SUCCESSFUL WALKS - TEACH THEM HOW
Structure, boundaries, rules and manners in the walk!
Learning how to walk properly with a handler is done by following slightly behind my left leg, keeping a calm and tuned in mindset and respecting the boundaries and rules that I’ve taught him. Just like any skill or habit, dogs have to be taught how to walk by following a handler and how to stay tuned in/calm and how to be non reactive because they certainly aren’t ‘born that way’! 😂. I know that seems fairly obvious, but it definitely isn’t! The common theme I see with folks is to put a leash on a dog and away they go without teaching the dog the ‘how-tos’ and the ‘don’t dos’. Then, when things start to go south, we see folks trying things like harnesses (which encourage and enable pulling... like a sled dog or a cart horse!) and face halters (which create a lot of frustration/intensity for most dogs!) but they still haven’t taught the dog HOW to walk, HOW to behave politely, and HOW to have a calm mind so despite all the tackle, the dog is still misbehaving on the walk. Once we apply the right training approach and teach the dog the ‘how-tos’ and the ‘don’t dos’ using the right communication tools, we can create a very different picture where the dog learns how to walk in harmony with his handler and wants to follow and work for his handler. There is no better feeling than being tuned into a tuned in dog and working together during our daily leadership building ritual on the structured leash walk! ❤️
Preparing for a successful structured leash walk!
The structured leash walk should be a daily leadership building ritual between dog and handler where we are staying completely present and in tune with the dog. Guiding him, advocating for him, giving him structure and also accountability for calm and polite manners and behaviour. Some of the general do’s and don’ts of the daily structured leash walk are as follows (in the video I’m speaking more specifically and rehabilitated reacrive dogs and how to maintain that rehabbed mindset and behaviour):
*the walk starts before you leave the house! Ensure a calm and tuned in mindset and polite obedient behaviour from your dog at all thresholds, in the vehicle, and on the leash.
*address mental arousal/over excitement/reactive potential/etc. before you reach a challenging distraction and before unwanted behaviour rears it’s ugly head... set your dog up for success by preparing him ahead!
*use space to your advantage and be courteous to other walkers. When passing a challenging distraction, step off the sidewalk into a street or onto a lawn to take pressure off your dog and off on coming traffic.
*where circumstances permits, pass people to people rather than dog to dog. Where circumstances don’t permit, switch your dog to the off side (the right side) before passing a challenging distraction. Once past, move your dog back to the correct position on the left side. If a path for success doesn’t exist, CREATE IT! Advocating for your dog and helping him to succeed is always your priority and responsibility.
*don’t allow meetings on leash, this leads to so much reactivity whether it be over excitement reactivity from repeated over excited interactions or nasty reactivity from a meeting gone wrong. When on leash, dogs are off limits.