I make sure all my dogs walk on leash. This is the foundation.
I started KATBallou about 8 weeks of age…I got her to a point where she led good. From time to time I put her on leash and make sure she is still leading well.
What does leading well mean to me?
A. Walks with me on a loose leash and stays with me.
B. Does not pull on the leash and run ahead of me and does not ignore my command to stay with me.
How do I accomplish this?
A. We practice this.
B. I use something to block the pup from running ahead of me. (like a herding stick or anything to extend your arm length will do) Blocking is NOT hitting the pup…It stops the forward progress because it is there and the pup cannot go past it …and I say nothing…if the pup comes round the other side (and they do!) I block again. Soon the pup learns you can’t get round or by me and the pup starts to listen.
Once I have have the pup walking well …I move on to other things…But I come back to this as I think it may be needed.
C. Then I do this with distractions… In my circumstances usually that means sheep…
today we walked the field checked the sheep and I had KAT on leash. Sheep are a big distraction for KAT… She caught on quickly…It was over in 2 tries and KAT walked quietly and at heel with no pulling!
I will continue with this.
It is building trust… and I have a nice puppy that will walk on leash. You can have the same results with any age or size of dog. It takes a bit of work and practice.
