Leash training... the next step

Okay, so we have been working with Morgan on walking with a loose lead. He is about 80% reliable right now, but I am having a bit of trouble getting the next 20%...

1) We are using treats to encourage good walking habits (using the method in the video that someone linked to me a few months ago), but we've had one small issue that I can't seem to figure out from looking at the video... I'm perfectly willing to believe this is something I missed.

ANYWAYS, every time we praise and treat Morgan for walking correctly, he starts to speed up and pull again for a few minutes. I don't know if he's just excited at receiving praise... or if I am just giving him a bad signal that I'm not aware I'm doing. Any help would be appreciated.

2) After that , the next thing I want to focus on is practicing with distractions. Currently, we do most of our walking in the early morning and late evening around our neighborhood when there are not a lot of other things going on. Where is a good place that we can take Morgan with some minor, controlled distractions to practice with? And how should we go about it?



I hope all of that made sense... my thinking skills are still catching up with me this morning. Thank you all very much!

I personally don't like to use treats at all. I wonder do you talk to Morgan during other times on the walk or just when you praise her?

I would walk past a school when it is starting or ending just walk on past all that excitement like nothing is happening. Make sure you tell him he is a good boy have him focus on you and not the kids. If he gets overly excited I put him in a sit and wwait for him to calm down.

I do talk to him throughout the walk, and I do praise him without treating him. We started with lots of treats and verbal praise, and have been weaning him off the treats and that seems to be working well. He's really happy to hear the words "good boy" and is also very good about looking up to me as we walk to check that he's doing okay.

I will try the school trick. I am usually at work when schools are starting/ending, but next Monday I am actually going to have the day off... so I might give that a shot. Thanks for the suggestion!

First off, Keep up the good work! Loose - leash work can be hard! I can't tell you how many dogs I see walking there people (LOL) Pulling them down the sidewalk . . .

My two cents... haha...
Be careful with the school-letting-out deal. Lots of kids will be in one area, and not all of them know how to act around dogs. Some may rush toward you, and many might not even ask to pet. If its too much you might end up with a dog who's nervous around children for a bit. Trust me, been there, done that
And I was a couple blocks from the school (picking up my kid brother)... it took me like a year to get her to be okay with unknown kids on walks ; ) Local parks, when the weather is nice, typically has other people without being too congested, maybe? Really, it depends on your area. I worked with some really good distractions up and down the aisles of pets mart and pet supplies plus

Have you ever thought about using a clicker? The clicker made it easy for me to mark the correct position I want my dogs in (in line, by my right side).
I just wanted to add in what worked for me. My Maddie knew how to heel early in her age, but I didn't think that it was fair to her for me to make her heel on a leisurely walk that was for her benefit... and the retractable leash encouraged her pulling... so she pulled... a lot
I read several different techniques and books, tried a couple, had to go back to the beginning, and finally used a couple different 'methods' and developed what worked for us. I tried stopping when she pulled - that resulted in non-stop excited high pitched yipping during the whole walk, then I had to fix that Her trainer at the time suggested the 'circle method'. Every time she pulled turn in a circle and then continue walking normally. Then I ended up with a dog who would literally run circles around me. LOL
So I went back with a technique that sounds just like yours. And she had the same problem! When I praised, or treated her, she ran forward excitedly.

Whats working for me now, and what I will continue to do )) is that I attached her leash to my belt. She heels MUCH better off leash than on, and I was racking my brain trying to figure out why the heck she did that. So I thought about what I was doing differently, and even asked a friend to watch and give her input. She noticed that I used both hands more without a leash (apparently I use my hands to talk lol) and kept her focus. Also, it was almost as if we were both using the leash as a 'steering wheel' sort of effect. Maddie wasn't paying attention to my body language once the leash was on, because she relied on the leash to guide her, and so did I. (guilty!)
In addition to that, my thinking was that; when she pulls, my arm extends! So she actually is getting something from the pulling... getting out a bit further. . .

So I hooked the leash to my belt and went back to the treating/marking good behavior. Now I work with a combination of heeling, and then releasing her and allowing her to walk loose leash. When she pulls, she gets no farther out, and I'll stop or just get her attention and call her back to the "GOOD" position. If I'm loosing her, and I see that she's about to start 'digging in and dragging' me I'll get her attention and do a couple figure eights, or turns. Since her pulling doesn't get her anywhere, she is doing it less and less, and she hardly pulls anymore...

Not sure, but I hope that helps a little. More will chime in soon with good tips!

Brattina88,

Oh! Thank you! I never would have thought to tie him to my belt for a walk. We did that around the house when we first got him, and when we are doing other indoor training, but never occurred to me to try that outside! I try my best to keep the leash in hand without any give, but I'm sure there is just enough there for him to try it every once in a while. Morgan is also pretty good offleash (though we've only practiced that in our own yard), and is very focused on me, but I think you are right... that the leash "allows" him to be distracted, because he knows the leash will correct him or steer him. I'm babbling, I know, but it's interesting! Thanks again!

As for walking him near a school... perhaps if I walk him around there during the middle of the day when kids are on recess? The kids would be more contained in their area then, and would be more of a distant distraction for Morgan rather than running up to him?

I'm also thinking dog distractions, too... but the best I can think of is to walk him around the outside fence of the dog park. That's the best place I can figure where I -know- that dogs will be controlled... either they will be inside the fence or on a leash if outside (our park is very strict about leash rules outside the fence). Not sure if that would be TOO much, though...

Any ideas for that?