If you don’t have your own backyard, like us, or maybe you do but it is not fenced in, teaching your dog to walk on leash is pretty important. When I hooked Ares up to his leash and headed out the front door for our first walk I ignorantly assumed that he would walk nicely next to me. I quickly realized that was far from reality. And after weeks of him charging out in front on some mission I was unaware of, sniffing everything in his path and tangling me up in the leash one too many times, enough was enough.
Chris came home for good after spending most of the summer and early fall traveling around for his road construction job. He explained to me that I wasn’t being the leader and dogs operate on a pack hierarchy system. Ares felt that he should take control of the situation because I wasn’t. So that’s when I started asserting my position. If Ares ran out the door in front of me we turned around and started over until he learned to wait for me to go first and he would follow. If he tried to pull out in front while we were walking I would give him a sharp tug on the leash and make whatever sound came first out of my mouth as a warning. If he went full throttle trying to take the lead position I would about face and walk the other way.
Although stubborn as hell, Ares is an intelligent dog and he figured out walks were a lot nicer when he trotted along next to me. Of course treating him nearly every step helped immensely in the beginning. But it was worth it to teach him the right way to walk on leash.
Then just when I was getting Ares where I wanted him with leash walking, Chaos came into our lives. And even as a puppy he was stronger than me. The leash tugs didn’t have the same effect on him, mainly because he could barely feel them. We tried a gentle leader (a type of head collar that goes around the head and snout) but he put an end to that quickly.
Picture him laying completely flat on the asphalt outside our complex with the most pathetic look on his face, not budging an inch for anything. Our obedience trainer said we should wait him out. After 30 minutes of looking like an idiot waiting for your dog to unpancake himself, it becomes clear who the winner in the situation is.
Luckily I discovered Chaos’s sensitivity though and used it against him. It sounds a little evil I guess but it was for his own good. You know how your parents would always say that when you were a kid and you thought it was a bunch of bologna? Well apparently some things really just are for your own good.
When I learned that it didn’t take much to hurt Chaos’s feelings, I used it to train him. A sharp no was enough to stop him from bolting ahead with me hanging on for dear life. He doesn’t like to get in trouble, plain and simple.
So walking a dog on leash was far from as easy as I had imagined. But now most people are pretty impressed that I can walk them both by myself with both leashes in the same hand. While I out weight them combined, they completely have the lead with strength, but they have learned we walk with purpose and we walk nicely.
As with everything else I talk about, I will reiterate that my dogs are quite a long shot from perfectly trained. A lot of work and patience went into teaching them leash manners but they still have plenty of moments when they just do their own thing. When the leaves start to cover the ground we will be reminding Chaos not to get underfoot trying to gobble them up. We still have to keep Ares’s terrier instincts in check sometimes if he sees a squirrel or bunny dart across our path. And both dogs still struggle with staying next to us if we pass by a big group of people or a squealing child.
Maybe you had a brilliant puppy who immediately took to leash walking or just had a much easier time teaching yours. But for the majority of you, I’ve felt your pain. Training a dog to walk on leash can be stressful and frustrating but it’s important to stick with it. And if you happen to run into us while out walking I apologize in advance if Ares and Chaos decide to try and meet you without an invitation.
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