Leash Walking: The Basics

Everyone wants their dog to walk nicely on leash - not pulling, staying by your side, and stopping when you stop. They may not realize that this is one of the hardest things we expect our dogs to do. It’s completely unnatural for dogs to:

• Walk much more slowly than their natural pace when exploring - a quick trot.

• Come to a sudden and inexplicable stop at seemingly random times - curbs/street crossings are not obvious to dogs.

• Ignore most of the awesome smells around them - the main way dogs take in information.

• Primarily walk in straight, boring lines - going right past interesting bushes and puddles and holes in the ground.

• Not chase after small animals like squirrels, chipmunks, cats, and birds - most dogs have this predatory instinct, or at least curiosity.

• Accept the idea that they are not allowed to greet their own kind naturally - as the leash restricts their movements, even when they are allowed to say hello.

It’s really a lot to ask of them! This is why it’s normal to spend a long time teaching your dog to walk well on leash.

It’s also normal for your dog’s skills to regress if:

• you don’t walk him regularly

• he’s extra full of energy that day

• there are more distractions than usual

• you take him to a new place

• some family members let the dog pull on the leash instead of participating in training

How you can help your dog succeed with polite leash walking

Here are tips to improve your walks, before you even get to training:

• Give your dog exercise at home before the walk, such as playing fetch or flirt pole.

• Drive to a park, but let your dog run off leash or on a long line to tire him out and let him get used to the area. Then put on your leash and practice walking together.

• Practice in the back yard first, then head out after your dog is warmed up.

• If you are using treats, make sure to bring a lot, and have them in a treat pouch or other place you can quickly and easily pull them out. Do not bring plastic bags, as they close up and slow you way down.

• Use high value treats so that you can better compete against the excitement of the environment.

• Measure your walk by time passed, not distance. When you are implementing training, you may end up stopping a lot or doubling back over areas you’ve already walked. You may not get as far from the house, but your dog will still be getting physical and mental exercise.

• Don’t multi-task. This isn’t the time to scroll on the phone, have the kids bike alongside you, or let your mind wander. You must be focused so that you can respond quickly and appropriately to your dog.

• If you have multiple dogs, walk them one at a time. It is extremely difficult to train walking with more than one dog at the same time, since you will need to be changing your speed and direction depending on what the dog is doing moment by moment.

The right equipment

This also makes a huge difference in your ability to train your dog safely and effectively.

• Use a 4-6’ foot leash, not a retractable leash. See here for links to specialty leashes. Retractable leashes do not give you enough control, do not set clear criteria for the dog, and encourage pulling (because the dog gets where he wants to go by pulling, which is the exact opposite of what we want).

• If your dog pulls hard enough to choke himself on a collar - or proactively to protect his throat - use a harness.

  • Traditional harnesses, with the leash clipping over the dog’s back, are fine for small dogs and large dogs who don’t pull. If your dog does pull, they’re not a good choice, as they allow the dog to dig in and pull you comfortably, like a sled dog!

  • “No pull” or “front clip” harnesses, with the leash clipping in front of the dog’s chest, are a much better choice for medium and larger dogs who pull.

• If your dog is very large or strong, and you have a difficult time controlling him even with a properly-fitted no pull harness, I recommend using a head halter. Note that most dogs hate head halters if they are introduced to them without desensitization. Do not just put one on and go.

• I do not recommend the use of prong collars and especially not choke chains or slip leads. These tools are intended to work by intentionally causing pain to your dog. While this may decrease pulling, it can lead to increased fear, reactivity, and aggression. (AVSAB Position Statement on Humane Dog Training, Dog Training Science Resources) Choke chains and slip leads can be especially harmful due to tightening without limit on the dog’s throat.

You may be thinking, “Won’t my dog learn not to pull against his collar because he’s choking himself?” And sadly, the answer is no. For many, many dogs, their excitement and arousal, combined with how unnatural it is to walk slowly at our sides, means that they don’t slow down to prevent themselves from choking. I have seen dogs not just choke and gag, but have their tongues turn blue and vomit due to their insistent pulling on collars. Pressure against the throat can damage the trachea, esophagus, lymph nodes, thyroid glands, veins and arteries, and neck muscles. It is known to increase intraocular pressure, thus can damage your dog’s eyeballs. It is critical to protect our dogs when it comes to collar pressure.

Training techniques

Polite leash walking is one of those things that can be taught several different ways. You may need to experiment to find the right combination for you and your dog. The thing that all of these techniques will have in common is:

• Rewarding your dog when he is walking nicely at your side.

• Preventing your dog from successfully pulling you on a tight leash.

I switch between specific techniques depending on the training history and temperament of the dog, and the skill level and temperament of the owner. I will send you separate articles on the techniques I recommend for you and your dog.

Heel, Part 1: Foundation

Heeling is the foundation of teaching polite leash walking and extended focus while out in public. It means that your dog is walking right by your side, keeping pace with you, turning and stopping when you do. It is beautiful to watch a fully focused dog moving with their person as if in a dance.

Traditionally, heeling is taught with the dog on the owner's left side, which leaves their right hand (probably the dominant one) to fire a hunting rifle, throw an item for the dog to retrieve, or get on a horse. You are free to choose whether you want your own dog to heel on your left or right side. You can even teach both and use them each as needed.

You should do all of this foundation training in your home or yard, rather than trying to get your dog to focus and learn something brand new during walks.

Getting into heel position

We'll start by teaching our dog how to get into “heel position” at your side. I will assume that the dog is on your left for these explanations - use your right hand and do everything as in a mirror image if you want him on your right side.

1. Start with your dog in front of you. Hold a treat in your left hand.

2. Entice your dog to follow your left hand as you swing it back, as if you’re reaching for something behind you. (If you have a large dog, you may need to step back with your left leg so your hand can reach far enough.)

3. When your dog has followed your hand far enough that his butt is by your left leg, move your hand in a “u” shape so that he turns 180 degrees. (Make sure that you are making the “u” counter-clockwise, so your dog is turning toward you to make the turn.) He should end up at your left side, facing the same direction as you.

4. Let your dog eat the treat in your hand.

5. Repeat steps 1-4 until you can smoothly and quickly move your dog from in front of you to next to your left side, facing forward.

6. Now practice steps 1-4 with an empty hand – no treat to lure the dog. Once he is in heel position, you'll get a treat from your pocket/treat pouch and hand it to him with your left hand.

Luring River into right and left heel positions.

Transitioning from lure to hand signal with Rafaelo.

Adding “start” and “stop” cues

Some dogs will easily learn how to line up at your side, but then they wander off after they get their treat. Here we’re teaching them to start heeling when they hear “heel,” and that they’re done when they hear “free.”

1. Start with your dog in front of you. Have several treats ready in your pocket/treat pouch or your right hand.

2. Say “heel.”

3. Use your (empty) left hand to cue him to come into heel position at your left side.

4. Reward your dog.

5. Pause for 1 second, then reward again if your dog stayed next to you in heel position.

6. Pause for 2 seconds, then reward again if your dog stayed next to you in heel position.

7. Reward your dog for staying next to you for 1-5 seconds - switch it up so he doesn’t know what to expect. (For example, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 1 second, 4 seconds, 2 seconds, 5 seconds, 2 seconds.)

   1. If at any point your dog wanders off, simply call him back and start again.

8. When you’re down to your last treat, say “free!”

9. Then step away from your dog so that you two are no longer lined up, and give him the last treat. Take a break to play or cuddle.

Rafaelo staying in heel position in between treats.

Adding steps

Once your dog is reliably getting into heel position and waiting at your side until you say “free,” it’s time to get moving!

1. Start with your dog in heel position.

2. Take one big step forward.

3. Reward your dog as he steps forward with you. Make sure to hand him the treat with your left hand if he is on your left side, or your right hand if he is on your right side.

   1. If your dog didn't step forward, encourage him to do so by patting your side, wiggling your fingers, or making a “kissy” noise. Reward him when he catches up.

   2. If your dog walks too far forward and passes you, call him back and restart. On the next few reps, bring your hand down with the treat earlier, so that you “catch” the dog before he gets past you.

4. Don’t immediately take another step - instead, reward your dog for just staying by your side and waiting patiently for 1-5 seconds at a time.

5. Repeat steps 1-4 until your dog smoothly steps forward with you every time, and he stays waiting by your side when you are stopped.

Taking 1 step at a time in heel position with Rafaelo. (This video does not include the owner stopping and having the dog wait in heel position for several seconds for a treat.)

River learning to walk forward just 1 step at a time in heel position. (This video does not include the owner stopping and having the dog wait in heel position for several seconds for a treat.)

What’s the reason for rewarding your dog so much for just standing next to you? It’s easy to get your dog to go forward - most of our dogs need a lot more practice slowing and stopping to keep pace with us slow humans! We want to instill a strong foundation in watching your movement and sticking to your side like glue instead of rushing forward.

Behavioral Medication

I sometimes work with clients whose dogs are extremely fearful or anxious, or struggle with severe over-arousal, and recommend that they discuss anxiolytic meds with their vet. Here are two articles on the topic that already say exactly what I want to convey:

Behavior Medication: First-Line Therapy or Last Resort? by Jen Summerfield, DVM, CPDT-KA

Behavioral Medication In Training by Kate LaSala, CTC, CBCC-KA, PCBC-A, CSAT, FFCP-E

Here is an article (PDF) that describes a case study, and gives information on various medications, dosages, and potential side effects to watch out for. This was written by Dr. Ilana Reisner, and published in the journal Today’s Veterinary Practice.

You may find it beneficial to work with a veterinary behaviorist in conjunction with your primary vet. (This would be like you going to see a specialist because your GP can’t be an expert in every topic.) We are blessed to be so close to the UC Davis veterinary hospital, which has two certified behaviorists on staff. More information on working with them can be found here. The team at Davis would do a full assessment for you and your dog, draw up a training plan and, if needed, advise on medical tests to perform or prescribe medication. We would then work together to implement the training plan.

Here are a few other veterinary behaviorists who are in the Bay Area, or farther away but provide vet-to-vet consults:

Dr Jeannine Berger, in Winters

Dr. Sophie Liu, CDBC, in Oakland

Dr. Wailani Sung, in San Francisco or Walnut Creek (provides telemedicine consults with you and your vet)

Dr. Chris Pachel, in Portland, OR (provides direct vet-to-vet consults)

Dr. Jennifer Summerfield, in West Virginia (can do either a video call with you (with your vet’s permission), or direct vet-to vet consults)

Dr. Kenneth Martin, in Spicewood, TX (provides direct vet-to-vet consults)

Dr. Lore Haug, in Sugar Land, TX (provides direct vet-to-vet consults)

For those who would like to take advantage of the expertise of a veterinary behaviorist but the cost of a full appointment with them is too high, the UC Davis behavioral department also does shorter, cheaper consults that are just focused on prescribing appropriate medication IF the client is already working with an approved trainer. Dr Pattie Lawler at Douglas Vet in Roseville is not a certified veterinary behaviorist but has done extra studying and practice in behavior modification, and provides the same service. I am on the approved trainer list for both of them.

Coming When Called (Recall), Part 2

In Part 1 you established your recall cue and laid a strong foundation with your amazing parties. Here are the next steps.

Adding challenges

Now that your dog has a strong, positive response to the cue, and is immediately whipping his head around and following you, you’re going to start calling him away from distractions.

1. Make a list of situations that are low, medium, high, and EXTRA HIGH level distractions. An example list might be:

   Low: Just walking around the backyard, playing on his own with a toy, walking down the sidewalk with no one around.

   Medium: Playing tug with a family member, sniffing out fallen kibble under the couch, watching another dog across the street.

   High: Sniffing a gopher hole, greeting a favorite guest who’s just arrived, greeting a new dog.

   EXTRA HIGH: In the middle of playing with a favorite doggy friend, eating cat poop, chasing a rabbit.

2. Practice calling your dog to come around low level distractions. Make sure to follow the rules of recall!

3. Once you’ve practiced around a variety of low level distractions, consider your list of medium distractions. Consider the question: “Would I be willing to bet $20 that my dog will recall from this medium level distraction?” If the answer is yes, go for it! If not, avoid using your sacred recall word, and keep building up that history of successful recalls.

4. Repeat step 3 as you progress to high and then EXTRA HIGH level distractions. Don’t worry if it’s taking your dog awhile to become reliable in those more challenging situations. Just keep building up that successful history.

How to avoid undoing your training

It is so, so important that you avoid calling your dog to come if:

• you’re doubtful that he will actually do it,

• you don’t have a high value reward for him when he does come, or

• maybe you do, but then you need to follow it up with something unpleasant.

Your dog will quickly lose reliability if you don’t follow the rules of recall - because he’s learning that the cue is not important, or worse, it predicts something bad.

If you need to do something unpleasant (such as giving your dog a bath or locking him up before you leave the house), you should go and get your dog, instead. Clip a leash on to lead him to the bathtub, kennel, etc. If he is already in a habit of avoiding your reach, then leave a leash on your dog’s harness and collar (only when supervised), and pick up that “drag leash” when you need to lead him.

Keep this in mind when you are calling your dog to come into the house from the yard, or to leave the park. If your dog doesn’t want to leave, you call him, he comes, and then you take away his fun… you’ve just punished him for coming to you! So practice calling him toward the door/car, giving him a BIG reward, and then letting him go back to have more fun. Do this way more often than you actually take him away.

If your dog is not yet trained to come when off leash, he shouldn’t be fully off leash - however this is where long lines are a lifesaver. They allow you to give your dog enough freedom to exercise and play, without losing control. Retractable leashes are also an option, however they should be used with caution as they can be dangerous. (It is difficult to pull your dog back to you when he is on a retractable leash, and the cord getting wrapped around limbs can cause burns and cuts. Dogs should not be allowed to play while one is attached to a retractable leash.)

What if he doesn't come?

At some point, despite your best intentions, you will call your dog, and he will ignore you. Here's what to do:

1. Get closer to your dog, and try to get his attention by bending down, talking to him, or gently tapping him on the back/side.

2. If you think he will be successful, call him again when you are closer. Back up and have him follow you away from the distraction. Reward him when he follows - even though it wasn’t ideal, in the end, he did the behavior and you want to keep the positive association strong.

3. If you can't get his attention, but you need him to move, gently but firmly use his collar, harness, or leash to move him away from the distraction.

4. Don't punish your dog, or he will learn to avoid your approach.

5. If possible, recreate the situation to give him another chance to be successful. Reward greatly if he is!

6. If you have multiple failures in similar situations, that means that you need to back up in your training and better prepare your dog. Go back to easier levels of distractions. For example, if you were calling when your dog was in the middle of playing with another dog, practice calling while play is winding down or they’re on break. Or if you were calling when your dog was getting petting from a guest, have your guest stop petting as soon as you call so the choice is easier for your dog.

This video from Emily Larlham/KikoPup talks more about developing a reliable recall via positive reinforcement, and gives some extra tips.

Do I have to use treats forever?

No, but you should continue to reward your dog with something that he values, most of the time. That doesn’t have to be a treat - it can be play, a chase game, sincere and enthusiastic praise, or a rubdown or other petting that your dog really likes. (If your dog says “meh” about petting, then it doesn’t count!)

There will be times that you really don’t have anything your dog values. If you’re rewarding your dog 90% of the time, that history of reinforcement will carry you through, and he’ll still come when you call the next time after that. But if your rate of reward drops too low, your dog may very well decide that it’s no longer worth it. (Would you continue going to work Monday through Friday if you only got paid sometimes?)

Can all dogs be safe off leash when hiking or in public?

In a word: no.

If your dog is aggressive toward other dogs or people, they should not be off leash even if there’s only a small chance that another person or dog will appear. The fallout is too dangerous.

If your dog has a high prey drive, they may not reach off leash reliability in nature - though here are links to training through this issue.

If you have a scenthound or similar dog who is highly motivated to follow scents and tracks, they too may not be reliable off leash.

All these dogs can still get exercise and decompression walks thanks to a long line (and possibly a muzzle).

If your dog is just an impulsive adolescent, keep training and give him time to mature! It’s common for dogs in the 6 - 24 month range to struggle with recall.

Coming When Called (Recall), Part 1

“Recall” is the fancy word that trainers use to mean “coming when called.” I’ll be using that term because it’s short and sweet! Here is how to start the foundation training.

Rules of Recall

Before you even start training your dog to come, you must understand and be ready to follow these rules.!

• Your recall word is a sacred word. You should only use it when you are consciously doing recall training.

  • If your dog has already learned to ignore the word “come,” start over with teaching a brand new word. Some examples are: “pronto,” “hurry,” “rush,” “ándale.”

• Use high value rewards - special treats like fresh meat, string cheese, a peanut-butter filled Kong, a new squeaky tennis ball, a game of chase, or anything else your dog will do back flips for.

  • Patting your dog on the head or giving him a dry biscuit won’t cut it!

  • During the initial training, don’t call your dog if you don’t have a high value reward.

• Don't call your dog, and then do something he doesn't like, such as giving him a bath, trimming his nails, or putting him away because you're leaving the house.

  • If you’re in that situation, go to your dog and get him, rather than ruining your recall word.

• Only call your dog when you think he'll successfully come (during the training phase). If you're just starting, don't call him when he's in the middle of sniffing a gopher hole or playing with his best doggy friend.

  • You’ll build on a history of success as you raise the difficulty level one step at a time. Don’t be in a rush to call him away from big distractions.

• Do mostly “surprise reps,” when your dog doesn't know that you have the high value reward on hand.

Teaching the recall

Once you’ve agreed to follow the Rules of Recall, you’ll start actually training your dog. The most important part is laying the foundation. You want to create a strong, positive response to the recall word - so strong that it's automatic for your dog to turn back to you. In short, you are teaching your dog that every time he hears “Fido, come!” he’s about to get a PARTY!!

1. Prep your high value reward. Do this when your dog isn't watching, OR, if he’s already noticed, just wait until he's forgotten about it.

2. Start off close to your dog.

3. Call your dog using your sacred word. Call nice and loud, as if he were far away!

4. Immediately after you call, start the PARTY!! Talk to your dog in an excited voice as you back up away from him, encouraging him to keep following you. Feed 3 amazing treats in a row, or play tug, or toss a toy behind you after you back up. (This helps imprint your dog on the idea of coming to you after he hears the cue.)

   • Do not repeat the recall cue (eg “come”) as you are talking to your dog - he’s already come to the party!

5. Repeat the steps above until you see that your dog gets excited and runs over when he hears the recall cue.

Below is a video that shows the foundation stage - calling your dog, then enthusiastically rewarding with treats, play, or tug. Notice how each time, I first call my dog, then I bring out the reward and talk to him (without repeating “come”). I’m also backing up every single time, to draw him in close.

Extra recall games

Play these games to add extra fun to coming when called, especially during the early stages.

• Chase Me: Many dogs love to run after their owners. Call your dog, and when he looks at you, take off!

• Round Robin: Have family members stand in a circle outside, and take turns calling him. The dog has to pay attention to who actually called him, rather than going to the next person he sees.

• Hide and Seek: Hide from your dog around a corner, or behind the couch or a tree. Make a big fuss when he finds you! (If he’s looking but he’s struggling, you can talk to him to make it easier.)

• Restrained Recalls: Have a friend hold onto your dog, walk away, and then tease him with happy talk and “game on” body language. Then give the official "come” cue, and your friend will release your dog to run to you excitedly!

Sudden Hyper Behavior During Walks

Do you ever walk your young dog and have them suddenly start jumping or spinning or running in circles, grabbing and tugging on the leash, or even biting you or your clothes? Here is how to handle this frustrating and scary behavior.

Why does my dog do this awful behavior?

The most common reasons are:

• Frustration: Your dog wants to get somewhere else, but the leash is holding him back, and he’s not able to contain his feelings about it. This may also happen when you are heading home, and your dog doesn’t want to.

• Boredom: If you are moving too slowly or (gasp!) standing still, your dog may be looking for more entertainment.

• Overstimulation: There’s a lot going on and your dog is mentally/emotionally overwhelmed, and not able to cope.

• OMG Grass!: I have seen that many dogs living without backyards or in yards without grass will get very excited when reaching patches of grass during walks. They may flop down, roll around, try to zoom, or even direct their excitement at the leash or owner.

Your dog may also experience a combination of these that really put him over the top.

Prevention for the short term

Knowing why your dog does this behavior will help you figure out how to deal with it - both immediately and for the long term. The first order of business is to prevent your dog from rehearsing this behavior, as much as possible. For example, if your dog always gets rowdy when you’re standing and chatting with neighbors, then temporarily avoid doing so or distract your dog while you’re talking. If he gets overstimulated, keep your walks shorter or avoid busy areas. If he’s reacting to the leash pulling him in another direction from where he wants to go, work on calling him to follow and use the leash techniques below. For dogs that get frustrated that the walk is ending, you will have more success walking them in a loop than out and back on the same street - that way they have more new smells to explore and keep them happy.

Make sure that you’re using equipment that gives you good control over your dog, especially if they are large enough that they could pull you down or hurt you. A harness on which the leash clips in front of the dog’s chest will allow you to turn him away from distractions more easily than when the leash is clipped on their back. However a harness with a handle on the back gives you a place to hold your dog when he’s wriggling around. A head halter will give you the most control over your dog’s movement, especially if he is jumping or biting. A chain link leash will discourage tugging on the leash, at least somewhat. Some people have success using a double-ended leash or two separate leashes, so if their dog grabs onto one, they can hold the other.

Oh crap, he’s doing it right now

Yeah, you won’t be able to prevent the sudden hyper behavior 100%. You have a few options to try:

• Use the equipment you have on your dog to get a hold of them and stop the behavior. For example, hold onto the handle on the back of your dog’s harness with one hand and his collar or leash with the other. If he’s wearing a head halter, slid your hand up the leash so that you have hold of his head.

• Step on the leash, then adjust your stance and the length of the leash so that your dog is tethered to your foot on a short leash. Now he can’t jump on you and bite you.

• Alternatively, shorten the leash and hold your arm locked straight out from your side, so he can’t reach you or the leash.

• If you’re near a traffic sign, mailbox, light pole, etc, then put the leash around the pole and adjust the length so that your dog is tethered to it and can’t reach you.

• If your dog has a strong response to cues like “sit” or “down,” use that.

• Have treats (maybe even high value treats) with you on walks. Scatter them around your dog’s feet to distract him. If you can get him to sit or down first, that will be better, so you’re rewarding that calmer behavior. However even if your dog can’t do that, you can still use the treats to interrupt the behavior.

  • Won’t that reward the sudden hyper behavior? Yes, and if all you ever did was pull out treats when your dog gets rowdy, you’d quickly have a problem. However you’re smarter than that, and you’re going to work on prevention and implement the long term training strategies below, so that your dog learns to be calmer overall and walk nicely on leash. This is only a short term strategy to interrupt the behavior when you really need it.

• The treat scatter is a great strategy to get your dog to calm down after using one of the tethering options, as well. As soon as you see his energy wane, drop several treats near his feet to get him mind off the frustration/boredom/overstimulation that initially caused the behavior, and back to a calmer mindset.

• It’s common for dogs to get hyper again as soon as you start walking - so preemptively place a “breadcrumb trail” of treats on the ground as you start moving forward. As you see your dog continuing to calm down, you can slow down how frequently you place the treats on the ground, and he'll transition back to sniffing and walking normally.

Training your dog for the long term

There are several training techniques that can help your dog to learn calm leash walking. Which ones are best depends again on why your dog does the sudden hyper behavior. Try out and combine different techniques to see what “clicks” for both you and your dog.

• Frustration:

  • Circle walking, especially with a longer leash (6-10 feet): Circle walking decreases frustration because it is less restrictive and allows your dog to keep moving their body. Here are several videos that explain circle walking.

    • Circle Method for Dog Walking

    • Leash Manners: Cues and the Circle Method

    • Circles for loose leash walking (Part 1)

  • Leash pressure cues: Take the time to train your dog how to respond to leash pressure, rather than just letting it happen and hoping he’ll figure it out. The silky leash method is one example of this. This can be an alternative to circle walking or used at different moments.

  • Rewarding polite walking: Bring treats on your walks and reward your dog frequently for walking next to you, instead of pulling. This will be easier if you practice heeling in low distraction locations, like in your house or backyard, before trying it on walks.

  • Rewarding attention: You can call your dog’s name and then reward him for checking in, or use the Engage-Disengage Game, to increase the amount of time he spends calmly connecting with you rather than trying to get to other things in the environment.

  • Exercise: Giving your dog physical exercise before going for a leash walk will greatly decrease his excitement and frustration. Try playing in the backyard first, or go somewhere that it’s safe to let your dog run off leash and blow off steam before practicing leash walking.

• Boredom:

  • Practice settling: You want your dog to learn how to settle calmly while on leash and stopped, separately from the walks. Here is a great video on this topic.

  • Breaks to play: If your dog enjoys playing tug, bring a favorite toy and give him breaks to play and get his energy out. You could even bring a small flirt pole.

  • Exercise: As above, exercising before the walk will allow your dog to more easily adjust to a slow walking pace or even stopping and waiting for a while.

• Overstimulation:

  • Pattern games: Short, predictable routines, such as the 1 2 3 game, lower arousal and excitability. Implement this at the first sign of increasing arousal, before your dog loses it. He will start to learn to modulate arousal on his own by practicing getting just a little excited, then calming down.

  • Scatters: Bring treats and implement scatters at the first sign of increasing arousal, as above.

  • Circle walking and leash pressure cues: See above.

• OMG Grass!:

  • Give your dog exposure to grass in a structured way, guiding them to choose appropriate activities. Examples are:

    • Scatters

    • Pattern games like 1 2 3 game

    • Playing with a flirt pole

    • Play dates with other dogs

    • Tracking and nose work training

Keep practicing

Don’t get discouraged if your dog is getting better, walking nicely, but then catches you off guard with another bout of jumping and biting. It’s normal for problematic behaviors to pop back up every once in a while, even as the dog is making progress overall. Make sure that you are bringing together appropriate equipment, prevention, reacting quickly and confidently in the moment, and training for long term success.

Leave It, Part 2

In Leave It, Part 1, your dog learned to reliably turn away and look at you when you held food out to your side. It’s now time to expand his understanding of the cue “leave it.”

Remember that no matter what, the exercise will always follow this pattern:

1. The dog notices a “forbidden” item or distraction.

2. You say “leave it.”

3. You wait for your dog to look away from the distraction and give you eye contact. (Block his access to the distraction if needed.)

4. Say “yes!” or click to mark that correct behavior.

5. Reward your dog.

Adding variables

You’re now going to make this training game look different, a little bit at a time, so that your dog will be able to recognize the cue “leave it” in various contexts.

• Instead of holding the hand with treats straight out from your side, hold it a foot lower in the air. If your dog is successful, progressively lower it closer and closer to the dog.

• Place the treats (or other tempting item) on a raised surface, such as a coffee table, counter top, or chair. Keep your hand close to the treats. If the dog tries to eat them, cover them with your hand, and wait for him to remember to give you eye contact instead.

  • Tip: The higher the raised surface, the easier it is for the dog to ignore. Start with taller counter tops, then progress to couch cushions and coffee tables.

• Place the treats (or other tempting item) on the floor. Keep your hand close or be ready to block with your foot. (Just be careful not to kick your dog!)

  • Tip: You can reward by picking up the treat/item and handing it to your dog, or by giving him a different treat from your hand. Do NOT tell your dog to “get it” and help himself to the treat - that will make it more difficult to teach him to continue to ignore the item.

• Practice with a variety of treats and food in your hand, including “people food.” If you want your dog to be able to ignore trash and “people food” on the ground, you need to practice that ahead of time! You can reward your dog by giving him the same food that he’s turning away from, or give him something else from your other hand.

  • Tip: Make sure the reward is as good as, or better than, the distraction. If you're using hot dogs as your distraction, don't try to reward your dog with a dry biscuit treat.

• Practice with small objects in your hand, including both dog toys and items you don't actually want your dog to get at. Reward with treats or by tossing the dog toy.

Troubleshooting

• If your dog can't turn away from the distraction in your hand, raise the hand up again until he is successful a few times, then retry the harder step.

• If your dog tries to get at the treats in your hand, keep it tightly closed. Either wait him out (licking, nibbling, pawing will not be successful!) or raise your hand up again.

• Do NOT repeat the cue “leave it.” Repeating it while your dog continues to ignore the cue will teach him that it's meaningless noise. Instead, make the training easier for him, so he can practice the correct response.

• If you make a mistake and your dog does eat the treat, just go back to an earlier step, get more successes, then retry the harder step.

• If you make a mistake and your dog grabs a forbidden item, stay calm and trade him with the “drop it” cue. Do not make a big deal out of it, or the dog might get excited and run away with the item, or guard it.

Adding difficulty and reliability

After all that, you're in the final stages of teaching your dog to reliably respond to the cue “leave it,” no matter what the distraction is or where you are!

• Ask your dog to continue leaving the distraction: Start as usual, and reward your dog for giving eye contact after you cue “leave it.” Then wait, and see if he either a) continues to look at you instead of the distraction, or b) glances at the distraction but then looks at you again. Reward either choice.

  • If instead he tries to help himself, repeat the cue “leave it” or block him.

  • After a few reps of this, remove the distraction, OR remove your dog from the area, OR give your dog something else to do while you continue to monitor so he doesn’t help himself to the “forbidden” item.

• Do “surprise reps”: Place the treats (or object) out on a raised surface or the floor, wait for your dog to happen upon them, cue “leave it,” and reward when he gives eye contact.

  • Tip: Make sure you set the the treats out in such a way that you will be able to cover them with a hand or foot if needed. You don't want your dog to hear “leave it” right as he dives in and eats the forbidden food.

• Drop a treat/item: Deliberately drop a treat in front of your dog. Again, be ready to block if needed. Pick up the treat/item after your dog turns away, so he doesn’t snatch it up afterwards.

• Drop multiple treats/items: Leave the treats/items on the floor and continue dropping more in front of your dog, repeating “leave it” if needed for each dropped item.

• Walk past treats/items on the ground: Previously, your dog was standing still during most of these exercises. Now he needs to turn away and look at you as you are both walking by the distraction. Give a wider berth at first, then get closer as your dog is successful, until he can walk right over top of the distraction.

• Plant distractions in front of your house: At first, you can use objects that your dog is unlikely to pick up, or put food into little plastic containers. This way, if the distraction is too great, he still won't be able to eat it and ruin the training.

• Practice as needed when on walks: At first, be ready to block your dog using a hand or foot if needed. Start with less interesting distractions, like sticks and pebbles, and work up to being able to turn away from a chicken bone on the ground.

Engage-Disengage Game

This is a fantastic technique that I often use to teach a dog to notice something stressful or exciting (the “trigger”), then voluntary turn away. Some example situations in which I might use the Engage-Disengage Game are:

• Barking and/or lunging toward other dogs when on leash.

• Barking at activity outside the fence or window.

• Wanting to chase other animals, like squirrels and cats.

• Wanting to chase bicycles.

• Having a hard time passing people without jumping.

Why is this useful?

This game provides the dog with a specific alternative behavior that they can perform instead of lunging, barking, and so on.

For anxious dogs, it gives them a greater sense of control over the situation and thus helps reframe it into a fun game.

It also gives the owner more insight into how their dog is feeling about the trigger (did the dog disengage promptly, or after a delay? Are the dog’s movements fluid and controlled, or fast and frantic? Is the dog even able to disengage on his own without help?).

How to train it

I often begin training with straight desensitization and counter conditioning exercises, but then progress to using the Engage-Disengage Game. There are two stages to this:

Stage 1:

1. Wait for your dog to notice the trigger. (Avoid pointing at it or telling the dog to look - that makes him look more at you!)

2. Mark (with a clicker or “yes!”) as soon as he looks at the trigger (engages).

3. Hand him the treat so that his head turns back toward you to eat it.

4. Repeat this stage until the dog is quickly looking back at you when you click/“yes”.

Stage 2:

1. Let the dog look at the trigger for a few seconds and wait.

2. Mark and reward as soon as the dog looks away (disengages) from the trigger.

3. If your dog does not disengage within 5 seconds, go back to stage 1.

Here is a lovely graphic from Alice Tong that explains the Engage-Disengage Game in detail.

If you prefer learning via video, here is one from Charleston Animal Society explaining how to teach this exercise, and here is another one from Bravo Dog Training & Behaviour.

Note that all of this training should be done with your dog below threshold - meaning he is able to notice the trigger without lunging, jumping, barking, whining, etc. Otherwise, he is rehearsing the behaviors we don’t want him to do, and he’s not in the right state of mind for learning calm behavior.

In action

Here is an example video of Georgia performing the Engage-Disengage Game with me while looking at another dog at PetSmart. (Yes, Georgia was very leash reactive before her training started!)

Here is a video of a dog fully trained in the Engage-Disengage (or “Look at That”) Game going for a stroll and “pointing out” potential triggers to his person.

Leave It, Part 1

“Leave It” is a useful cue that means “leave that thing alone and turn back to me.” Use this to tell your dog not to go after an item you've dropped on the ground, trash on the sidewalk, the cookies on the coffee table, etc. I teach this cue with an emphasis on having the dog give eye contact after turning away from the distraction - I don’t want the dog to just stand there staring at the forbidden item.

These instructions refer to using a reward marker (like the word “yes” or clicking a clicker), which you can read about here and here. In short, this is useful because it tells your dog EXACTLY what he did that has earned him the treat - in this case, that’s looking up at your face.

Foundation training

First goal is getting eye contact from your dog. See demo video here.

1. Hold some treats in your hand, behind your back, so they are out of sight.

2. Stand or sit in front of your dog and look at his face. Do NOT cue your dog to sit or stay.

3. Wait for your dog to look up at your face, too. If he hasn't done so after a few seconds, make a “kissy noise” or similar sound to get his attention.

4. As soon as your dog makes eye contact with you, say “yes!” or click.

5. Bring out your treat hand and reward.

6. Repeat until your dog is quick to make eye contact after each treat, without any help.

Adding distractions

Next step is getting the eye contact behavior in the obvious presence of tempting food, which will be both the distraction and reward. See demo video here.

1. Hold some treats in your hand, straight out from your side.

2. Wait for your dog to look away from your hand and make eye contact. If he hasn't done so after a few seconds, make a “kissy noise” or similar sound to get his attention.

3. As soon as your dog makes eye contact, say “yes!” or click.

4. Reward from the hand with treats in it.

5. Repeat until your dog is quick to make eye contact after each time you hold your hand out to the side, without any help.

Your dog can now give you eye contact even though there is food around!

Adding the cue

Time to teach your dog that “leave it” means “turn away from that and look at me.” See demo video here.

1. Hold some treats in your hand, straight out from your side.

2. As soon as your dog looks at the treats, say “leave it!” (Use a happy tone of voice; many dogs will avoid making eye contact if you sound upset or intimidating.)

3. Wait for your dog to look away from the treats and make eye contact. Do NOT repeat the words “leave it” or give other help.

4. As soon as your dog makes eye contact, say “yes!” or click.

5. Reward from the hand with treats in it.

6. Repeat until your dog is quick to make eye contact after each time you say “leave it!”

7. If your dog is not making eye contact within a few seconds of you saying “leave it,” go back to the “foundation training” and “adding distractions” sections.

Demo of Hayley learning the cue “leave it”

Your dog now has a basic understanding of turning away from a distraction and giving you eye contact when you say “leave it.” Congrats! However he only does it in this one specific context: you standing/sitting right in front of him, looking at his face, and holding the treat distraction out to your side.

In Part 2, we’ll switch things up, so that your dog can respond reliably in all kind of situations.

Specialty Dog Gear

This is a collection of links to various specialty dog gear you may find useful.

Leashes

Super-Grip Leash (has rubber threads sewn in for a secure grip anywhere along the length of the leash)

Chain Link Leash (discourages chewing on leash)

Double Ended Leash (for connecting your leash to both a collar and harness, both the back and front clips on a harness, head halter and collar, etc)

Traffic Lead (for when you just want a short leash on your dog, eg in crowded areas or walking from your car to the park and back)

Roamer Bungee Dog Leash (comfortable waist leash with bungee for hands-free walking)

More Hands Free/Waist Leashes

Leash Management

Safety Strap (for connecting head halter or prong collar to back up collar)

Leash Extender (for when your leash is juuust a bit too short, or for your dog to wear so it’s easier to clip and unclip his regular leash)

Magic Latch magnetic leash connector (allows you to easily clip a leash to a collar with one hand)

Heavy-Duty Frog Clip (secure leash clip that can be opened and closed with one hand)

Long Lines

Custom Biothane Long Lines (other widths are available as separate products in their store)

Custom Biothane Drag Lines (no handle on end) (other widths are available as separate products in their store)

Leash Caddy (for carrying a long line on your belt or hanging it up for storage)

Collars

Martingales (also called “limited slip” or “greyhound” collars; prevent backing out of the collar) (this company makes gorgeous ones!)

Custom Martingales (very many fun designs)

Plain Martingales

Keep Safe Breakaway Collar (will come off dog’s neck if tugged, eg if dog gets stuck on something, or another dog’s teeth get caught during play)

Tethers

Car tether that attaches around headrest

Tethers for use in the home

Crates

PetSafe Happy Ride Collapsible Cat & Dog Travel Crate (car crate for small to medium sized dogs, which only takes up one rear seat; great for dogs that need less visibility out the window)

RuffLand Performance Kennels (strong crates with a great reputation for car safety)

Sleepypod (crash tested carrier for pets up to 15 lbs)

Wearables

OutFox Field Guard (to keep foxtails from going into a dog’s ears, eyes, nose, and mouth; also prevents scavenging)

Ear Pro for Dogs (to decrease noises)

No Flap Ear Wrap (to protect injured ears while they heal)

Rex Specs Goggles (to protect eyes)

ThunderShirt (snug fit provides calming pressure for some dogs)

Calming Cap/ThunderCap (to limit visibility, eg, for reactive dog in car)

Suitical Recovery Suit for Dogs (body suit that discourages chewing on surgery sites, hot spots, etc, as an alternative to a cone)

Vet Worthy Protective Cone Dog Collar (clear plastic cone/e-collar, less stressful for dogs than traditional opaque ones)

Comfy Cone E-Collar (soft e-collar)

KONG Cloud Collar (inflatable “doughnut” alternative to cone)

Calm Paws Basic Inflatable Dog Collar (inflatable “doughnut” alternative to cone)

Defensive Items

Spray Shield – Citronella Spray (strongly scented spray can, used to deter oncoming dogs)

RedStick break stick (used to release hold of a dog on an object or other animal in an emergency situation)

Pig Sorting Panel (used to create a physical barrier in front of an aggressive dog in an emergency situation)

Looking for muzzles? See here.
Looking for harnesses? Article to come.
Looking for head halters? Article to come.