still in motion. Stopping and starting again for each click!and treat makes for a jerky and awkward walk, and you really want your dog to be able to keep walking in position for a long, uninterrupted stretch.

The cues you use

On an hour-long walk with my dog, I pretty much never stop talking. I’m sure I make quite a sight for passers-by, but it’s important to me to give my dog the information she needs to be able to succeed at what I’m asking her to do. We encounter many distractions and challenges on our walks, and I use those as opportunities to practice behaviors she already knows and ones I taught her specifically for navigating on walks. Here are the ones I use the most:

• Let’s walk!/ Let’s Go! Your dog needs to know when you expect him to walk beside you politely. This is the cue for loose leash walking. Just start saying “Let’s walk!” in a cheerful tone right before you start your loose leash walking practice. Your dog will eventually catch on to the pattern.

• Go sniff! This is the most important cue to teach your dog for their walks. Walking next to boring, slow humans is a challenge for dogs, and it requires a great deal of self-control. To give dogs a break from this monotony, offer them frequent breaks to “Go sniff!” This gives them a little breather from being asked to walk in formation, which beginners will need plenty of!

You can also use sniff breaks as a reinforcer for polite walking. If your dog manages to walk on a loose leash all the way up to one of his favorite smelly trees, give him the “Go sniff!” cue as a reward. You’ve increased the likelihood of his loose leash walking behavior by rewarding it with something he likes!

To teach this, I say “go sniff!,” loosen the leash, and let them go sniff whatever it is they might find interesting. When it’s time to move along and I’m confident the dog will willingly abandon the smelly thing, I give my walking cue again and we’re off.

• About An “about” is a 180° turn. You can use “about” if your dog is pulling towards something and you need to get them back into position. You can also use it if you need to get away from something quickly–a scary stranger, a barking dog, a tempting pile of God-knows-what.

• Left/Right These are pretty self-explanatory–give your cue, then indicate and lure your dog into a turn. Be careful not to bump into your dog with your legs, and be aware that it is often most difficult to teach your dog to turn in the same direction as the side that they are walking on beside you (if your dog is on your left, left turns will be more challenging).

• Bring it in This is a useful cue to keep your dog from clothes-lining unsuspecting strangers or to help you navigate tight or crowded spaces. If a dog is too far out from your side, say “bring it in!” in a cheerful tone, then lure them closer to you. Click! and treat when they are in position.

• Sit, down, wave, roll over, leave it, etc. Walks are a perfect opportunity to generalize behaviors that your dog already knows. Why not ask your dog to sit, lie down, sit, lie down, roll over, wave and speak before she gets to go sniff a really great bush? You can use sniffing, saying hello to friendly people, or walking as real-life reinforcers for your dog’s skills, which will make them stronger and more reliable behaviors. Sidewalk pizza is a perfect example of why we teach “leave it” to dogs in the first place!

In our final discussion of loose leash walking, I’ll give you some ideas about what to do when you face challenges and how to turn them into learning experiences!