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How to Train Your Dog to Walk on a Leash

February 20, 2017 by Mary Telesz

Train Your Dog to Walk on a LeashWalking a dog is great exercise for both human and canine alike. In most cities and towns, dogs must be leashed in public, whether they are in a neighborhood, on a trail or at a park. Even if your local government doesn’t require a leash, it can be a necessary safety measure to protect your dogs from cars, other animals or running away. So, how do you train your dog to walk on a leash?

How to Train Your Dog to Walk on a Leash

While it may seem easy, training your dog to walk on a leash can actually be quite challenging depending on your pup’s temperament. The key is to take it step by step, slowly introducing each new phase to help your dog fully master one skill before moving onto the next. Read on to learn how you can train your puppy or dog to walk on a leash.

Acclimate Him to the Gear

One of the first hurdles in training a dog to walk on a leash is that he or she may not enjoy having a leash, collar or harness on his body. To help your dog get past this discomfort, start by putting on the leash or harness for short periods of time while at home. Let your dog play and give her treats while wearing the gear. Over time, the leash or harness will not feel so uncomfortable, and will come to represent having fun and getting treats.

While your dog is wearing the harness or leash, you can start getting him to come to you and to pay attention to your commands. Use a cue, such as clicking your tongue or saying a short word (such as come). Reward your dog with a treat for each time he comes to you, building up to being able to come to you without the need for a treat. Practice this inside before moving outdoors, where there will be more distractions.

Use Positive Reinforcement

Once your dog is able to come on command and wear a leash, collar or harness comfortably, then you can start practicing going on walks. Start by going on short walks around your neighborhood, keeping your attention focused on your dog. Stop your dog with your cue or command word, getting him to come to you to keep him on task.

If your dog pulls on the leash, eager to explore, you can stop walking to force your dog to come back to you. This will hopefully train your dog to not pull on the leash, as he will learn that doing so will lead to you standing still and waiting for him to come back. If your dog does not respond to this technique, you can purchase different types of harnesses and collars designed to stop your dog from pulling on the leash.

Some dogs may bark while on a walk, particularly if they see other dogs or people. Making sure that your dog has sufficient exercise can help to control this problem, as it may result from lack of exercise. However, if your dog continues to bark despite getting plenty of time to run and walk, you can cut off the behavior by moving away from things that tend to cause him to bark and by offering treats before he starts to bark. In this manner, you can reinforce positive behavior — treats for not barking — and hopefully break this habit.

Similarly, if your dog tries to go after other animals, people or objects while on a walk, you can try the same technique. Be alert for things that may cause your dog to lunge, such as a squirrel on the grass in a park. Walk your dog away from the squirrel, and offer him a treat for walking obediently beside you instead of going after the animal.

The key to effective leash training often lies with rewarding the behavior that you want and distracting your dog from things that may cause bad behavior. Praise your dog for walking nicely, without pulling, lunging or dancing around, or offer him a treat. You can also keep the leash short to encourage your dog to walk alongside of you, rather than dashing ahead or running around you. With consistency and time, you can train your dog to walk on a leash.

Dog Walking Services

Once you have trained your dog to walk on a leash, a pet care professional can help make sure that your dog keeps those good habits and gets plenty of exercise every day. A dog walking service can provide regular walking services for your dog throughout the year. Contact Paw Pals today to learn more about our pet care services!

Filed Under: Dog Walking

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Centreville – 20120, 20121
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Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
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