One of the greatest joys of dog ownership is shared walks, but this pleasure can quickly diminish when your dog transforms into a determined sled dog. If your daily strolls feel more like an exhausting tug-of-war, it’s time to teach your dog the art of loose leash walking. This essential skill not only enhances your walks but also strengthens the bond between you and your canine companion.
While it might seem like a natural ability, not pulling on the leash is one of the most challenging behaviors for a dog to learn. They aren’t born with an innate understanding of how to walk politely alongside us. As a trainer who has helped countless dogs master this skill, I can assure you that with patience and the right approach, every dog can become an enjoyable walking partner. Even better, you can achieve this using positive training methods only. I firmly believe in avoiding choke chains, shock collars, or other aversive tools; if you wouldn’t use something on a toddler, it shouldn’t be used on your dog. Learning how long your dog can safely stay in a crate can also contribute to their overall well-being and energy management, which indirectly supports training efforts.
There are many misconceptions about why dogs pull, often attributing it to dominance or a desire to control. These are simply not true. Pulling merely indicates that your dog hasn’t been taught polite boundaries and is currently more focused on the fascinating environment than on you. This is a normal canine behavior, and it’s our responsibility to teach them what we expect during walks. Unfortunately, these misunderstandings have led some owners to lack patience and even punish their dogs for pulling. Rest assured, with positive reinforcement, you can absolutely and effectively teach your dog to walk nicely without resorting to punishment.
This guide is intentionally comprehensive, designed to cover everything you need to know about teaching your dog not to pull on the leash. My goal is to empower every dog owner to enjoy pleasant, stress-free walks with their beloved pets. I strongly recommend reading the entire article, as each section builds upon the last to provide a holistic solution to leash pulling.
Why Does My Dog Pull on the Leash?
Contrary to popular belief, your dog pulling on the leash has nothing to do with dominance, control, or any notion of them “being a jerk.” The real reasons are much simpler and rooted in their natural instincts and environment.
1. Not Enough Exercise
Many dogs don’t get enough exercise for their breed, resulting in a significant amount of pent-up energy. For some, their 30-minute walk is their only opportunity for physical activity that day, which is often insufficient. It’s unrealistic to expect a dog bursting with energy to walk calmly beside you. To set your dog up for success, ensure they are sufficiently tired before beginning loose leash training. This could involve off-leash running, playing fetch, visiting a dog park, or even hiring a dog walker. Providing adequate exercise is a fundamental aspect of responsible dog ownership and helps manage crate time effectively for active dogs. Research your dog’s breed-specific needs to ensure you are meeting them before expecting certain behaviors in return.
2. Humans Are Slow
Most dogs naturally walk faster than their human companions. Imagine walking a turtle; eventually, you’d likely get bored and want to move faster. To dogs, we are often the “turtles.” Recognizing that it’s challenging for them to slow their natural pace fosters empathy and understanding of the effort required from your dog. Can they learn to match your pace? Absolutely.
3. Outside Smells Amazing
Consider this truth: If you’re working at your desk and a favorite TV show is playing nearby, how difficult would it be to resist glancing at the screen? For dogs, the sights and, especially, the smells of the outdoors are incredibly distracting during the “job” of walking politely. Dogs possess an average of 50 times more scent receptors and 40 times more brain space dedicated to processing smells than humans. They can detect scents diluted to 1-2 parts per trillion – a concept we can barely comprehend. What might appear as a simple patch of grass to you is a symphony of scents to your dog.
This heightened sense of smell means that sniffing can be a powerful reward for dogs. If your dog has been pulling you towards interesting smells for months or years, they have been inadvertently rewarded for that pulling behavior. It will take time, patience, and new rewards to change this deeply ingrained habit.
Dog sniffing ground intently during a walk
How Do Dogs Learn?
Understanding how dogs learn is fundamental to effective training. Broadly, there are two primary approaches to training:
- Reward desired behaviors: This involves giving a treat or praise when your dog performs an action you want them to repeat, such as walking nicely or making eye contact.
- Punish undesired behaviors: This might involve using a prong collar or a harsh verbal correction when a dog pulls.
As a positive trainer, I believe it’s our responsibility to clearly teach our dogs what we want from them. I advocate against training methods that rely on punishing a dog until they “guess” the correct behavior. Imagine learning that way from your parents or your boss – it would be incredibly stressful. Positive reinforcement emphasizes what to do, while punishment-based techniques focus on what not to do.
To successfully teach your dog not to pull on the leash, you must start in an environment where they can succeed. Why? Because you need opportunities to reward them for getting it right! For many dogs, this means beginning loose leash training inside your home, where distractions are minimal.
The environment significantly impacts a dog’s ability to learn. Think of it this way: reciting the alphabet in your head is easy. Saying it to a family member is slightly more distracting but still manageable. Now, imagine being asked to sing the alphabet into a microphone on a stage in front of 10,000 people. You’d likely be overwhelmed and forget everything. This is similar to asking your dog to walk nicely in a highly distracting environment without proper preparation. It’s unfair and ineffective to punish a dog for an emotional response or for being overwhelmed in a difficult setting they haven’t been prepared for.
Positive reinforcement requires creating situations where your dog can be successful, allowing you to praise and reward them as they learn your expectations. Build up the difficulty slowly, giving your dog ample opportunity to solidify their skills. They can absolutely learn to walk nicely in highly distracting environments, but it won’t happen overnight.
3 Things to Teach Your Dog BEFORE Starting Loose Leash Walking
Do not skip these foundational skills! They are crucial for teaching impulse control, fostering focus on you, and will significantly reduce frustration during loose leash training in more distracting settings. A focused and engaged dog is far less likely to pull. Mastering these will save your arms and your patience. I recommend practicing these skills for at least a few days until your dog is solid on them before moving on to leash work.
Sit
“Sit” is a fundamental obedience command that every dog should know. It’s incredibly useful in loose leash walking as a transition command, allowing for a brief pause or a “time-out” in distracting situations.
Focus
The “focus” command teaches your dog to check in with you, making eye contact. This is an important building block for more advanced obedience skills and strengthens your overall bond. Focus teaches your dog that great things happen when they look at you, enhancing communication. In distracting environments, a well-trained “focus” command can help calm your dog and redirect their attention back to you.
Leave It
“Leave it” is an essential skill that can literally save your dog’s life. Beyond its utility in distraction training (like loose leash walking), it helps prevent your dog from ingesting dangerous items they might find on the ground. A solid “leave it” allows you to communicate to your dog to ignore something without physical restraint. It’s a promise to your dog: if they don’t grab or engage with something interesting, you’ll provide them with something even better instead.
Dog looking up at owner for a treat
The Difference Between Heeling and Loose Leash Walking
The terms “heeling” and “loose leash walking” are often used interchangeably, but they represent distinct behaviors. In my experience, both are valuable skills, and I advocate using both in a dog’s repertoire.
Heeling
To me, heeling means your dog walks precisely at your side, without falling behind or advancing beyond your knee. I personally prefer dogs walking on my left side, and that’s what I teach. The expectations and boundaries for heeling are much stricter than for loose leash walking. I expect the dog to maintain my pace and position exactly at my left side, with no sniff breaks or greetings with other dogs.
While this might sound incredibly strict, it’s an excellent way to teach clear boundaries and expectations during the learning phase. The clear rules often help dogs understand quickly. During the initial training phase for teaching your dog not to pull on the leash, I suggest using “heel” approximately 50% of the time. Once a dog is fully trained, I recommend keeping them in a strict heel about 10% of the time or less. It’s a highly valuable skill for navigating busy sidewalks or other highly distracting environments where precise behavior is crucial. However, it’s too rigid for full-time use.
Loose Leash Walking
Once a dog is proficient in heeling, I recommend transitioning to loose leash walking for the majority of your time together. I suggest using a 6-foot leash for walks, as it provides enough freedom for your dog to explore and sniff. Let them be a dog! However, I strongly advise against retractable leashes.
My definition of loose leash walking is when my dog can move wherever they want within the confines of the 6-foot leash, without any pressure or pulling. If I cannot easily hold the leash with one finger, it’s not loose leash walking. There should be absolutely no leash tension. If your dog wants to sniff something politely (without pulling), I stop and let them. Sniffing is a healthy and normal canine activity. If a sniff break becomes too long and I want to resume walking, I expect my dog to join me with just a verbal cue. Neither you nor your dog should be pulling each other.
Training Your Dog to Heel and Loose Leash Walk Using Positive Reinforcement
Teaching your dog to heel or loose leash walk requires patience, but the rewards are immense. Imagine being able to relax and get lost in your thoughts on walks, rather than constantly managing a pulling dog. This is achievable for you and your dog!
Every dog can learn to walk nicely on a leash; they just need the time and consistent training. The goal is to build a strong association that wonderful things happen when your dog is close to you and paying attention during walks. We use treats to condition this behavior. Over time, treats can be gradually phased out (or significantly reduced), and your dog will continue to walk politely. My dog, Neirah, rarely receives treats on our walks anymore, yet she consistently chooses to check in with me.
Important Things to Know About Teaching Loose Leash Walking:
- Gradual Progression: We will slowly increase the level of distraction. It may take several weeks before you can take your dog on a “real walk” in a busy environment. During this time, ensure your dog gets sufficient exercise through fetch, dog parks, or backyard play. Expecting them to walk nicely when they have pent-up energy is unfair to them.
- Consistent No-Pull Policy: From the very first day you start teaching your dog not to pull, this behavior must never be rewarded. This means pulling should never result in your dog getting what they want. If they pull you to sniff something, that scent becomes a reward for pulling. You must commit to completely stopping pulling, not sporadically accepting it. If you give in when your dog pulls hard enough, you’re teaching them to pull even harder next time. Consistency is paramount for dogs; reinforce that good things happen through polite walking, not pulling.
- Start in a Low-Distraction Environment: It’s crucial to begin in an environment where your dog can succeed, creating ample opportunities to reward them for doing things correctly. Always start the first training session inside your house with minimal distractions.
- Reward Lavishly: You are asking your dog to learn a difficult skill, so reward their efforts generously! If you feel like a “Pez dispenser” with treats during loose leash training, you’re doing it right. Keep a good supply of pre-broken, tiny treats in your treat bag for every session. Use these treats to clearly communicate when your dog is doing a great job. To avoid overfeeding, you can slightly decrease their meal portions during intensive training periods. Treats will eventually be reduced, but don’t phase them out too quickly!
Dog receiving a treat from its owner during a training session
What You’ll Need:
- A comfortable, well-fitting harness or flat collar (avoiding aversive tools).
- A 6-foot standard leash (not retractable).
- High-value, small training treats.
- A treat pouch.
Teaching Your Dog to Heel:
1. Get Yourself Ready: Start with your dog on a leash, sitting at your left side. Hold a small supply of treats in your left hand and the leash in your right. Remember to give treats with your left hand to prevent your dog from cutting in front of you for a reward. The leash should always remain loose; your dog is learning to pace themselves, not be held in place.
2. Choose a Movement Phrase: Select a consistent phrase you’ll use to signal movement. I use “Let’s go!” but choose whatever works best for you.
3. Get Your Dog’s Attention: Ask your dog to focus on you, and reward them with a treat when they do.
4. Begin: Say your chosen movement phrase (e.g., “Let’s go!”) and use the treat in your left hand as a lure, keeping it in front of your dog’s nose to maintain their position right at your side. Take three steps with them beside you, then reward with a treat. As your dog begins to understand the game, start adding the “heel” cue as you begin walking.
5. Practice: Dedicate time to practicing this! Gradually work up to taking 10 steps in a perfect heel. Once your dog can consistently perform 10 steps a few times in a row, they’re likely ready to move outdoors to your yard.
Every time you increase the distraction level, you need to take a step back in difficulty.
6. Move Outside: Remember, you want your dog to be successful! Since you’ve moved to a new environment, revert to luring for three steps and then offering a treat. As this becomes easy for your dog, slowly increase to 10 steps again.
7. Phase Out the Lure: Once your dog has mastered 10 steps consistently, it’s time to stop luring them with a treat in front of their nose. Reward your dog for sitting next to you, then say “Let’s go!” followed by “heel.” Slowly try to increase the number of steps you can take with your dog in a perfect heel position. If you sense your dog is losing focus, try talking to them to re-engage their attention. Reward your dog every time they make eye contact with you without being cued. Aim to keep your dog in a heel for a full minute between treats.
Practice, Practice, Practice! If your dog is accustomed to pulling, you’ll likely need to spend several days practicing heeling in your yard. They are learning a brand-new skill. Behavior change takes time and effort, so progress slowly. I suggest keeping training sessions short, around 20 minutes twice a day, to prevent either of you from becoming overwhelmed or frustrated.
If your dog tries to sniff or pulls sideways while heeling, say “leave it” and use the slightest amount of leash pressure to guide them back to your side. Reward them every time they return. Remember, pulling no longer gets your dog what they want. If they try to pull ahead, say “let’s go!” and immediately turn to walk in the opposite direction. Reward them when they follow you! This teaches your dog that they need to stay connected and pay attention to your movements. Make sure your dog understands you might change direction at any second, and that following you leads to positive outcomes. You might also find it helpful to teach your dog not to jump on people, as this also reinforces impulse control.
I don’t recommend adding loose leash walking until your dog has mastered one full minute of heeling consistently. Learning two new skills at once can be too mentally demanding. Take sniff and play breaks between heeling sessions to keep training fun and engaging.
Once your dog can easily heel for a minute in your yard, slowly increase the distraction levels of your walking environment. Start with a quiet street or path without other dogs (the new smells will be distracting enough). Remember to decrease the difficulty when you increase the distraction. I usually suggest going back to rewarding your dog every 10 steps in each new environment. Your dog will likely learn faster in subsequent new settings, so adjust the pace to their individual learning curve. Once your dog can heel for a minute in these new settings, you’re ready to integrate loose leash walking instead of just stationary sniff/play breaks.
Teaching Your Dog to Loose Leash Walk:
Once your dog has learned the basic rules of heeling, it’s time to introduce loose leash walking!
As a reminder, I define loose leash walking as your dog being allowed to go anywhere within the boundaries of their leash without any tension. If I can’t easily hold the leash with one finger, it’s not loose leash walking. There should be absolutely no leash tension. If your dog wants to sniff during loose leash walking, stop and let them! I do not allow pulling, but otherwise, loose leash walking provides them the freedom to be a dog. Walks should be enjoyable for your dog too.
How to Teach Your Dog to Loose Leash Walk:
Have your dog sit at your left side. Say “Let’s go!” to signal movement, then immediately follow with “Ok!” and point in front of you. Your dog might hesitate slightly, as they are accustomed to heeling. Keep walking and allow your dog to slowly move away from you within the leash’s length. If they stop to sniff something, let them! If the sniff lasts too long, say their name followed by either “Let’s go!” or “Leave it,” and reward them with a treat when they start walking again. This is also a good opportunity to consider other training, such as how to teach your dog to pee on a pad if that’s a skill you’re working on indoors.
It’s valuable to practice transitioning in and out of heeling and loose leash walking. While your dog is learning, make it easier by having them sit between transitions. “Let’s go!” always signals movement, while “Heel” or “Ok” communicates the boundaries of where they should walk. Consistency with your verbal cues is incredibly important for dogs.
Your dog will be enticed by more smells and freedom during loose leash walking, so keep in mind that it can be a difficult skill to master.
A Few Tips:
- Maintain a No-Pulling Policy: Be vigilant that you don’t accidentally reinforce pulling by allowing your dog to drag you to a desirable smell. Dogs earn their freedom on walks by being polite on the leash.
- Encourage Check-ins: You should notice your dog looking up at you more often since practicing “focus” and heeling. Keep this going! Give your dog a treat every time they make eye contact with you without being cued. This strengthens their awareness of your presence.
- Watch Body Language: Carefully observe your dog’s body language during loose leash walking. Most dogs have a “tell” before they pull – often their eyes will lock onto something, or their ears might point downwards. If you notice these signs, say “let’s go!” and turn in the opposite direction before they pull. Reward your dog for following you in the new direction! The most effective way to correct pulling is to prevent it from happening.
- Manage Distractions: If an unexpected distraction arises during training, try to create distance between your dog and the distraction. This might involve crossing the road if you see another dog or turning to walk in the opposite direction. If your dog seems highly distracted, get them to sit and practice focus work, rewarding every instance of focus. Sometimes, your dog simply needs a break.
- Handle Irresistible Smells: If there’s a spot that smells so amazing your dog can’t help but pull towards it, tell them “leave it” and use a treat to switch directions. Then, turn and try approaching the spot again. If they still can’t resist pulling, instead put them in “heel” and use a treat to lure them past it. It’s okay to make mistakes; just ensure you don’t reward pulling by giving in.
- Slowly Increase Difficulty: Gradually increase the time and distraction levels of where your dog is loose leash walking. Remember to build the skill slowly. You want to create numerous opportunities to reward your dog for making the right choices. For instance, once they master loose leash walking, you might eventually explore how to train your dog to walk off-lead in appropriate, safe environments.
Both You and Your Dog Deserve Enjoyable Walks Together.
It can take time and consistent effort to undo the ingrained behavior of leash pulling, but it is incredibly rewarding. Just imagine: in as little as one month, you could be confidently taking your dog on walks with no pulling! How wonderful would that be?
Please share your successes in teaching your dog loose leash walking in the comments below!
Happy training!
