Training Your Dog To Be Good On Walks

My dad, me, and Brutus.

My first ever pet was a 150 pound Great Dane named Brutus. My parents got him right before they got married, and he was about 3 when I was born. He was such a sweet and good boy, but he loved to play, and even more than that he LOVED to go on walks. One of my favorite stories about Brutus is one day my aunt and cousins were over watching me while my parents were out. My one cousin, Jacob, was about six at the time, and he decided he wanted to take Brutus for a walk. So he did, but as they got back to the house, Brutus saw my parent’s car pull up in the driveway, and in excitement he sprinted full speed greet them, completely dragging Jacob across the yard as he held on tight to the leash.

Why do I tell you this story? Not just because it’s hilarious to picture, but also because it helps explain why training your dog to walk on a leash is important! Luckily Jacob wasn’t hurt and he was able to just laugh it off, but he could have been. Or if Brutus was chasing after something, instead of going to my parents, he could have run off.

Safety is the number one priority with your dog, and making sure they are properly trained to walk on a leash is a huge part of that. Besides that, trying to take your dog for a walk as they pull and try to chase after things without stopping can be so annoying.

If your dog is a puller when they walk, pull back up on the leash when they do. You should pull up, make them stop walking, and say “easy” or “no pull” while you do it. Doing this should give them a minute to pause and chill out, and if you’re repetitive enough, they’ll eventually stop pulling continuously. This also shows the dog that you are the one in control of the walk, not them.

Something my current dog, Bailey, did during walks when I first got her was she would chase after cars as they drove by. This usually wasn’t a huge issue, but there were times where she would get a little too close for comfort to the passing cars. So what I trained her to do is anytime a car is driving down the street, she goes off to the grass on the side of the road, and sits as the car passes.

Another tip to use while teaching your dog to walk on a leash is to make sure you always reward you’re dog when they’re giving you their attention. It is a good thing if your dog is looking back or up at you while you’re walking, because it is a sign that they respect you and know you are the one in control right now. So make sure if you see your dog doing this, you reward them with a treat or just a positive “good boy/girl!” to let them know you see they’re good behavior, otherwise they will stop.

Is your dog good with walks, or do they drag you across the yard like my dog Brutus did (we eventually taught him to stop that by the way)? Let me know in the comments!