07/03/2023
*Realistic loose lead walking*
A commonly seen issue with many of my clients is loose lead walking, walking to heel, 100% focus on just you.
It's not realistic.
There is a huge difference between a dog that pulls and a dog that walks nicely on lead, it's just not realistic to expect your dog to walk to heel all the time.
Your dog can have brilliant focus, like you see in the 30 second clips on Facebook and Instagram of dogs with their heads up waiting for their next command, but I can guarantee after the camera stops rolling those dogs are allowed to break from their heel command.
It is so important to allow your dog the freedom to explore, sniff and take in its surroundings. To decompress.
Dogs that are given opportunities to explore and decompress actually tend to learn loose lead walking quicker and are more willing to perform the heel command because they know they have the opportunity to decompress afterwards.
Give your dog the space and time they deserve to sniff enjoy their walk, and the likelihood is they will return the favour and allow you to enjoy your walk by walking to heel when asked.
Here is my dog Daisy showing how she knows to walk to heel on a loose lead when commanded, but also appreciates the freedom to walk ahead, sniff and explore when I break her from the command with her break word "okay"
If you would like to achieve this, or any other behavioural improvements with your dog, don't hesitate to message!
