Training your dog to walk on a leash
takes the right approach and enough patience. It is something you can do
on your own. Training your dog to walk on a leash is not that much
difficult as you think earlier. Here are a few tips to make leash
training for your dog as effortless and effective as possible. You can
look for dog training services near you to help you out.
1. Consider Leash Training Cues.
Do you use a cue word to allow your dog to know the time for a leash? You might be using a cue word for other commands like sit, paw, and heel. You also need one to prompt your dog to obey on the leash.
More importantly, the word should be used only when teaching him how to walk on the conjunction. Avoid using the word as a part of your normal vocabulary or an expression of emotion.
2. Make The Training Short.
It’s always good to keep the dog training sessions short, fun, and engaging. Only 10-15 minutes will do well than training a dog for an hour long. You can take two to four short walks per day around your house or down the street. You can check for signs when your dog may need a break from training. Some of them are:
- Losing interest in getting rewards
- An increasing number of mistakes
- Slower to respond to cues
3. Reward The Appropriate Behavior.
Do you want to train your dog to do anything? The first thing you should do is reward appropriate behavior. It should be done right away, immediately after the occurrence of good behavior. You can give treats and praise as rewards or you can give petting and playtime with favorite toys or games of fetch.
The most significant reason behind rewarding your dog is to let him encourage you to practice consistency. If you give him a treat for doing something good on Monday and you don’t do it again until Thursday, it will confuse him and he will be unable to learn acceptable behaviors.
Hence, every time he does something right – even if he is sitting peacefully for a minute, you should reward him. That way, he will learn and after that, you can increase the time between rewards.
4. Add Distractions.
While training your dog to walk on a leash, you should start adding distractions. Remember that, walking on a leash won’t be quiet and uneventful; hence you should make sure that your dog gets used to new places, new people, and passing vehicles.
You can try a few things like:
You can take your dog to the park or beach where many people are around. It will help them get accustomed to different types of smells and noises.
If you find dogs at the beach or park, you can take your dog over and introduce them to each other. That way, they can able to learn how they should act around other animals especially if they don’t know each other.
5. Make The Sessions Full Of Fun.
The
most important thing you should remember while walking your dog is to
make it full of fun. If you are not finding it fun, the same goes for
your dog. Always use your tone of positive and happy voice while
speaking to him or her. You must be excited about the walk and
enthusiastic about the leash and know how your dog is doing. Always make
sure that your dog sees the excitement. The more your dog starts
connecting walks with good things like toys treats, and affection, the
more their behavior will improve.
Bottom Line –
Do you want professional help with dog training in South Jersey? If yes, you should rely on Happy Tails. For more information about our dog training packages, please call us at (609) 636-6984.
