# Super worried about leash training



## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

It's not difficult to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash, but it does require quite a bit of effort and regular practice over a period of several months.


Here's what's always worked for me: Fill your pockets with kibble and take the pup out on leash. Feed the kibble constantly, one piece at a time, as you walk, so the pup stays next to you. Feed one of his meals in this way, every day, for a few days. Then start spacing out the kibble pieces; walk a few steps between each piece. If the pup wanders off or goes ahead, do a u-turn (try not to yank his neck) and keep walking in the opposite direction. Reward with kibble when he catches up to you. And so on. Eventually you can stop feeding and just hand out an occasional treat. 



It's important to be very upbeat: walk at a decent pace, stand upright when walking (don't bend down), talk to your pup, vary your pace (walk slowly, jog a few steps, walk more quickly, etc.) and praise a lot. You can add in a few short "sit, down, stand" sequences, just to change things up. Reward generously. The walk should be fun for the pup. If you do this right, you should be absolutely exhausted by the time you've finished handing out the kibble! The pup will learn that walks are fun, and that _you _are fun, and you'll get him used to focusing on you instead of focusing on stuff in the environment. If you let him do his own thing in the early weeks and months, you'll end up with a dog that sniffs and pulls and is generally not a good walking companion.


During the first few walks you probably won't get further than the end of your driveway, and even after that, you may only get to the end of the street and back. It may be a while before you can actually go anywhere! You'll spend a lot of time changing direction.



Some dogs pick up the loose leash walking fairly quickly, within a matter of a few weeks, but others take longer. I would say my current Golden was about five or six months old before he would walk reliably on a loose leash.



Obedience classes are important, but if you want them to be effective you have to do the homework and practise every single day. 



Best of luck, and don't worry about stuff like this. It's fun to do!


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

nancie said:


> ...the one thing I could never teach them was to walk well on the leash.
> 
> *I know that this is very LARGELY due to the fact I made almost 0 effort at all to do so...*
> Mainly I wanted to ask:
> ...


Congratulations on your impending addition - so exciting! And you are very smart to be putting time into research and reading now, BEFORE your puppy comes home. You have already answered your own question, your previous dogs didn't learn because you didn't work on it. It wasn't a big priority to you for a variety of reasons, including the fact that you were younger and didn't realize how important this simple skill is.

To answer your question, it is not enough to take a puppy class and think that's it. A 6 week class is not sufficient. Plan on spending a couple of years working on obedience skills. Even then you will have to remind your dog to stay in place. It is usually more settled, older dogs who will just stroll along with you on a Sunday walk. Golden Retrievers are sporting dogs, they have energy and prey drive and when they are walking along with you even well trained dogs will need reminders to stay in place.

Starting early will help make this successful. The most important thing to remember is that your puppy is a sponge, every waking minute of the day, he will be learning things from you about his world. Even when you aren't even thinking about it and have no idea you are training him, he will be learning about how his actions and behavior work to get him what he wants. Be sure that you make sure that his experiences are teaching him what you want him to know. Always be thinking about his perspective.

First thing, from day 1 - do not let him have success in going where he wants to go, simply by pulling you along on the leash. Most people let 8 pound puppies do whatever they want, they don't realize that is a mistake until the puppies hit 18 pounds and it becomes apparent this isn't going to work well with an energetic 60 pound dog. From day 1, do not let this start. IMPORTANT: Use a happy voice and talk to him, engage him, make it fun for him. Puppies have short attention spans, don't think you can walk along like a dud and be boring and have success. You need to make it fun for him.  This is the key to anything you want to train for. WHile you are teaching him it has to be fun. When he is older and you are 100% certain that he knows what you want from him, then you can add in a consequence that he won't like. For example, if he pulls to stop dead in your tracks. He hits the end of the leash and you make no more forward movement until he stops. Eventually you respond with a reverse of direction, taking him away from what he wants to see. These are results he will not care for. They are fair to him after you have taught him that he needs to be in heel position. 

Set him up for success by making sure your puppy isn't wild and overflowing with energy when you go on training walks. Play a little bit if he seems too crazy to settle.

Be sure to work on leash with a hungry puppy. Have tiny soft treats that he likes to reward him every few steps. This is all repetition, over time. Be a pez dispenser. Teach him that the best place to be in the world is right in heel position. You can also do this off leash. Work in short 3 -5 minute increments, 3 times a day. Building this training time into your routine is easiest if you do it around something you never forget, such as before you feed him a meal. You can use his food (measure it out so you don't over feed him) to work on this skill before each meal. You can do it before coming back indoors on a potty run. Tape a piece of paper over your t.v. remote control and make sure that you spend 5 minutes training before you sit down to watch a show etc. Whatever is built into your daily lifestyle, attach puppy training to the activity. This keeps you from getting busy and forgetting. It won't be long till it becomes habit.

As he gets bigger, you will have built a foundation that whenever he is in heel position, he gets a reward, you can also keep a toy tucked under your arm to occasionally play with him when he least expects it. The trick is to keep him guessing, he doesn't know when it will happen so he wants to be next to you and focusing on you. Keep these training sessions short and in a distraction free environment at first. IT takes long months of practice and maturity to get a dog ready to focus on you in public or in an environment full of fun things. You will need to have a lot of patience. 

All dogs are individuals, many Goldens are not reliable about walking nicely until they are mature. If you make this a priority and work on it every day, it can be done. It's all about consistent, daily practice. You can't expect him to walk nicely one day but then not enforce the rules the next day. If he gets away with pulling sometimes, he will not understand why you are so arbitrary.

Teach things like "touch" for a hand touch (look for a video on you tube to see this) It is a good thing to help the dog get in place for walking. A puppy will pick this up quickly.  Kikopup puppy training on you tube is a good resource, clicker training can be good if you are coordinated. 

Books like Control Unleashed for puppy and Total Recall are good resources as well: 
https://www.amazon.com/Total-Recall-Perfect-Response-Training/dp/1846891493


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

I have found this to be the hardest thing to train Rukie to do. I think maybe we let him pull too much right from the start so then we had to reform the bad habit. I have worked and worked on treating every few steps. He knows what he's supposed to do but just gets too excited. He's 16 months old now and there is definitely progress but he still pulls some. I think the more determined I got to stop it, the more we started to make progress so you are already off to a good start. The advice from ceegee and nolefan is great


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I used the method Ceegee described - and the only thing I will add is to use a 4-foot leash. It makes it much easier. You have way better control than with a 6-foot one. And don't expect quick success. I was walking with a pocket full of kibble for almost a full year. It doesn't mean my dog was pulling for a year, but she needed reminding and reinforcing of her good walking for a long time before I could fully phase out the treats. For times like, if another dog was passing, or someone with a baby stroller, it was good to have the treats to keep her attention, praise her paying attention to me, and reward. Patience, patience, patience! It WILL be worth it. :smile2:


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

Penny overall has been one of the best leash walking dogs I’ve ever had. 
Lots of good advise already posted on training methods. 
Thought I would add that while overall good we have had many set backs where my sweet pooch seems to have lost all ability to behave in a leash. It seems to come out of nowhere and lasts a month or two give or take. We have resorted to using a couple of different walking apparatus during those times to assist. I really believe that not all training aids suit all dogs so you never know what the magic devise may be that’ll help. No matter if you do end up using a training devise (speciality harness, speciality collar, head harness etc) none of it replaces continued and consistent training. 
And don’t give up. It gets better. Just because your adolescent dog seems to have forgotten everything you have ever taught them that knowledge is still in there.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

You've gotten great advice! I'm not going to add much. But one thing to keep in mind is consistency when you're trying to teach loose leash walking. Thats what worked for me with Piper this time around. Its so hard to just not give in when your pup is excited an let them pull you towards that dog/human/squirrel. But the results are totally worth it when you walk by another person walking their dog, and their dog is pulling like crazy to get to you guys and you and your dog walk by unfazed. 

One of the first things I taught Piper was "watch (me)." You can call it "look" or anything you want. But you teach your dog when you say the cue to look right at you. It will take your pup's attention away from whatever interesting thing there is and direct it towards you. Then you can tell pup to "sit" or anything else, show them a treat or toy. I found it very helpful in leash training, and its great to help get out of trouble. 

You'll find that your pup will pick up loose leash walking very quickly inside. Outside--different story. So practice a lot inside, and then move more and more distracting situations. "Watch" helps too. I live in a big city, so we come across lots of people/dogs every time we go outside. 

When Piper was a puppy, she was pretty easy actually, but when she became an adolescent, it got a bit harder thats when they want to bend the rules. Teach your puppy early on "sit" to be pet/approached etc. If you're walking down the street and up comes a person with a dog, pulling on the leash to say hi to you guys, you just tell your pup to "sit" and they can stay at your side. Or you walk off slightly away and then have your dog sit. That way your pup stays in your control and they can either walk by without greeting, or can approach you if you want. I found it easier when Piper was learning to sometimes just take her off to the side and have her sit at my side, because at first her impulse control was not good enough to sit and wait for another dog or person to walk right by us without her pulling to see them. 

Share lots of pictures when you get your sweet new addition!


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## nancie (Aug 4, 2018)

ceegee said:


> It's not difficult to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash, but it does require quite a bit of effort and regular practice over a period of several months.
> 
> 
> Here's what's always worked for me: Fill your pockets with kibble and take the pup out on leash. Feed the kibble constantly, one piece at a time, as you walk, so the pup stays next to you. Feed one of his meals in this way, every day, for a few days. Then start spacing out the kibble pieces; walk a few steps between each piece. If the pup wanders off or goes ahead, do a u-turn (try not to yank his neck) and keep walking in the opposite direction. Reward with kibble when he catches up to you. And so on. Eventually you can stop feeding and just hand out an occasional treat.
> ...


Thank you so much this is great help!! A lot of info and it reassures me that it can be structured and effective. Also thank you for providing so much detail on the methods - this helps a lot!!


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## nancie (Aug 4, 2018)

nolefan said:


> Congratulations on your impending addition - so exciting! And you are very smart to be putting time into research and reading now, BEFORE your puppy comes home. You have already answered your own question, your previous dogs didn't learn because you didn't work on it. It wasn't a big priority to you for a variety of reasons, including the fact that you were younger and didn't realize how important this simple skill is.
> 
> To answer your question, it is not enough to take a puppy class and think that's it. A 6 week class is not sufficient. Plan on spending a couple of years working on obedience skills. Even then you will have to remind your dog to stay in place. It is usually more settled, older dogs who will just stroll along with you on a Sunday walk. Golden Retrievers are sporting dogs, they have energy and prey drive and when they are walking along with you even well trained dogs will need reminders to stay in place.
> 
> ...


Thanks so much!! This is really important for flagging up that it has to be consistent and started from as soon as possible. I have spoken to my boyfriend to make sure that he would be on board with it and able to keep it up, and he has reassured me a lot saying he is willing to put the work. So I'm glad! Also I'm glad to know that I have to keep it short and interesting, to set them up for success.  That's really helpful thanks!



Sweet Girl said:


> I used the method Ceegee described - and the only thing I will add is to use a 4-foot leash. It makes it much easier. You have way better control than with a 6-foot one. And don't expect quick success. I was walking with a pocket full of kibble for almost a full year. It doesn't mean my dog was pulling for a year, but she needed reminding and reinforcing of her good walking for a long time before I could fully phase out the treats. For times like, if another dog was passing, or someone with a baby stroller, it was good to have the treats to keep her attention, praise her paying attention to me, and reward. Patience, patience, patience! It WILL be worth it. :smile2:


That's reassuring, thank you! 



Gleepers said:


> Penny overall has been one of the best leash walking dogs I’ve ever had.
> Lots of good advise already posted on training methods.
> Thought I would add that while overall good we have had many set backs where my sweet pooch seems to have lost all ability to behave in a leash. It seems to come out of nowhere and lasts a month or two give or take. We have resorted to using a couple of different walking apparatus during those times to assist. I really believe that not all training aids suit all dogs so you never know what the magic devise may be that’ll help. No matter if you do end up using a training devise (speciality harness, speciality collar, head harness etc) none of it replaces continued and consistent training.
> And don’t give up. It gets better. Just because your adolescent dog seems to have forgotten everything you have ever taught them that knowledge is still in there.


Thank you. This is also good for preparing me as I am learning about many different methods but wasn't sure which 'one' to do, but I guess it's a matter of trying out a mixture of all to see what is most effective? (Important thing being that there is always training involved and not just allowing the pup to pull!)



Piper_the_goldenpuppy said:


> You've gotten great advice! I'm not going to add much. But one thing to keep in mind is consistency when you're trying to teach loose leash walking. Thats what worked for me with Piper this time around. Its so hard to just not give in when your pup is excited an let them pull you towards that dog/human/squirrel. But the results are totally worth it when you walk by another person walking their dog, and their dog is pulling like crazy to get to you guys and you and your dog walk by unfazed.
> 
> One of the first things I taught Piper was "watch (me)." You can call it "look" or anything you want. But you teach your dog when you say the cue to look right at you. It will take your pup's attention away from whatever interesting thing there is and direct it towards you. Then you can tell pup to "sit" or anything else, show them a treat or toy. I found it very helpful in leash training, and its great to help get out of trouble.
> 
> ...



That's very interesting about teaching the 'look' - I think that's really handy! Thanks so much! I see it would help with distractions as well as walking well.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

You probably want to teach loose leash walking, not an obedience heel.


Good luck with your pup!


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