If you have a dog that pulls and you’ve been searching for “dog or puppy training near me” to train them for going on lead walks, you’re in the right place! As one of the stand-out providers of effective puppy training classes and dog training classes in the UK, we understand the struggles of teaching lead manners to dogs that pull and getting them to behave during walks. That is why we have curated this blog, where we will provide you step by step guidance to train your dog or puppy for going on lead walks.
Pulling starts before you leave the house! Most dogs or puppies get excited at the prospect of going for a walk but if the production of the lead sends him into a whirling dervish you are already ‘on route’ to being pulled to the park. In order for him to effectively learn and process new information, he needs to be calm, so dog or puppy training needs to start before you even leave the house.
Step By Step Dog Or Puppy Training Tips For Going On Walks
1. Dog Lead Manners
Start to perform your walk routine before you actually want to leave. Putting on your coat, walking shoes, gathering walking necessities and locking the door etc., should all be spaced over a period of time, continuing the next step only once your dog/puppy is calm.
Next attach the lead, if he becomes excitable simply drop the lead and walk away from him, ignoring him completely until he is calm. Once he has calmed down; approach again and pick up the lead, if he remains calm then you can proceed towards the door. If he becomes excitable at any stage and starts to pull forward, simply drop the lead and walk away and ignore him until he is calm.
Your dog needs to learn that behaving excitedly and pulling actually delays the walk procedure rather than inducing it. You should remain calm and show little reaction at all times.
Now walk to the door with your puppy or dog on lead; open the door a little, if he lunges forward and attempts to push through ahead of you then simply close the door (gently using your lead to ensure he does not get his feet or nose trapped in the closing door). Repeat this, gradually opening the door a little wider each time until you can fully open the door without him attempting to go through.
Try to not say anything to your pup or dog as you practise this exercise, allowing him to work it out for himself will tend to bring more consistent, long term results! Remain calm and be patient with this puppy/dog training method, it may take quite a few repetitions until he learns that attempting to leave the house ahead of you is a pointless behaviour!
Once you can open the door fully with your puppy or dog remaining stationary; you should step through the door yourself, if he attempts to follow then immediately step back inside and close the door as above. Repeat until he does not follow, then step through and give him a command such as ‘ok’ or ‘come through’ to give him permission to follow.
According to experts from our dog or puppy training classes, this behaviour should be practised every time your puppy/dog leaves the house (even if you are taking him out to the car) and can be repeated at garden gates etc until you are able to completely leave your property with a dog who is under control, listening to you and has his brain engaged in thinking mode. For puppies, it may take a little more patience and time to get them to understand and follow your commands, but it is important that you remain calm during the entire process.
For new dog parents looking for “puppy training near me”, we suggest joining our dog training classes that will help you build a strong bond while teaching them how to behave.
2. Loose Lead Walking
According to Dr. Roger, who has devised our dog training classes the golden rule for teaching your puppy or dog to walk on a loose lead is not to punish him for pulling but to make it unsuccessful. He must never gain any benefit from pulling on the lead!
Now that you can leave the house calmly and under control, the training needs to continue for the rest of your walk!
Play with your dog/pup or practise training in the garden before your walk so that he is naturally a little calmer before you leave the house. If you are able to give some free exercise before your ‘on lead’ walking, this can also help you to succeed. Getting a friend to drop you at the park in the car for a run then walking your dog home is a good way to start your new regime. Alternatively drive yourself to the park, have a short free run then deviate off for some on lead walking before possibly finishing with another free run session.
Remember when you are going to remove your lead and allow your dog or puppy some freedom (whether at home or during a walk) the lead must be slack before you remove it. Battling with him to unclip his lead whilst he is pulling desperately to get away just reinforces to him that pulling is successful!
When practising this exercise, trainers from our dog or puppy training classes in the UK suggest not to attempt to go for a long walk; a short, successful walk is what you should aim for. Try to walk in a quiet area with few distractions and ideally not in a direction that your dog associates with an exciting location such as the park!
Have your lead long enough that your dog or pup can walk comfortably beside you whilst it remains slack. Too short a lead will mean that he feels pressure all the time so it will be difficult for him to differentiate between pulling and non-pulling.
Hold your lead comfortably in your hand with your arms relaxed beside you; try to avoid wrapping the lead around your hand as this just creates pressure.
Set off walking at a comfortable but brisk pace; use your pup/dog’s name encouragingly to invite him to come with you. As he walks beside you praise him enthusiastically; aim for just a few steps initially before you break off for a reward. The key to reliable dog training is to build on success not create failure, don’t just keep going until he makes a mistake, praise and reward him when he is getting it right!
As soon as your dog or puppy begins to create any tension in the lead (by starting to pull) you should immediately move backwards whilst using his name and encouraging him to come back to your side. Continue to move backwards until the lead is once again slack, at which point you should immediately walk forward again.
The idea is to calmly teach him that a tight lead actually results in him moving in the opposite direction than that he wanted to go, as soon as the lead becomes slack forward movement recommences! This may seem like a nuisance when you actually want to go for a walk but remember if you want to train him to walk nicely you need to be consistent, it is better to have spent twenty minutes walking nicely even if you have only gone a short distance than it is to have been pulled around the block for twenty minutes!
Timing is essential for this dog/puppy training method to be effective; your behaviour needs to be a direct consequence of your pup/dog’s in order for him to associate the consequence with his behaviour. If you do not stop forward movement immediately as the lead tightens he will not associate the tight lead with his loss of forward movement. Similarly if you do not recommence forward movement as soon as the lead is slack, he won’t realise that it is the slack lead that gains him the successful outcome of moving forward again!
It is extremely important that you keep your arms relaxed and do not tighten the lead yourself. Your dog can do nothing to stop you tightening the lead so he can never understand the consequences of a tight lead if it is actually you that is doing the pulling!
You need to repeat this every time your puppy or dog starts to pull so it does require patience! Another good reason to only attempt a short walk initially!
Remember, whenever he walks beside you on a slack lead, praise him enthusiastically.
If you are going to use a command such as ‘heel’, say it whilst your dog/pup is walking beside you not when he is pulling, this way he will associate the heel command with walking nicely.
Remember, your dog/pup does not know it is wrong to pull on the lead – he is not being naughty, he simply has not learnt that loose lead walking is the only successful way to walk on lead. Getting cross with your dog or pup will not teach him to walk nicely on the lead, on the contrary it is likely to motivate him to get to ‘off lead’ areas more quickly!
3. Dog Recall Training
Early training should be simple and fun! Even if your dog can already reliably perform these early stages it is still helpful to practise them to really reinforce your training.
Have your long line fitted so that you can always ensure your pup/dog complies with your request to return;
Start your dog recall training where there are no distractions and ideally at a time when he is keen to play and interact. If you try and teach him when he has just come back from a walk or recently had his dinner he is unlikely to be as responsive!
Allow your dog or pup to move away from you for just a short distance (a few metres initially) then give him your recall command (remember this can be a whistle tone if you prefer). Immediately use your food or toy to lure him towards you by placing it just in front of his face whilst you move backwards encouraging him towards you. As soon as he reaches you give him his reward whilst praising profusely.
Remember to be fun and exciting whilst you encourage him and keep your voice happy and persuasive, no pup or dog wants to return to a grumpy owner!
Your body language will have a big effect on how your dog or puppy behaves when he returns, particularly your hands (as this is where the reward is). Opening your arms will tend to encourage him towards you but if you keep your hands in the air it is likely to make him jump up at you. So remember to hold your hands out in front of you, thus, luring him towards you. Once he is immediately in front of you gently slide one hand into his collar whilst you present the reward with the other. By practising this every time you give him a reward he will learn that you taking hold of his collar is a positive thing and does not always mean his lead is going to be put on to end his fun!
Practise this recall, return and reward sequence many times gradually allowing him to move away a little further each time before you recall.
If he doesn’t return at any point then immediately use your long line to gently encourage him towards you. Do not be tempted to repeat your recall command again and again as this will just teach him to ignore you. Always give him his reward even if you have had to use your line to encourage him back.
Practise this dog recall training over many sessions until he is responding quickly every time you give the command, once he is, you are ready to start to move on to practising these dog training methods in progressively more distracting environments like the park.
Choose Company Of Animals For Effective Dog Or Puppy Training Classes And Training Aids
Even if after following the above practises you can’t get your dog or pup to obey your commands and you are looking for “puppy training near me,” our various dog training or puppy training classes and equipment, which includes – Multi-Clicker, Two Tone Whistle, High Frequency Whistle, Puppy Training Line, Halti No Pulling solutions, and more, can help. Contact us today for information regarding our dog training classes.