Sometimes, when you take your dog out for a walk, you’ll notice your pet desperately tugging on their lead to reach the next distraction.
They may want to pee against a tree, say hello to another animal, or even just walk a lot faster than you’re able to keep up with without breaking out in a sweat.
However, one dog owner has shared how she got her dog to stop pulling on the lead, and to instead walk “loosely” by her side.
“We started training Honey to walk loosely on the lead by using the heel command,” Hannah said in a TikTok video. “So whenever she was walking by our side on a slack lead, we would reward her with our marker word, which is ‘yes,’ and give her a treat.”
She added: “Whenever she would pull, which you can see here, we would stop and wait until she got into the heel position and walk again.”
Hannah admitted that it was a “really long process”, saying: “I quickly had to learn that walks were training walks, and if it took us half an hour to walk around the block, then so be it.”
She also said have to be patient with your pooch to make this work, but the results are definitely worth it. The owner claimed uour dog will be more relaxed when walking by your side, and you’ll be able to enjoy the walk much more, too.
“We would very rarely have a walk where we didn’t do training,” Hannah explained, admitting she’s a “very impatient person” so she did find it challenging at times – but it was worth the graft.
“Our training took months of consistent work, where we practically did a training walk every day,” said, Hannah. “Usually our walks would last up to half an hour, and because she was a puppy at the time, it was enough.”
But they began to bear the fruits of their labour when Honey was 10 months old and understood what she was doing when loose lead walking.
“Now, we can finally enjoy our walks instead of dreading them,” Hannah gushed.
She said you just need to be “consistent,” and “one day it will just click” for your dog. Hannah also said it’s been “so rewarding” to see her dog doing the right thing now.
Why is loose lead walking so important?
Training your dog to walk on a lead or loose lead walking IS good exercise to practice to ensure walks with your dog are safe and enjoyable for both of you, according to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
They add on their website: “It also encourages your dog to give you their attention. It’s best to start loose lead training indoors, away from other distractions.”
