More Interesting than Spit on the Sidewalk (a.k.a. Loose Leash Walking) by Pamela Dennison
May not be reprinted without written approval.

Loose leash walking (LLW) is all about teaching your dog that you are the best and most exciting thing since sliced bread and are more thrilling than spit on the sidewalk.

Humans have devised many instruments of torture (choke collars, prong collars and head halters) in an attempt to get our dogs to walk nicely by our side. The problem with these kinds of tools is that the dog “may” walk on a loose leash, but only when the threat of pain is there and once these devises are taken off, the dog pulls on leash again.

As a trainer, I am “into” training, as opposed to using these types of “tools.” Look at this from a behavioral standpoint – dogs pull on leash because:

1. We follow, so they learn that to get where they want to go, they have to pull.
2. Opposition reflex, a natural reflexive action, causes them to push or pull against anything that is pushing or pulling against them.
3. Dogs are thinking about what they are looking at. If they aren’t looking at you, then you can pretty much guess they aren’t thinking about you either.

So, what is the answer? Teach your dog to look at you and that heel position (either side is fine, although if you are considering competition obedience or Rally, the left side should be more heavily reinforced) “pays off.”

If you are hungry, do you go to the bathroom or do you go to the kitchen? You go to the kitchen of course! So, heel position is now going to become the “kitchen” for your dog.

Before we get to actual LLW, we need to teach your dog to stare at you adoringly – first while you are standing still and then while you are moving.

Prep:
For one session, cut up treats into tiny pieces. Get a clicker. “Prime” the clicker by clicking and within ½ second, feed your dog a treat (c/t). Count out 60 treats and repeat the above step. This exercise teaches the dog to make the association that “click” means they did something right and they get reinforced. You won’t have to repeat this again.

Caveat: If you are serious about LLW, you must never let him pull again. Get up earlier and never go out of the house without training in your mind and a clicker and treats in your pocket. If sometimes you let him pull and other times you are in training mode, then your dog will never learn to LLW. For morning or inclement weather walks, put your dog on a 50-foot line (NOT a flexi lead – they encourage pulling because there is always tension on the collar) and let him do his business in the yard. Most dogs will not pull on the longer line because there is plenty of room for them to move around.

1. Stationary attention
   With your dog in front of you, have treats in one hand and your clicker in the other. Wait. The instant your dog looks up at your face, c/t. Repeat this until your dog is instantly looking up at you. Repeat a few times per day for a few weeks. (Eye contact is the basis of any other behavior you may want to teach your dog, so don’t skimp on this.)

2. Moving attention
   Use a long line of 15 to 50 feet. If the dog willingly stays with you on a long line, it will be easier to teach him to stay with you willingly on a short line. The standard 6-foot leash forces him to be next to you and if he is pulling, pain is happening near you and he will struggle even more to get away.
   
   Begin this with mild distractions, until you get the hang of it. Walk backwards, so that your dog follows you. After each step, c/t without stopping your backward movement. Don’t lure him with your hands; otherwise he is only learning to follow your hands. Just move and he should follow.
   
   At first, c/t each step, then once the dog is focused on you, start to move erratically to the right and left, not just in straight lines, making sure you are c/t him for following you. Dogs love sudden movements – especially Border Collies! If he moves past you, stand still and wait for him to come back to you. Don’t let him pull you and don’t you pull him – just lock your arms and bend your knees, keep your weight low and he won’t yank you off your feet. If you insist on calling him, don’t use his name – use “hey you,” “earth to puppy,” “Hellllooooooo.” This way, if he isn’t going to respond, you don’t want to teach him that his name is “white noise.” Once you get his attention back, move in fun ways and then c/t him for paying attention to you. After one to two training sessions, only c/t if he is looking up at your face.
   
   Caveat: If you reinforce the dog the instant he comes back to you, you are reinforcing the “pull, come back get a treat, pull again, come back get a treat” behavior chain. So, when the dog does come back, get at least three-five steps of attention before reinforcing.

3. Add distractions.
   Start with mild and gradually add in harder ones. Continue to back up, moving erratically, changing directions and reinforcing the dog heavily for following you.
   
   The harder the distraction, the more valuable the reinforcer must be. Food doesn’t always work and many dogs will ignore a piece of steak when confronted with incredibly exciting smells of deer, squirrels and of course, SHEEP! Predictability KILLS behavior, so it is your job to be unpredictable, not only in how you reinforce, but in the schedule of reinforcement as well. Don’t get stuck on reinforcing the same number of steps on a regular schedule. It is boring for the dog and he will return to ignoring you and go back to pulling on leash.
   
   Heavy-duty reinforcers to be used while LLW;
   • Feeding five, ten or 50 treats – be unpredictable!
   • unning around, encouraging the dog to chase you
   • Making silly “whooshing” noises (agility people know what I mean)
   • Petting gently/roughly
   • Playing with a ball or tug toy (if you throw the ball, do it within leash range…ouch!)
   • Letting him smell the treat, (no eating!)
   • Showing the toy, (no playing!)
   • Pointing to the ground, saying “go sniff” (if you allow the dog to sniff, you cease to be a barrier and they will sniff less)
   • Plucking grass or snow and throwing it up in the air
   • Clapping, cheering (dogs LOVE clapping!)
   • Blowing bubble
   • Giving access to SHEEP!, other activities – car rides, swimming, whatever he likes
   You have now kept your dogs attention with a myriad of distractions and used most or all of the reinforcers listed above. Now you need to walk in the same direction.
   
4. Heel position, (“The Kitchen”)
   Start your session by backing up to ensure your dog is focused on you. Pivot so that he is on your left and instantly c/t. Take a step or two and c/t. Repeat dozens of times, heavily reinforcing (using the list above) this new position. Use your left hand to feed. If your dog is on the left and you feed with your right hand, he will move in front to get closer to the food hand and trip you.
   
   If he dog goes ahead of you, start to move erratically, saying his name as you turn away from him. Be sure to NOT pop him on the collar when changing direction. Since he has found following you fun, he should stay with you.

In case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t asked you to name this behavior yet. Why? LLW is a duration behavior (as opposed to an instant behavior, like a sit) and if you name a duration behavior before it is reliable, you are naming the sub-standard behavior. If your dog is pulling and you are saying “heel,” then you named the pulling behavior, “heel.”

Once your dog is reliably staying with you, then you name the behavior. “Strut,” “with me,” “heel,” “let’s go,” and “walk,” are the most common cue words for loose leash walking. Use “come on,” and you will dilute your “come” word.

On average it takes a few weeks to teach your dog to do LLW. Younger dogs take less time, because they don’t have a strong history of pulling. If you have an older dog, you may want to change to a harness. My favorite is the X back sledding harness made by Black Ice Dog Sledding, item HS52. Measure twice, order once. This harness is not adjustable.

If your dog backs out of collars or harnesses, this is my second choice: item HARTL This adjustable tracking harness works well for bigger dogs.

Both harnesses are comfortable, and most dogs will stop pulling because the pain has stopped. If you are of the old school and can’t seem to stop popping your dog, at least you won’t be hurting his neck.

You can wean off of these harnesses to a buckle collar after a few weeks or you can just keep using them.

LLW is not hard to teach, but can be time consuming. Have patience and create the hiking partner of your dreams!

That’ll do!