Simple leash skills every owner should know

Pulling on the leash is a natural behaviour for a dog. But it’s not healthy to let them continue to pull because no matter what your leash is attached to, constant pressure on the dog can cause damage (even with harnesses and head halters).

If your dog is overly distracted as soon as you leave the house, or is reactive, pulling on leash is one of the first things you need to address.

There’s lots of leash techniques out there, such as:

• Turning the opposite direction when the dog pulls
• Stopping every time the leash goes tight
• Mark and reward when the dog is next to you
• Correct the dog when the dog is ahead of you

Nothing wrong there, but there’s a technique I love that does more than just help stop pulling and that is teaching your dog to respond to gentle leash pressure. It’s simple but I can’t overstate how important it is to teach your dog to be responsive to the leash.

Rather than a battle over who’s pulling harder, leash pressure work should flow like a dance, where you can apply the lightest touch and the dog readily responds.

Beautiful! Would you like that for your dog?

And if your dog can respond like that, it doesn’t fit in with continuing to pull on the leash. It’s teaching them the opposite.

Here’s a video about teaching leash pressure.

Why don’t you give it a go with your dog today?

And just a tip: most people don’t practice this enough because it’s TOO simple. Yes it’s simple, but drill it in – practice, practice, practice! As always, at home first.

Want to learn more leash skills that teach your dog to focus on you more? Frantic to Focused can teach you all that and more. Join by clicking here.

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