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Training your dog to walk on a loose leash can be a real lesson in patience for even the most even tempered person. Personally, I can watch my dog do just about anything “bad” and not react...including relieving himself in the house and chewing up my belongings, but let him start pulling me down the street and I quickly lose my cool. Leash manners are very important if you plan on enjoying time with your dog, and being able to safely escort him to places you need or want to go, especially if you would like to be welcomed back again. Here are some tips to help you learn to walk your dog on a loose leash.
The key to successful training, of any behavior, is to set your dog, and yourself, up for success in the first place. Don't expect yourself to be a saint, full of patience if you've had a rough day at work or a disagreement with your spouse. Wait until you are calm and less likely to get frustrated. Don’t try to get your over excited dog to focus on you when he has excess energy to burn, play ball or something with him for a bit first to take the edge off. Practice leash training in a familiar place, that doesn’t have enticing sights, sounds, and smells…like inside the house or the back yard, before you expect perfect manners out in the big world. Basically, if you want your dog to learn to behave on the leash, you need to show her what you expect before you expect it of her.
Methods are explained in the next post
The key to successful training, of any behavior, is to set your dog, and yourself, up for success in the first place. Don't expect yourself to be a saint, full of patience if you've had a rough day at work or a disagreement with your spouse. Wait until you are calm and less likely to get frustrated. Don’t try to get your over excited dog to focus on you when he has excess energy to burn, play ball or something with him for a bit first to take the edge off. Practice leash training in a familiar place, that doesn’t have enticing sights, sounds, and smells…like inside the house or the back yard, before you expect perfect manners out in the big world. Basically, if you want your dog to learn to behave on the leash, you need to show her what you expect before you expect it of her.
Methods are explained in the next post