Source: petfinder.com
Walking dogs in Chicago can be an enjoyable activity, no matter what the weather, but when your pup doesn’t like its leash and constantly yanks on it, your walking experience could turn sour. Here are some ways to teach your dog to cooperate while on a leash—and make everyone happy.
1) Try to tire your dog out before training
A lot of the time, dogs pull on leashes because they are so energetic and want to go faster than you’re willing to go. To make sure your dog is not pulling away from you during your first leash training sessions, make sure it has had some other exercise throughout the day, whether it’s just running around the house or playing fetch.
2) Don’t let your dog get too excited before the walk
Even if you’ve played with your dog enough to wear it out a little bit before you or your dog walker takes your dog on a walk around Chicago, it may still be very excited to go on the walk, making it jump around as you try to attach the leash. To prevent this from happening every time, don’t even attach the leash until your dog has calmed down a little bit. That will show your pup that you won’t accept overly hyper behavior, and it can set the precedent for future walks.
3) Move swiftly
If you’re walking at a slower pace, your dog might want to speed up, which is not what you want during leash training. If you move at a quick—but not too quick—pace, your dog will have less of an opportunity to run faster than you. If you’re having trouble with this, a dog walker in Chicago could show you the ropes to help you the next time when you’re on your own.
4) Provide rewards
You will need to provide some kind of treat to your dog during a positive leash training session to let it know just how great of a job it did. Provide some of your dog’s favorite kind of treats as a reward when it behaves while on your walk. Dogs don’t just love rewards—they learn from them.
How do you train your dogs to become familiar with leashes on walks? Do you have any other tips? Let us know on our Facebook and Twitter pages!
