Dear Miss Behavin’: I recently adopted a dog named BoBo. He’s sweet and fun but pulls on leash. My last dog always walked by my side and I’m hoping BoBo will eventually do the same. Where do we start?
To teach polite leash manners, it’s best to start working on keeping a loose leash in a low distraction environment, like your living room. You can begin by simply rewarding BoBo for standing beside you. Then, take a step and give him a treat when he follows. Work up to taking more steps slowly, eventually walking laps around your house or living room. Once he is doing this consistently, move this exercise to the backyard. Keep in mind that each time you graduate to a more distracting environment, you’ll want to start over at step one by rewarding him for standing beside you, then taking a single step, and so forth. You may also find that the treats BoBo loves and works for indoors are no longer motivating once you’re outdoors. To keep up with the distracting environment, you may need a higher value treat, like boiled chicken or string cheese. The key is to be more interesting than the sights and smells of your neighborhood!
Letting BoBo run in the yard and get some exercise before your training sessions will also keep him in a calm and relaxed state of mind. If he is wound up and bursting at the seams, he won’t be able to focus very well on his training. If you don’t have a yard, practice your training at the very end of your walk so that he is already exercised and calm, or sprinkle in short sessions (just a couple of minutes at a time) throughout the walk to keep him from getting frustrated. If you’re feeling stumped, reach out to PHS & SPCA at [email protected] or 650-340-7022 ext. 667 to find a trainer who can help!