Four Leash Walking Tips

Eric Says:

A few years back a very distraught lady walked into my
office. When I looked at her, I thought she was recently
assaulted. She sat down and started to cry. I offered her
a glass of water and waited. When she calmed down a little
she started to explain that the two black eyes and the
broken nose were from her 95lb. black lab.

She told me that her dog was uncontrollable, that just a
couple of days before she had attempted to take him for a
walk. As she was leaving her house her dog saw a cat across
the street and took off. She held onto to the leash until
she tripped and went face first into the door jam - breaking
her nose and giving her the two black eyes.

She added that she really loved her dog but did not know how
she could keep him if she could not walk him. She tried choke
and prong collars but nothing was working.

I assured her that we could get her dog walking on leash and
showed her a Gentle Leader head collar. I explained that choke
collars are not very effective for most dogs. Prong or pinch
collars can be very effective but some dogs have a high
tolerance and do not get the results that you need.

Gentle Leaders are effective because they work by controlling
your dog's head. Where the head goes the body must follow.
Most training collars work by trying to control the dog's body.
A traditional collar that goes around your dog's neck allows your
dog to put all of his weight into the collar making it difficult
if not impossible to control the dog.

A Gentle Leader goes around your dog's nose. The leash is
attached under your dog's chin. When your dog tries to pull
his head will turn, making it very difficult to put his body
weight into it.

But there are some drawbacks to Gentle Leader head collars.
For instance:

The first time you put one on your dog there is a good chance
your dog is going to hate it. You really need to take some time
to get your dog used to it.

The other drawback is that the Gentle Leader looks like a
muzzle and people will think your dog is aggressive.

Once your dog is used to the Gentle Leader walking your dog
will be much more enjoyable. It really is like power steering
for your dog.

The distraught lady that I described at the beginning of this
email ended up keeping her lab. We did just two training sessions together and she has had no problems walking since then.

There are many different kinds of training collars and harnesses
for dogs. Gentle Leaders, choke collars, prong collars, no pull harnesses just to name a few. Different dogs have different needs. Sometimes you need to experiment to find out what works best on
your dog.

Pulling on leash is a very common obedience problem for a lot
of dog owners. There are many different types of collars on the
market today. With all the choices dog owners have today it is
easy to get confused. In this email you'll discover a collar
that will stop your dog from pulling.

Choke collar, prong collar, pinch collar, dog collar, pulling,
heel, leash walking, gentle leader, halti, head collars, walking
on leash, obedience, dog behavior, behavior problems

Did you know that one of the biggest problems for dog owners
is leash walking? Every week I get a call from someone
complaining about the way their dog pulls.

It can actually be dangerous for you to walk your dog if he
is a really bad puller. I've seen people dragged down and hurt
by how hard their dog pulls.

I'm going to share with you here some valuable tips on leash
walking. Here they are:

Tip #1: Never try to walk a dog that has been cooped up all day.

If your dog has been lying around waiting for you, let him
burn off some of his energy before you take him for a walk.
Throw a ball, play tug-o-war, or do something to calm him down
before the walk.

Tip #2: Use a gentle leader.

One of the best collars on the market is the gentle leader
head collar. It works by controlling your dog's head. When
you control the head you can control the body, much the same
as a horse bridle is used. They really are great collars.

Tip #3: Teach him where you want him to be.

Your dog does not know that he is supposed to be walking on
your side. Spend some time using a lure. Put a little piece
of food in your left hand and hold it close to your dog's
nose. Have him follow the lure; reward him every five or
six feet. As he gets better, go for longer and longer periods.

Tip #4: Don't let your dog's opposition reflex kick in.

When you apply pressure, your dog will resist with counter-
pressure. If you pull back on the leash, he will resist and
pull harder...opposition reflex.

The secret to leash walking is always keeping the leash loose.
Don't allow the leash to become tight.

Good Luck!