Anyone know what the main criterion for loose-leash walking is? No, it's not actually the heel position, or a dog resisting the urge to sniff.
It's simply walking with a loose leash!
Too often I see demonstrations of loose-leash walking by handlers holding their leash short, in a tight, straight line in the hand closest to their dog. This is a red flag for me that two specific things could be going on:
1) The person who's walking the dog was never properly taught what loose-leash walking is; or
2) The leash is so short because the handler is preparing to jerk on it if the dog pulls.
In both of the scenarios above, the skill of loose-leash walking hasn't been properly trained. If someone is repeatedly applying an aversive (unpleasant thing) to stop a dog pulling, they're using punishment - that isn't *actually* working - and they haven't done a good enough job of teaching the dog how they'd actually like them to walk. This requires good communication with our body to get the dog in position, and careful, deliberate delivery of reinforcement.
If your dog is trained in loose-leash walking, you ought to have a loose leash!
Note: Barry here is showing some signs of stress in this video - can you spot them? He's had a big (temporary) life change this weekend, and a little bit of stress is not out of the ordinary in such situations. Rest assured he's getting lots of treats and cuddles when we're not filming 🐾
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