How To Train Your Dog on a Lead - Simple (Videos Included)

How To Train Your Dog on a Lead – Simple (Videos Included)

Above all, until you teach your dog, they will have no idea what is expected of them while on a leash

Let’s go over how to train your dog on a lead. Here we will cover what a typical walk looks like and the process for conditioning commands.

What does a typical walk look like for the average dog? We stroll down the street; After all, often they drag their humans for quite a while, and sometimes they meander from side to side, sniffing the grass and spacing out as we walk them. However, they rarely check in with their owner and the owner rarely asks much of their dog when they go out on a walk.

We need to tune our dogs in and teach them to focus. The walk is not a walk, it is a training session.

Teaching a dog what is expected from it at the end of the leash is an important and useful part of the training process. We use the leash along with rewards to communicate with dogs and manipulate and correct unwanted behaviours.

Conditioning a dog on a lead

What is leash conditioning?

For the leash to become a useful tool, we must first condition the tool correctly, making sure the dog understands what state of mind is wanted from them.
After all, we can then use the leash to direct the dog and manipulate the dog into different positions and in different directions.
Teaching obedience on the leash sets us up for our off-leash training.
To sum up, we can then use the leash to correct the dog when he loses focus. No command is needed, just pop on the leash.

3 Step process to leash conditioning

Start with your verbal command.
Leash pressure body tapping
Body guidance and a small amount of continuous leash pressure

Note: Ad luring should be supplemented with positive reinforcement as needed.

So you should watch your reward schedule when conditioning commands.

But once you’ve made the appropriate changes, does this mean your dog is now going to calmly pass other dogs on the walk?

Maybe not yet, however, it’s the start of you asking more of your dog.

It’s the start of the relationship change that is required to lead your dog.

Sometimes, leadership is uncomfortable, and almost always leadership takes patience and consistency.

Below are this week’s videos on how to train your dog on a lead.