Walking your dog on a leash, rather than just letting him out in the backyard all the time, is one of the most important things you can do for your dog and for you. It not only gives you both healthy exercise, it allows for deeper bonding and understanding between you, the foundation of trust and communication so important in further training.

It also gives your dog that mental stimulation he needs to be well-behaved, socialized and happy. Being well behaved on a leash doesn’t necessarily mean doing the “heel” thing many people think is a requirement. You don’t have to turn your playful pooch into a “Stepford” dog. Instead, your walks can be his time to stop and sniff (within reason), to explore and socialize with others you meet on your walks. Just insist that he “walk nice” for both of your sakes, which is defined as a slack leash and not losing his mind when he sees other dogs. The training technique I’ll show you usually accomplishes both of these goals.

If you have a strong dog who has been dragging you down the street and choking himself with a standard collar, you may want to invest in a harness until he’s leash trained. That kind of force on your dog’s throat can cause damage to his trachea and you don’t want harm to come to him nor do you need the vet bills! Choke collars are not a good idea at any time and they aren’t necessary for training your dog. Leash training is not difficult or time consuming. It’s easy, usually just a matter of stopping the walk when pooch starts to pull.

Your dog wants to GO, to explore and sniff – that’s his motivation and fun. Stopping dead in your tracks keeps him from what he wants to do. Shorten the leash length to keep him at your side and in a calm voice, tell him to “calm” or “shhh”, whatever comes naturally to you, and stand there until he calms down. Stand there for as long as it takes, staying calm yourself. If you feel like you’re losing patience, just take a few deep breaths and picture yourself walking your calm, happy dog who isn’t trying to rip your arm out of its socket. It will happen.

When he’s calm and no longer pulling, continue your walk, repeating this as often as necessary until he understands what you expect from him and learns to “walk nice”. For a very rowdy dog, you may find yourself taking no more than one or two steps at a time. That’s okay. Just stay calm. Leash training can usually be accomplished very quickly, often in a single session with a quick reminder if he forgets it the next time you walk. Happy walking!