Lead the Walk
Are you one of those people who dreads walking your dog because it always involves your dog barreling along the road, dragging you, arm stretched forward, running in a slightly sideways gait, and holding on for dear life, just hoping that your companion canine doesn't do anything embarrassing or dangerous today? If you are, then who can blame you for not taking your dog out as often as you should—for at least three bathroom breaks a day, and for a combined time of at least forty-five minutes, most of which should be on one particularly long walk? But here's the catch: as I mentioned in Trick No. 1, if your dog isn't getting out on a long walk every day, he or she will put all that pent-up energy to bad use.
So, the less you walk your dog, the more out of control he or she becomes, and that means a much more difficult walk. It's a destructive cycle. But don't worry; I'm going to show you how to make your dog walks a pleasure. And we're going to start by making sure you're using the right tool.
The Right Equipment
The vast majority of badly behaved dogs who pull on leash wear the same piece of bad equipment: the harness. A harness straps across the chest, giving your dog the ability to put all his or her weight into dragging you along, while doing nothing to control the head, which is the secret to controlling both a dog and his or her issues. What you should be using is a slip leash, a magical piece of dog-training equipment that is great for both you and the dog. Instead of putting all the pressure on the front of the neck like using a collar does, a slip leash spreads the pressure out, turning it into a gentle squeeze that goes all around the neck—try it on yourself; give a gentle tug backwards or to the side and see that it doesn't choke, but instead applies pressure all around your neck (if the dog keeps pulling and pulling, though, it can choke, so never let your dog pull, and always use a short, gentle tug and immediate release; also, never leave your dog tied to anything with a slip leash, as it will tighten on the throat if the dog turns around and around).
A dog has a natural inclination to pay attention when he or she feels pressure on the neck, as this is how a higher-ranking dog will show dominance, by mouthing the lower dog's neck; it's also how a mum dog calms her pups when she picks them up by the scruff and the mild pressure around the neck causes the pups to automatically relax. Make sure you put the slip leash on the dog correctly, with the leash part going from your hand and across the back of the dog's neck and then under, rather than underneath it and then up and over the back. If it goes across the back of the neck first and then under and back on itself, the leash will tighten when tugged but then loosen when relaxed, because the ring can fall; if the leash part goes under the neck first, then the ring won't fall when you relax the leash, and it won't loosen, which will just create tension. (If you walk the dog on your left, imagine holding the leash open in a P shape as you put it over your dog's head; if you walk him or her on your right, imagine a b shape.)
Head Held High
And to get your dog walking next to you without pulling, you simply need to just make sure the slip leash is high up on his or her neck, right up under the jaw and as close to the base of the ears as possible. This prevents your dog being able to move his or her head in any direction, keeping him or her focused on the walk instead; if your dog tries to pull, all that will happen is the head will automatically be lifted, preventing his or her ability to get traction to pull ahead. The difference between having a slip leash high or low is huge, with the former making walks so much easier just by itself. It's particularly effective at encouraging your dog to be more confident, as it helps him or her keep his or her head held high; just as mood effects body language, body language effects mood, so don't let your fearful dog adopt a fearful posture.
The Trick to Taking the Lead
But there are some pretty cool ways to have your dog accept your lead so that you don't need to keep him in check physically, which is of course better all round. Read on to learn a fun trick to teach your dog that he or she should completely forget about trying to walk ahead of you, and instead take his rightful place beside or behind you, never challenging your leadership.
(For brevity, in the rest of the article we will discuss as though the dog will be walked on your left, but if you walk your dog in your right, just reverse all the instructions.)
Keep your dog on your left and the leash loose. You want to have a calm, assertive, confident attitude and body language, and a positive image in your head of how you want the walk to be —expect the walk to be great (dogs read your mind through your body language very easily). But do also be prepared for things to start to go wrong and know how you will deal with them quickly and effectively so that you can get back on track—more about overcoming possible setbacks later.
Now, and throughout the walk, do not look at your dog; this just invites a challenge and shows that you're not being a good leader who would be focusing on the walk, not the dog. Wait until the dog is calm and not demanding to move forward, then give a little tug and start walking. Imagine an invisible line that runs left-right in front of you. As soon as you notice out of the corner of your eye that your dog even tries to pass that line (starts to walk ahead of you), immediately turn right 90 degrees and give him or her a quick but light tug to follow (90 degrees is better because you can easily tug him to the side but not so easily backwards). Stay aloof, but enjoy as your dog realises that the attempt to get ahead immediately put him further behind.
Your dog will catch up and most likely try to overtake once more. Just once again change direction, nonchalantly, 90 degrees to the right, and give a tug. Remember, do not look at your dog when doing this. Keep your shoulders back and your head up, and focus on leading the walk.
Do this again and again and you will soon notice that your dog isn't trying so hard to get ahead. Keep it up. Maintain the positive attitude and ignore the dog. Act aloof. Enjoy yourself. When you get the hang of it and feel more in control, start cutting him or her off to the LEFT; you'll be amazed how your dog starts looking up at you to see what you want him or her to do—or maybe just to admire you as you demonstrate such great leadership. Do a few more right turns, then a few more left, whether your dog tries to take the lead or not.
Stay Relaxed
Apart from when giving a light tug, you want a loose leash throughout—tension in the lead is tension in the leader-follower relationship, and it also enables your dog to test his or her physical strength against yours, so don't do it. Relax your arms, and relax the leash (especially when he or she meets other dogs—but more about that in a later article).
This whole exercise is a mind game. Dogs need a leader. If the leader isn't you, your dog will feel that he or she has to fill the role. By constantly showing your dog that he or she will always be behind you until you say otherwise, he or she will learn that it's his or her place to follow. The only way you can lose this game is to give in. Stay focused on having a perfect walk with you leading and that's what will happen (particularly with dogs, but also as in life, what you think will happen will happen, so keep a positive image in mind).
Your attitude is key, so don't let yourself get frustrated; if you control yourself, you control the situation, and that means you control the dog.
Taking It On the Road
I can fix a bad puller in minutes practicing this technique; it's never failed yet, no matter how big or strong the dog, nor his or her age. It works. If it's not working for you, read the instructions again and see where you're going wrong. It's probably that you're watching the dog, tightening the leash, or imagining it all going wrong—so DON'T!
You can do this exercise in a quiet road or park, where you have space to keep turning when necessary. Once your dog is walking nicely behind or beside you, you can start to walk in a straight line, but keep using tugs upwards and inwards (towards you) as soon as your dog starts to move too far behind, to the left, or ahead. Don't watch the dog; instead, simply feel the direction your wrist is being pulled in and just tug back.
Keep Control
For the first few minutes or so of any walk, while you are establishing leadership, don't let your dog smell the ground, go to anything, or even look at anything. When your dog wants to pee on a tree, keep walking, but allow him to pee at another tree instead. You are in control, and your dog will like that. Once he or she accepts your lead, you can grant more freedom, allowing your dog more of the leash to explore the environment as he or she wants, but never allow your dog to pull (just tug back) and make sure you take the lead again when the situation requires it or when heading home.
Be Prepared
There will always be times when you feel your dog is not accepting your lead or maybe starts to play up, perhaps because he or she is scared or wants to go and investigate something; just accept these incidents as great opportunities to once again demonstrate your leadership, and be prepared for how you will handle them. Here are some suggestions:
1. Just stop and ignore, even if it is fearfulness. Don't go anywhere until your dog is back in a calm state. But do give praise as soon as the dog starts to relax more. Alternatively, you can gently put your dog in a more confident posture, such as sitting with head up or standing with tail out or up, and then give praise and/or calming strokes.
2. Do the change-direction exercise a few more times until your dog has fallen back into line.
3. Give a tug up on the leash and make a short, sharp sound to get your dog's attention, and then just carry on with the walk.
4. Give a touch or make a 'Tsst!' noise to quickly divert your dog's attention back to you.
5. Push your dog's flank (around his upper thigh / waist area). This is a dog way of asserting oneself. You can use the side of your leg or knee if easier. But DO NOT HIT—it's a gentle shove, pretty much like leaning against your dog, to put your dog's rear slightly off balance.
Always, don't dwell on the unwanted behaviour; just quickly move on and focus on the good walk ahead, and expect your dog to follow alongside you. Remember to correct the behaviour at the earliest possible opportunity, which may be when your dog even just looks at another dog or a cat.
And be careful not to project your own fears onto your dog—this happens a lot! When you see something that you think may be a problem, just ignore it, keep your head up and shoulders back, and make sure you are not unconsciously giving your dog a clue that he or she should be prepared for trouble ahead. Control yourself if you want to control your dog.
Good Dog!
Whenever your dog is walking nicely, give praise or a treat. Speak in high, soft tones, and rub his side (not the head, which can feel like a threat, or the chest, which gets dogs excited). Let your dog know when you're happy with what he or she is doing and you will see more of that behaviour. Just be careful not to raise the excitement level. But dogs love praise, so be sure to tell them when they're doing great.
With your dog's perceived leadership on the walk now relinquished to you, you will start to see a huge improvement in his behaviour, as he or she will realise that it's no longer his (stressful) responsibility to decide what to chase, attack, jump up at, get excited by, or be afraid of. When people start to lead their dog walks, they all report that their dog seems happier, that the walk is far more enjoyable, and that their relationship with their dog seems far more fulfilling. You will enjoy those same benefits; all you have to do is believe it and stay positive.
Summary
Here is a summary of the most important points you need to remember:
- Leading the walk is key to controlling your dog's behaviour in other situations.
- Use a slip leash, and be sure it is on the right way round and high up under the jaw.
- Use light tugs to communicate with your dog.
- When your dog tries to walk ahead, just change direction, 90 degrees, with a tug, so he or she is behind you again.
- You cannot achieve what you don't first envision; how you perceive the walk to be is key, as your dog can read your body language, so say positive, confident, and calm, and always envision a great walk.
- Your dog will accept your lead if you believe it and don't give up.
- When demonstrating leadership on the walk, control everything; grant (and take away) more freedom once your dog is following nicely.
- Dogs are happier when they have a cal, confident, benevolent leader.
- Be prepared for opportunities to demonstrate you are a leader.
- Whenever possible, correct unwanted behaviour before it even begins.
- Do not dwell on mistakes; move on quickly from upsets and get back on track, enjoying a nice, calm, walk with your dog.
- Envision a good walk, and do not project your own fears; control yourself and your thoughts and you will control your dog.
- Praise lavishly or give a treat whenever your dog is doing well.
- Dogs want to relinquish control and their issues to a good leader—remember that.
Seán
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