HOW CAN I TRAIN MY DOG TO WALK ON A LEASH NO MATTER WHAT THE DISTRACTION?

Dear Jubilee,

How can I train my dog to walk on a leash no matter what the distraction?
Full of Questions


Dear Full,
I teach my dogs to pay attention to me, all the time, and I do that in part by teaching them that I am not predictable. They have to pay attention to me because I don't always walk in a straight line. I stop, I turn, I turn a right or left corner for no reason, turn around and go in the reverse direction, zig-zag on a little used street, change my mind for no apparent reason, ask them to sit, tell them to wait, etc.

When I stop or change direction, and the dog is not paying attention, the dog pops himself or herself. At which point, I call him or her to me, voice full of sympathy: "what happened? are you all right?" and a reward for coming directly to me when s/he notices his or her mistake. I do this so often that the dog knows better than to let his or her mind wander: no telling what the crazy lady might decide to do, so better to be alert. Most dogs learn how to do this after just three stops or changes in direction.

Dogs are very smart: they know when they have to pay attention to you. And if they can lunge off toward another dog and pull you along behind them, then they know that they don't have to pay attention to you. But if you gently and repeatedly change directions or stop moving, they learn that they have to pay attention to you.

The other thing I do is operate on the rule that they are never too old for classes: obedience, agility, what have you. They need to keep learning. Don't think that the first six week class is it: you must continue going to classes if you want to train your dog to be the companion you want to walk on a leash.

There is nothing like a large novice obedience class for learning to deal with the distractions of other people, other dogs, weird noises, etc. And when you can go and learn something like agility, freestlye, herding, or frisbee or some of the other fun sports to learn with your dog, you will help your dog burn up so much energy and has so many new things to think about that those old distractions will pale by comparison.

This combination of lots of walks in many different places and lots of classes, at least one a week, keep my dogs on their toes and eagerly working with me.

The great thing about this approach is that you build an incredible bond with each dog, and they are much more interested in you than in anything else.

For more ideas, watch Cesar Millan's show and pay attention to what he means when he teaches people how to walk their dogs. He uses calm body language, and he teaches people to assume that the human is in charge. This attitude can bring even the most distracted dog into compliance without ever jerking the dog around. And his idea of keeping the dog beside or behind you is good information.

For whatever you do, you need a collar that enables you to communicate what you want with your dog. No matter what collar you use, you do have to learn how to make it talk to your dog so that the slightest pressure on the leash gives the following information to your dog: be aware--we are about to do something different (go in a different direction, etc.). Whatever collar you decide on, be sure to get good information on how to use it to communicate. You want to communicate without yanking your dog and without an out of control dog dragging you along behind him.

And keep your mind on the goal. No making excuses for distractions. Just keep your mind on the idea of your dog walking so easily beside your left leg that you could walk her off lead and s/he would not run off after something. When your dog has eyes and ears for only you, you will have built a remarkable relationship and then you can do so many things with your dog that you might not have ever dreamed of doing.

Jubilee