Training the dog for loose leash walking

By Jerry Welsh


Every dog owner would know the importance of walking the dog. A dog's daily walking requirements of 20 to 30 minutes must be met. Walking is a necessary daily ritual that would maintain the ideal physique of the dog and a form of exercise that will ensure that the dog attains mental stability to prevent the development of undesirable behaviors that usually results from boredom.

The need to train the dog to walk properly comes with the decision to take a dog for a pet. Allowing the dog to walk in front is actually allowing the dog to be the leader of the pack. The dog should benefit from the exercise but an owner of a dog that is hard to manage will have highly strung pet instead. This is why it is necessary to train the dog to behave properly while being walked on a leash. A dog owner that has successfully trained the pet to behave and walk properly even with the restrictions of a leash will consider walking the dog as an enjoyable bonding moment instead of an arduous task.

Dogs are intelligent animals but they still need to be trained to walk on a leash. Training the dog to walk on a leash just like any other kind of training is best started while the dog is still a puppy. The first task is to get the pup comfortable with wearing a collar. At first the dog may try to remove the weight around its neck thus you need to wait for the dog to settle down before you can attach the leash.

Start the training by walking the dog on a leash around the house. Because of an exuberant nature, the puppy would love to follow the master around. Dogs that have formed a strong bond with the master will always be eager to walk with its favorite person.

A dog that has found an interesting scent or one that has heard an interesting sound would pull on the leash and try to break free. If this happens, all you need to do is to stop walking. The dog has to learn that if it tries to pull on the leash the enjoyable exercise will be stopped. Continue walking, praise the dog and offer a treat if the dog settled down. The ideal way of walking a pet is to have the leash hanging loosely between the dog and the owner but this cannot be managed instantly. A pet owner has to be patient and persistent to be able to teach the dog to walk on a leash but it is certainly rewarding to have a well trained pet.




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