Giving Your Adult Dog a Walk Training to Make Your Life Simpler

I have lived in agony for months walking my dog. I just hated taking her down for walks as she has become so strong nowadays that when she pulls on her leash, I feel I will trip at times. I also had to suffer a few injuries to my wrist and feet as she pulled harder every time, she saw a stranger or wanted to chase a squirrel. I live in an apartment, which means I have to take her for two long walks every day and two short ones when she has to be brought downstairs to pee. Though my husband and I share the responsibility, I did not feel like getting her down for a walk even once.

Do not get me wrong, my labradoodle is an adorable dog when she is at home and really listens to me, but as soon as she was brought downstairs, somehow, she became deaf to my commands and only kept pulling me in all directions. It became so bad that I started looking for a dog walker to take away the responsibility of walking her. I have always hated the idea of taking extreme measures, but I also jumped to the idea of getting her a choke collar instead of walking her on a harness.

I am sure many pet owners are tired and frustrated with walking their dogs. I am not the only one who faces this issue. As I am an avid reader of useful dog information websites like the We Love Doodles website and was desperate to find a solution, I came across helpful information that has helped improve my dog's walk. I am sharing the same tips with you below, which may help you walk your dog smoothly.

1. Teach Your Dog the Heel Command:

Teaching your dog the 'heel' command is really essential and should be the starting point. Give your dog this training at home where there are no distractions. The heel command should indicate that you want your dog on your left side close to you. Use treats to lure her on your left, and then feed the treats. Do this a few times before introducing the heel word as the command. After a few practices, use the word heel to bring her on your side and treat your dog by using an encouraging word such as 'good girl' or 'yes' so that the dog understands that it has done something right.

2. Walk on a Non-Distracting path:

When you take your dog on walks, find an area where there are fewer distractions so that your dog is more attentive to you. Secondly, use that small area only to walk her every time so that she gets so used to it that it becomes really boring for her to explore things around as she is aware of the environment. This will make your dog less anxious and more attentive.

3. Keep Changing Directions:

If you walk your dog on a predictable path, they may tend to pull you more, as they know the direction you are proceeding. Just to make it a little confusing, change the direction as soon as the dog walks before you and use a command word such as 'follow me.' When you do this a few times, the dog gets confused and is unsure where you are going; hence, it will start following you instead or walking beside you. This also mentally tires your dog, and the initial excitement while walking will vanish. Thus, the dog will become calm and will follow your commands easily.

4. Use a High-Value Treat:

Your main aim while taking your dog for walks is that it is interested in listening to you. When you take your dog outside, the ample distractions available may distract it from focusing on you. You need to offer your dog something more exciting hence use a highly valued treat you only use when your dog walks beside you without pulling. A food-motivated dog will easily learn to follow your command and behave well to earn the treat.

5. Use a Harness:

I have seen many trainers suggesting using a prong collar, as your dog will immediately start listening to you. Inflicting pain on the dog is not the right way to teach it. The neck portion is a sensitive area even in dogs, and you do not want to accidentally injure your dog. This is why I always recommend using a harness that is safe for dogs, and even you will have better control of your dog.

6. Be Consistent:

Consistency is the key to successful training. You should not let the training go to waste by not continuing it. This is a quick learning process, and your dog will respond well in a few sessions if done well. You just need to cultivate the habit by remaining consistent so that the number of treats can be reduced slowly, and your dog learns to walk beside you without being offered treats. If more than one person walks the dog, then teach the others how to walk the dog for consistency in training.

The Bottom Line:

Teaching your dog to walk beside you and follow your direction is essential not just for you but for the dog too. A dog that does not know where to go and tries to decide on its own is an anxious dog. Once the dog learns to follow your commands, it will be a calmer and happy dog.

Ideally, you should start walk-training your dog as soon as you start taking your dog on its first walk. Puppies are small and less powerful; hence, they cannot pull you that hard, which means you will not find it hard to have control over your dog. Over time, your puppy learns that it cannot overpower you and start paying more attention to you than the surroundings. If you miss the window of walk-training your puppy in the initial months, the above-shared tips will help you a lot to get back on the right track.

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