Loose Lead Walking

Loose lead walking is such a crucial part of your dogs training for so many important reasons.

The main ones we associate with are to be able to enjoy your walks with your dog without having to have your arms pulled off and it being a massive workout. Not having the fear of being pulled over, which unfortunately happens more than often you think and sometimes with very bad consequences with some serious injuries.

A tight strained lead will also impact on your dog’s emotional and physical  behaviour. If your dog is pulling and straining on the lead,  it can impact their joints and muscles. This can cause pain and add to the feeling of stress and anxiety.

If your dog is anxious or stressed being on a tight restrictive lead can heighten these feelings for your dog, making them more anxious, stressed and on high alert. Changing to walking on a loose lead can reverse some of these effects and enabling your dog and you to have a relaxed, calm and stress free walk. It will help your dog to feel less anxious and stressed as a whole.

If your dog barks and lunges, or is lead reactive, some of this can be a learnt behaviour from us. We hold on tightly to the lead and this tension translates into your dog. We should actually do the opposite, have a good hold of the lead, but position ourselves and dog to encourage a loose and slack lead. Your dog should be relaxed and confident around us,  as these feelings improve, stress and anxiety will be reduced.

This can be difficult to overcome as we are not always confident, and our natural  senses are telling us to hold on for dear life!

We can achieve this by starting our training somewhere with  few distractions and in a controlled environment, building confidence in the handler will transfer and build your dog’s confidence. A more relaxed walk will build the bond

Once you’ve learnt the basics, you can use the principles on your daily walks. Consistent progression of your training will ensure you get solid sustained loose lead walking.

If you would like any help with this J Walkies Dog School offers Loose Lead Walking Workshops with a maximum of 6 dogs per class, 1-2-1 training and Training Walks

You can contact us in a variety of ways

Call or message via phone or WhatsApp 07395059957

You can message us on facebook, instagram, WhatsApp or our website jwalkiesdogschool.co.uk

And you can also email us info@jwalkies.co.uk