“Come on, Dad! Mom! Let’s go!” That was likely me on one of the summer trips we would take up into northern New Hampshire, deep in the White Mountains, when I was a child. We would visit neat places like The Flume Gorge and hike up the backside of Cathedral Ledge. My parents were simply too slow, and they had me on a proverbial tether, forcing my brothers and me to go at their pace. We were impatient. We wanted to just get there.
I had a conversation with an acquaintance last year who wanted to tell me how a dog should be walked. He told me you have to be dominant and keep the leash tight, and, over time, the dog will learn how to walk correctly. The fact that he would presume to elucidate me on proper dog-walking techniques was a little bit of an affront to my ego since this is my line of business and my techniques are backed by tried and true methods and experience. As he finished his recitation, I asked, “What about the opposition reflux? Do you realize that research has shown that a dog’s trachea is much more delicate than we ever realized?” Once he realized he was speaking beyond the scope of his knowledge, the subject quickly changed to one where his stance couldn’t as easily be refuted.
Believe it or not, both of the above experiences tie into leash walking. In my travels throughout Orange and Osceola counties with private, in-home consultations, I drive through neighborhoods observing all sorts of leash behavior. You see dogs, big and small, take their owners for a walk. I also observe many owners doing what my acquaintance did – holding the leash as tight as possible and muscling your way through the walk.
First things first: The walk is for the dog. Muscling your way through the walk not only produces the opposition reflux, where the harder you pull, the harder the dog pulls, but all your dog gets out of the walk is a collapsed trachea, pain, disinterest, and unenjoyment. What you get by the end of the walk is opposition reflux and reaching for Maalox after your daily aggravating tug down the street. The reason why dogs pull is that they want to get there … wherever “there” is, and it is exciting. We have to counteract that excitement with something else of interest. If my parents had offered something exciting along our hike at certain points, it would have encouraged me to enjoy all parts of the hike, not just the endpoint.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the dog loved walking beside you and there was a beautiful symbiotic relationship where your dog can smell occasionally and you can keep moving? It could be almost like a dance where you and your partner each non-verbally have rehearsed your moves and you each know your routine. Well, that is precisely how I think of leash training. So, keep these points in mind when you decide to teach your dog the most humane and gentle way of “dancing.”
- Put your dog’s leash on inside the house and walk around the house indoors, keeping your dog to the left, if you desire, and give him treats right by your left leg. This is the zone that your dog needs to have her head located on the walk. Don’t hand her a treat in any other location, and make sure the leash has a J shape hanging loosely from her harness and your hand. This will be your default walking spot and position. Get this default perfect inside the house.
- Once the default is perfect, go to a slightly more distracting location, such as a backyard or patio. Get that location perfect. Still use treats to keep her in position.
- Next, it is time to take the dance from rehearsal to stage (street). Don’t initially go on a full walk, but instead, practice getting leash walking perfect in the driveway or in front of your house. Don’t be stingy with the treats! We want your dog to love being beside you and to love “the dance.”
- Lastly and gradually over several days or weeks, move farther and farther away from your driveway, using it as your anchor point to which you can always come back. Over time, you and your dog will be walking in symbiotic bliss.
Of course, there are lots of subtleties to this training protocol, and it would be irresponsible of me to say, “That’s all there is to it.” But it is important to realize why dogs do what they do and then try to modify behavior methodically. Many owners would find it beneficial to hire a qualified, force-free, positive dog trainer to guide you through the whole protocol and help you remember that leash training is a process that doesn’t happen overnight. Patience and practice are necessary. You need not be a prima ballerina; just try not to have two left feet.