One of the most important tasks in dog training and establishing your authority is training the dog to walk on a leash. You will establish and build the right relationship between you and your dog as you learn how to train your dog to walk on a leash.
The first thing the dog has to learn is not to pull on the leash. This is taught by you giving a quick snap on the leash whenever he starts to pull. And never let him keep pulling. Stop walking until he stops pulling.
Establishing and maintaining authority while you learn how to train your dog to walk on a leash is very important. You have to be more stubborn than your dog. If you have a dog that is nearing or in adolescence, he will be trying to establish his place in your pack. Don’t interpret his quest for dominance as bad behavior. He is just doing what he knows he is supposed to do. Your job is to let him know that you are the pack leader and he has to go where you lead him.
Leash walking is a skill for both the owner and the dog. You will both be learning. You must learn to convey your desires and your dog must learn to follow them. Learning how to train your dog to walk on a leash is mostly a matter of establishing the right relationship with your dog.
Recently I took my dog Smash on a three mile hike to a waterfall that gave gave me and Smash plenty of practice. He did great until the thunderstorm came. Then he decided maybe he needed to be alpha dog and drag us to shelter. He calmed down soon enough and did really well on the trip back to the parking area.
You will need lots of practice to learn how to train your dog to walk on a leash. But you must always make sure your practice sessions reinforce the correct behavior patterns both in your dog and yourself.
