Sit-Stay and Walk On-Leash

Your dog will quickly learn that the only way to get you walking again is if they sit down.  Once you can string together a few consecutive steps, you’ll have a dog that walks calmly on leash.

If your reprimand isn’t changing their behavior, then repeating it will only desensitize them.  An abrupt and startling reprimand is the most effective.  If you do take hold of the dog, be sure to hold them until you can praise them for being good.

It’s always unfair to punish a dog more than you praise it.  Maintain a positive training atmosphere by praising them when they’re acting well, which is most of the time.

This exercise trains the dog to pay attention to you while walking.  They never know when you’ll stop and they’ll have to sit and look at you again to get you going.

Training a dog to walk politely on leash is very easy, but not if you’re trying to go somewhere.

If your dog jumps up you must let them know it’s not okay.  Stop walking and tell them “Off.”  If necessary, push them down and yell, but be sure to praise them when they stop jumping.

All or None Reward Training can start slowly, but it’s always worth the wait.  The longer it takes your dog to figure out what you want, the more they’ll understand it when they do get it.

As your dog learns to maintain a loose leash you can start stringing more and more steps together.  Keep praising the appropriate behavior, and correcting the bad behavior and soon you’ll be walking your dog happily on leash

After taking a single step, the dog is likely to get excited and may start pulling on the leash again.  Keep praising the loose leash and gently jerking the tightened leash until they leave it loose for several seconds.

“Steady” means we want a loose leash.  If they tug on the leash, say “Steady” and tug back.  If the leash is loose, praise the dog.  If the leash remains loose for several seconds take a single step and repeat.