Scenario A: Imagine walking beside your loved one on a tree-lined path, hand in hand, enjoying a pleasant conversation. You may alter your pace to match your companion’s, pause together to admire the sunlight filtering through to the forest floor and glance at each other occasionally for assurance that you are jointly sharing a special outing.
Scenario B: Now imagine walking the same path, but your loved one grabs your hand and starts towing you from one side of the path to the other. Sudden stops and starts jerk you off your feet, and you grow more agitated by the second as your companion totally ignores your comfort and safety. Your companion’s phone rings, slicing through the silent forest, and he/she interrupts your conversation to talk loudly to the caller. You start pulling back to stop the unpleasantness, which in turn causes your loved one to pull harder in the opposite direction, still while focused on the phone call. Your companion remains oblivious to your distress, as you silently swear that you will never put yourself in this awful situation again.
When you walk your dog, do you identify with Scenario A, Scenario B, or a combination of both?
The secret to walking together, hand in hand, or leash in hand, is consistency. Every single time you put your leash on your dog, you must be willing to practice loose leash walking. When it’s raining. When you’re tired. When a super-duper smell entices your dog into the bushes. Every. Single. Time. You must have the patience of a saint, and constantly remind yourself that your dog is not trying to spite you by forging ahead; he just doesn’t realize (yet) that there is a better way of walking together.
For more information, here are some additional helpful links on loose leash walking:
https://denisefenzi.com/2019/05/reactivity-and-a-loose-leash-chicken-or-the-egg/
In order to be successful at loose leash walking, you first need to work on the connection you and your dog have together. You will need to make checking in with you rewarding enough that your dog offers the behavior even in challenging environments.
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/training/train-your-dog-to-check-in/
Once your dog voluntarily and reliably checks in with you, you’ll need to assess what factors (triggers) in the environment are challenging for her, so you can minimize distractions to build a solid foundation for loose leash walking. If even the backyard is overstimulating, practice in every room of the house first. Once successful inside, move to slightly more challenging environments like the garage, then the back patio, etc. The most important parts of successful loose leash walking are the development of a solid foundation through many, many repetitions while only gradually building in distractions. Do not start on a busy sidewalk or in an off-leash dog park, don’t train when you are tired and always carry truly amazing treats.
https://suzanneclothier.com/article/understanding-thresholds-its-more-than-under-or-over/
These are some good resources for learning how to walk together:
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/training/loose-leash-walking-training-your-dog-not-to-pull/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueE1S1k74Ao&list=PL7287C737FB745168&index=5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFgtqgiAKoQ&list=PL7287C737FB745168&index=2&frags=pl%2Cwn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voW2Vkq0u6Q&list=PL7287C737FB745168&index=3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rwJ1FiZxTA&list=PL7287C737FB745168&index=4
If your dog finds walking in certain environments too challenging, find other, less stressful places to walk, or add plenty of distance so your dog is not overwhelmed and over threshold. Set your dog up for success; practice makes perfect, so orchestrate lots of opportunities for positive experiences for both of you.
Photo Credit: Mark Timberlake from Pixabay
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