Hope you’ve been practicing the skills from our first post about fixing your dog’s leash pulling problem! If you’ve done your homework, you’re ready for Part 2! If you haven’t mastered the tips from the first article, no worries! Check the article out here and start practicing today!
Let’s summarize what you were doing last week.
- clicking and treating your dog 5 times for nothing. Just click and treat 5 times consecutively.
- then taking one step backward and clicking and treating the dog for “filling the gap.” Click as soon as the dog moves toward you. Stay at this step until it becomes super easy for your dog to focus on you and immediately fill the gap you create when you step backward.
- add an additional step backward before you click and treat, and then another until you’re able to walk 3 steps backward and your dog is filling the gap immediately.
The additional steps you’ll be adding in this week are, well, steps! This week, you’re actually going to turn around and walk forward like a regular human being! Here’s how it’s going to work.
Step 1: After your third step backward, simply turn around and walk forward.
Step 2: Click the instant you turn to face forward (and as usual, treat everytime you click).
Step 3: Take another step forward and click again if your dog is keeping up with you. You’re clicking every single step you take as long as the dog is still attentive to you. Continue with Step 3 until your dog is focused solidly on you — not trying to get in front of you, veer off in either direction, or lagging behind.
Step 4: Add another step so you’re now taking 2 steps forward before you click and treat your dog for keeping up with you. Stay at this step until your dog is solidly focused on you.
Step 5: Add another step (you’re now up to 3 steps) before clicking and treating your dog for keeping up with you. Stay at this step until your dog is solidly focused on you.
Step 6: Continue to add in an additional step before clicking as your dog’s focus improves.
Next week’s article will give you the next steps on the road to loose leash walking. AND: an update on Schooner’s loose leash walking progress (and his growth progress — he’s huge now at about 145 pounds!)
Hi, my dog Splash (2yrs) will often prefer to sniff smells then eat the treat which has been cooked sausage or ham and she is a lab! What other rewards can you suggest? Also how should I exercise her when teaching the loose lead walking as we don’t go very far and I don’t want to go back to old habits with her pulling?
Thank you