Loose Leash Walking

Most dog trainers have a canine behavior that irks them more than others. Personally I don't enjoy walking a dog who constantly pulls on his leash.

I like a dog with polite leash manners, but I won't resort to punishment-based tools like choke collars, prong collars, or shock collars to get this behavior.Scientific research has shown that these tools cause both physical and psychological damage to dogs. Why do dogs insist on pulling? Because it works - it gets them where they want to go. By allowing your dog to pull you where he wants to go, he's just learned that this is a rewarding behavior.

The way I teach a dog to walk politely on a leash is simple - I show the dog where I'd like him to be and reward him for being there. Show your dog that it pays better to walk politely than to pull you where he wants to go. If the leash tightens, I stop walking. The second my dog looks turns around to see why we're not moving and offers me some slack on the leash, I give a food reward and we move forward.  The dog quickly learns that tight means stop and loose means go.

Here's a great video by dog trainer extraordinaire, Emily Larlham, showing how to train a dog to walk politely on a leash using positive reinforcement.