When training a dog to walk nicely on leash there are only two rules: 1.
) Do it in secret or in disguise and 2.
) Don't go anywhere! 1.
) Walking Incognito If your dog is not yet trained it is a good idea not to make a fool of yourself on the street.
Hence the disguise.
This is particularly important for dog trainers walking their untrained dogs - always a considerable embarrassment.
Of course there is always the excuse that you're training a client's dog but even this excuse wears a bit thin when you're walking the same dog - your dog - around the same block - your block.
A smart thing to do, therefore, before making a potential fool of yourself on the streets is to practice walking your dog in private.
One of the best places to practice is around your apartment - the weather is good all year round, no one is looking and the dog is less distracted.
Set up a walking course from room to room and around table and chairs.
Once your dog trots calmly by your side on a loose leash, it is time to venture on to the streets outside.
2.
) Don't Go Anywhere! Basically there are just a few reasons for walking the dog: a.
) For the dog's enjoyment - a good walk and sniff; b.
) For your enjoyment; c.
) To get the dog from A to B, e.
g.
, from front door to car, or from apartment to dog park; and d.
) To allow the dog the opportunity to 'empty out'.
Let's take the last first - d.
) Walking a dog to eliminate.
Apart from watching Animal Planet's Underdog to Wonderdog on the telly, the good old dog walk is probably the most exciting event in urban dogdom and so, most dogs are likely to look forward to its beginning and to loathe its ending.
Thus, walking a dog to stimulate it to pee or poop generally becomes a training error, which may generate any of many problems.
Most smart dogs (and indeed, most are smarter than us in this respect) will quickly learn that their highly enjoyable walk is highly likely to end the moment the they deposit any kind of eliminatory product on the sidewalk.
Here on in, your dog is likely to employ delaying tactics to postpone the ending of its walk.
This can be frustrating in itself.
More annoying though, stemming from the fact that a dog's patience and determination usually exceeds that of its owner, the dog's powers of withholding may exceed the length of the walk.
Now we have a big problem, the owner returns home with a full dog which really needs to relieve itself.
Consequently, many dogs develop the habit of soiling the house immediately after returning home from a good long walk.
Ironically, the behavior has been effectively trained in, albeit unintentionally, by the owner.
Luckily the solution is simple.
Take your dog outside to relieve itself but don't go anywhere! Just stand around with your dog on leash on the sidewalk right outside of your apartment entrance.
Read the paper and give your dog five or ten minutes to produce.
If the dog doesn't 'go' in the allotted time period - no big deal, go back inside and try again in 15-30 minutes.
To keep an eye on your dog until then, it's a great idea to keep the dog on leash and by your side.
If the dog does eliminate while standing outside - this is indeed wonderful.
And so, i) tell your dog it's wonderful...
"What a WONDERFUL doggie!!! Do you want to go for Walkies?" ii) clean up the mess and dispose of it and iii) say "Walkies" once more and proceed to enjoy walking your 'empty dog'.
Rather than unintentionally 'punishing' the dog, by ending the walk and starting for home the moment it relives itself; Now, starting the walk rewards the dog for prompt delivery.
You'll find, a No Elimination-No Walk policy, produces an extremely speedy on-command eliminator within just a few days training.
Now for walking your dog for the pure pleasure for you both or because you need to get somewhere with your dog; The essential ingredients of enjoyable dog walking are i.
) that the dog walks close to your side when requested and sits when you stop and ii.
) at other times range and sniff without exerting undue tension on the leash.
The reasons why many owners experience difficulties walking their dog are twofold: The owner is distracted and/or in a hurry and doesn't pay attention to what the dog is doing such that the dog pulls and gets away with it and also that pulling on leash is both incredibly and intrinsically reinforcing.
If the leash is tight the dog doesn't have to pay attention to you as the leash acts as a sort of telegraph wire for the dog to know where you are.
Again, the solution is simple and very similar to that above.
When training your dog to walk on leash, Don't go anywhere! For the next few days, walk your dog with the sole intention of training your dog to walk in a civilized fashion.
With a handful of your dog's breakfast or dinner dry kibble in a plastic bag in your pocket and a good book or newspaper in your hand go outside and stand around with your dog on leash and wait for it to sit.
Ignore all the dog's antics.
It doesn't matter whether the dog jumps, barks, or pulls on leash.
Ignore all inappropriate behaviors.
Strangely enough but utterly fortuitous, the more the dog misbehaves and the more we ignore the bad behavior, the deeper good behavior will be entrenched at a later date.
Basically your dog is working out all the ploys which don't work and eventually, the single ploy that does - Sitting.
Eventually your dog will sit, if only for a second The instant the dog sits, say "Good", offer a piece of kibble and then take one giant step and stand still and wait for the dog to sit again.
The single step will reactivate the dog.
This time though, the dog will likely take less time to sit.
Once it does - same as before - good/kibble/giant step.
After just ten or so sits, you will find your dog will sit the instant you stand still after each step.
Now try taking two steps before stopping for the dog to sit.
Then go for three steps in each walk-stop sequence.
You'll find the dog becomes surprisingly attentive and does not pull on leash.
Instead your dog eagerly anticipates each standstill so it may sit to claim another piece of kibble.
Now take five steps in each sequence and then eight, ten, twenty and so on.
You will now find your dog walks calmly and attentively by your side and sits promptly and eagerly whenever you stop - we call this walking on leash.
And you've trained your dog to do it without a single correction and by only uttering the lovely words "good dog!" Now comes the real pay off - time for the both of you to get the most out of walks.
Alternate periods of walking on leash with periods when you allow your dog to range and sniff (signaled by a suitable instruction to 'go on', 'go sniff').
Be careful not to allow your dog to tighten the leash when ranging.
If it does, simply stand still until it comes and sits by your side.
This will accustom your dog to sitting close when you stand still in response to the approach of other dogs, or passersby.
Happy tails on happy trails...