Going for long walks with your dog is a lovely way to spend time with your furry friends, helping you to bond and enjoy being with each other in new and exciting environments, as well as getting the essential exercise and mental stimulation that dogs need.
To make those walks enjoyable, it’s essential that you prioritise lead training from an early age so your dog learns what’s expected of them while walking and so you can keep them under control no matter what happens around you.
In fact, many places you are likely to want to go require dogs to stay on the lead at all times for your safety and the safety of those in the vicinity, so cementing the necessary dog training skills early on will pay dividends in the future.
The lead is one of the ways we communicate with our dogs, which is why it’s important to remain cool, calm and collected while walking, as your dogs will pick up on any anxiety you may be feeling through the grip you have on the lead… and this could in turn make them anxious and demonstrate behaviours such as pulling or lunging, which are more difficult to handle.
Holding the lead in your hand also means you have instant control over your dog whenever necessary, which is why you may want to steer clear of the new hands-free leads that are currently growing in popularity right now.
These leads can be attached around your waist or slung over your shoulder (depending on how long the leash itself is), so you can have your hands free to carry other items, use your phone and so on.
While they may seem attractive as an option, they do mean you’ll have less immediate control over your dog if something happens so it would be wise to only use them if your dog is very competent in walking nicely on a loose lead, responds well to verbal commands and is unlikely to lunge towards or bolt at distractions, such as other dogs or cats.
Walking nicely on the lead is one of the most commonly requested problems that customers ask for assistance with. If you think you could benefit from some guidance on dog training in south London, whether for loose lead walking or something else, get in touch with me today to see what we can achieve together.
