Am I doing this right? (Leash training)

[Tulsa-Dan]

Work one exercise until mastery. Sessions should be short, no more than 15 to 20 minutes each. Several a day would be good, but keep each session short. Pups have about 15 minutes worth of attention, so take advantage of it while you can

 

[iBoxer]

Tulsa-Dan,

Should EVERY walk be an "exercise"? would it disturb the learning process if a few "just-walking-to-be-walking" walks were thrown in between?

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

No, you can have "regular" walks. But, the more you allow the dog to pull, etc., on a "regular" walk, the harder the exercises are going to be and the associations between "regular" walks and walking properly.

I believe that every interaction with your pet is a chance to teach/learn something (from each other). If I take a "regular" walk, I work the exercise first, then the walk as a reward for working hard and walking properly. Same for sniffing and "marking" behaviors. Those become rewards on regular walks for walking several blocks with a loose leash, as asked.

Good luck.

 

[iBoxer]

thanks tulsa dan, i think i'll try to train during the walks and have fun afterwards w/ an off-leash activity in the yard or the park.

I tried keeping-the-pace-brisk thing last night and it worked like a charm. She kept her head up alot more and stopped sniffing around so much. She seemed to be following me more than doing her own thing. Thanks....lets hope it keep working, I'm going to slowly start her on the GL over the next few weeks.