Leash Training

Update from last post: As talked about before, Rosie had serious digging issues and would attempt to dig on everything. I have applied the technique of giving her something to do by either playing a game with her such as catch or by giving her one of her favorite bones to chew on. Because I am doing this, her digging has decreased, but it’s still there. I have yet to build her a digging pit in my backyard, but I plan on doing so once the weather gets nicer, and once it gets closer to summer.

A couple of weeks ago, I took Rosie on her first walk because she had finally received all of her shots allowing her do so. I was so excited because I have been waiting to do this ever since I got her, and had to keep on waiting until she was old enough. I was so happy when I was finally able to put on her leash and collar and actually leave the yard of my house with her. When I finally walked out the front door and reached the crosswalk in front of my house, I realized that this was going to be one long walk.

My parents and I both agreed that we would have Rosie walk on to the left of us, just as we did with our previous dog. Rosie didn’t seem to understand this concept and ran as fast as she could across the street. I ran after her and pulled the leash back in order to gain some control over her, but this did nothing. She began to drag me everywhere and pull the leash in all directions. “Unfortunately, walks often turn into battlegrounds. Some puppies pull hard and drag their owners along” (Swaim 204). I kept giving her different commands like “come” and “heel” but she was so young and inexperienced that she couldn’t understand these terms. “Pulling while walking on a leash is one of the most common issues for puppy parents (Swaim 246). A method used to treat this is called stop and go. In this method, you keep the end of the leash placed near your stomach. If your puppy pulls, no matter what, you can’t extend your arm. This will let you dog know how much of the leash they will have to work with. If they keep pulling on the leash, stop and ignore them, until they take a step back and provide you with an excess amount of leash (Swaim). Although this task may seem tedious, it is very precise and will force your dog to catch on to the intended goal.



Rosie getting ready for her walk

Not only was just simply walking her a problem but I began to walk her up a hill to go to an elementary school, she began to stop excessively like she was scared to go up. “Others are terrified and stop often” (Swaim 204). A way to prevent this from happening is to give a specific command such as “let’s go.” If Rosie stopped at area and responded by looking at me and following me after I give that command, I should give her a treat along with praise (Swaim 206). This would allow her to think that her responding to the command is good and will her to receive rewards.

My question to you: Do have any other tips for leash issues?