dog behavior training

Exercise is a key component of the relationship you have with your dog. Most dogs benefit in lots of ways from a good deal of exercise and hey, it’s good for us as well, right?

So leash training is important. You don’t want your dog to be out of control, pulling you around or suddenly changing direction as and when she feels like it. A walk is also one of the best opportunities to socialize with her own kind and here again some boundaries of behavior are required, which we’ll look at in future.

Most dogs get excited at the sight of the leash as it usually means they are going out. There are exceptions:

• if your dog appears timid around the leash then it might be that walks are associated with it being dragged around. You should be walking at a steady pace to suit you; if you do like a brisk walk, make sure she’s comfortable with it as well.
• if you are not the dog’s first owner, it might be that the leash has been used to reprimand the dog in the past, clearly an absolute no-no but one that could take a while to rebuild her confidence on and around the leash.

Effective ways of reassuring her in non-extreme cases are to re-introduce her to the leash as nothing uncomfortable. You can start by leaving the leash in sight around the house, building up to fastening it to her collar, possibly by brushing her while wrapping it round you wrist or petting her while the collar’s on and the leash is attached.

In some cases, part of confirming that it’s no big deal can be to play a short but not too boisterous game, such as letting her walk dragging the leash around within the yard.

Repeat these things a few times and watch the improvement. There are several aspects referred to in here that we can return to later.

Finally for this post, people often ask what the best form of equipment is. Aside from training aids for specific circumstances, a good-quality collar of leather or webbing and a leash of webbing of a length comfortable for the walk will normally prove best for most dogs. Until next time, enjoy the exercise!

Relatively simply taught as part of leash training but by using the command “Heel” consistently and repetitively to the same length of leash and position in relation to you, and always on the same side especially when young, it will be effective.

A fixed leash will be best when your dog is young rather than even a fixed length of retractable leash as the latter does not give anything like the same level of quick control, which is made worse by an inexperienced dog.

As with all forms of leash training, if you stop walking when your dog does not comply with the Heel command, then do not move on until he is waiting for you, then you can try again, keeping sessions short and the message will get through.

The key to early success is to stay calm as any scolding or signs of frustration from you will be counter-productive as it is sending the opposite message to many dogs, namely that walking correctly with you usually signifies bad things to your dog.

A further technique for large dogs is to use a food reward held close to your side at the height of your dog’s head to encourage the dog to walk correctly but the reward must only be given for correct behavior; the process must be restarted without the reward being given if your dog is not behaving as required.

Not all owners require their dog to sit before crossing a road or the similar routines, but if you will require it then all of this should be trained together, or in very quick succession while the dog is young to help reinforce each signal to your dog.

Heel should be tried as various speeds as your dog gets used to it, to make sure that the training is effective. Changing direction can also be added in as training progresses.

In the early stages of most advanced training to heel, training the dog to heel while turning left, right or completely around uses treats while on the leash.