20/03/2024
Thank you to all who commented on the leash length and shared a picture of your dog on a walk. 🐕🦺
I've had many clients come to me lately and report that one of the things they would love to work on is leash walking. When I ask what it looks like, there's a percentage of people that report. Their dog does not walk next to him and they heard that this is not good. The idea your dog has to walk next to you was based in a flawed construct known as dominance. Letting your dog walk in front of you is a very helpful way to walk your dog. Also offering your dog more leash, although it seems counterintuitive, is a great way to help pulling. Often when a dog pulls, the human then puts tension on the leash or pulls it back and the walk becomes a ridiculous push pull event.
9 ft is my favorite leash length, and the shortest leash I sell at the studio.
There may be times in a walk you need to be closer to your dog and therefore you could simply shorten the leash by getting closer to your dog. Not yanking your dog back to you, but you taking up slack in the leash to get closer to your dog.
It's helpful to walk places where your dog can be offered the whole 9 ft of the leash to sniff and explore. It's important to let your dog sniff as much as possible as it provides them enrichment and valuable information. A dog that's walking with their head lower and sniffing is less likely to be overly reactive to other dogs and people as they're involved in a very natural activity. I will post a video about that tomorrow!
So, honor the sniff... If your dog doesn't sniff a lot, throw out a treat scatter to encourage some foraging activity. 🐾
Let me assure you, it's totally fine for your dog to lead the way in a walk, to walk out in front of you, to sniff, and even pick the direction and pace you walk! ❤️🐶
Here is a narration from a sniff-tacular walk would my friend Ella.
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