Our second Be Kind to Animals Week tip for being kinder to your canine, it using a reward based technique to deal with your dog’s behaviors on leash.  Leash walking your dog can be frustrating if your dog is either pulling you forward or lagging behind.  These behaviors can be exacerbated by pressure on the dog’s neck (see Tip #1).

Using reward based techniques makes leash walking a more enjoyable experience for you and your dog.  Perhaps the simplest method for better leash walks is to make a loose leash the only thing that allows the dog to move forward.  If the leash goes tight, just wait for your dog to let the leash go slack.  The reward for keeping the leash loose is forward movement.

For more reward based leash walking techniques:

This post by Diamonds in the Ruff details how to handle dogs that pull on leash.

This post from Dr. Sophia Yin details how to handle dogs that lag on walks.

In celebration of Be Kind to Animals Week, May 1-7, K9 Kindness is launching our efforts to promote rewarding training for every dog in our community.  Humane, pain free methods of training your dog are easy, effective and fun.   We’re going to feature some ways to bring a more rewarding training method into your dog’s life:

For walking your dog, use leashes and collars that are gentle and effective, such as front clip body harnesses like the Sensation, Easy Walk, or Walk in Sync.  These harnesses are comfortable for your dog, get pressure off their necks (the main reason why most dogs pull on leash), and give you more influence.

Use a simple six foot leash, instead of a retractable leash.  Retractable leashes teach your dog to walk away from you, instead of with you, limiting your influence on walks, and they can cause rope burns to dogs and humans.

These simple tips can make for a more enjoyable walk on both ends of the leash.

Learn more about reward based training and about Be Kind To Animals Week by visiting the American Humane Association.