Be mindful that your dog will feed off of your body language. You should always present yourself with positive and confident body language. Use the following tips when you are walking your dog.
Keep your hands low or at your belly button
Shoulders should be relaxed
Back should be straight
Clicker should be in your right hand, same hand you hold your leash handle
Treat pouch should be on your left side, this is to help keep your dog on your left side
Give your dog treats ONLY on your left side and feed to them low
When you are walking a dog try to imagine it as a game of red light, green light. There will be lots of stops and go-s during your loose leash walk.
When the dog pulls on the leash, begin to walk backwards in the opposite direction the dog is pulling and wait for the dog to correct its direction.
Once the dog is walking back in our direction we are going to use our clicker to mark this positive behavior of the dog walking back to us, and after we mark we are rewarding the dog with a treat on the left side with our left hand.
ALWAYS click and reward the dog for giving you EYE CONTACT. Never stop rewarding this behavior if they offer it.
The goal is to mark and reward the dog on your left side as much as possible, this is to strengthen the dog's desire to be on our left side.
All rights reserved. © 2024 Brandywine Valley SPCA.