Did you know that you can break your wrist easily on a dog walk? When I was having a training session with Rodrigo and our trainer, Shannon Finch, she noticed that I would wrap the leash around my hand and wrist. She told me that if Rodrigo saw a rabbit and lunged, he would take my wrist or hand with me.
Not only could I end up with a broken wrist, I could potentially lose my hand if I do a sufficient enough job wrapping the leash around, which I can do. Shannon suggested that I either…
- change his harness so that I felt more in control and didn’t feel the need to wrap the leash or
- switch from a 6′ leash to a 4′ leash to eliminate the need to wrap the leash around my wrist.
Dog Walking Tips, continued…
Walking our dogs is such a fantastic time to bond, get some exercise and fresh air, and revisit dog training lessons. But do you ever get overwhelmed with all of these expectations? With three dogs, it took some time for me to learn how to juggle leashes, dog poop bags, training trips, and pay attention to our dogs and surroundings.
So I reached out to the dog training community for dog walking tips that will make our walks more pleasant, organized, and fruitful…
Be prepared and treat for good behavior
Matt Tuzzo, Owner and Head Trainer of Jersey Shore Dogs shared the following…
Carry food and pay for good behaviors including, but not limited to: walking calmly at your side, responding to a “leave-it” cue, “checking in” (dog stops scanning the environment and comes over and “checks in” with the owner (looks up at the owner). By paying for these behaviors when you get them, you will increase the chances of your dog responding and performing them more often and reliably in the future. Use a higher value food than you normally would use to train in the home. The outdoors offers a tremendous number of distractions that could easily trump a lower value treat.
Danette Johnston of Dog’s Day Out in Seattle (woo hoooo, a local gal!) reminds us to treat our dog walks as a training session, not just a way to get exercise for our pooch (and us). When we walk our dogs, we have treats in our pocket and work on practicing the following…
- Recall
- Heel
- Leave It
- Sit
- Settle
What I love about combining training with walks is that it’s a fantastic use of the time and our dogs are even more exhausted when we get home, because they got to exercise their brain too.
You can also get started with practicing loose leash walking in the house. Joan Hunter Mayer of Inquisitive Canine, suggest that before we head out, practice inside where there are limited distractions. “To help keep your dog by your side and to help keep focused on you, play the “Find it!” game – Say “find it!” and toss a treat on the ground in the place you want them to be, in the direction you want them to walk.”
Invest in a no pull (connects in front) harness
No more collars?
We stopped using dog collars with our pups after I spent nearly $100 one summer replacing collars only to end up watching our puppies take turns pulling off each other’s collars. We’re a harness family. What I didn’t expect was to read the opinion that walking with a collar can be dangerous and lead to…
- Spinal injuries
- Increased aggression
- Neck and tracheal injuries (especially in dogs who pull)
Becky Blanton of BookyBiz who is a former police officer and worked with K-9 officers was clear in her passion against the practice of leading a dog by the collar.
Marsha T Wallace, MD of IN GOOD HANDS went on to share that “Much of a dog’s sense of where there body is in space come from receptors in the neck. Constant stress can lead to areas of stored up tension that can throw off a dog’s physical and emotional balance. Make sure harnesses are properly fitted. So many I see are not. Make sure your dog cannot pull backwards and slip out of harness or collar.
Karen Tolin of Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel shares that harnesses are also great for dogs who slip their dog collars. Our littermates were like small, four legged Houdinis when it came to their dog collars. Switching to harnesses helped us keep our walks under control.
Jennifer Bement of Southeastern Guide Dogs covers dog walking training in a course called Dog Walking 101. You read more tips shared in Dog Walking 101.
“If you are approaching another dog, keep your dog close to you – this will help avoid impinging on that dog’s space and if the dogs do greet each other, it will keep you from getting tangled up in leashes
If you have the go-ahead from the other handler to let your dogs meet, let the dogs sniff each other (their version of shaking hands) as opposed to face-to-face meetings – those can add tension to the meeting.”
Teach your dog to walk on your left and right
Suzanne Harb Mackay, Owner of Doggie Land/Sunny Dog Place advises us to teach our dogs to walk on our left and right to help us easily navigate through dog traffic.
Did you know? ~ a little trivia from Suzanne Harb Mackay
Did you know that in the reason we walk our dogs on the left is because people who were right handed carried swords and guns and wanted their dog on their left to keep their gun/sword hand free.
And when walking your dog, if your dog slows to sniff around, just keep on walking. By slowing down or stopping, your giving your dog permission, which may not be what you want on days when you want to maintain a brisk, even pace.
What if you’re walking a big dog?
We have you covered! Amy Robinson of Drool School shared the following tip:
“I position the dog at my left side, then place the leash behind me, at the small of my back. I anchor it with my right hand at my right hip. My left hand is now free to hold a treat or two to keep the dog’s interest. When the dog pulls forward, he doesn’t get any of that push-pull feedback, since he is pulling against a part of my body that won’t give. I stop frequently and ask the dog to Sit, and then dole out a goodie.”
Now it’s YOUR turn. What dog walking tips do you have?
January 14, 2013 at 11:57 am
Hi Kimberly! Great tips to share there! I can’t imagine walking 3 Titans so I have no clue how YOU do it! Power to ya gf! My Titan was never really a “puller” with me, he will with my hubs though. I use trigger words when I leash trained Titan and we used a loose fitting prong. Now whenever he see the collar, he knows he’s training. When I first rescued him, we tried a body harness, however, it chafed under his arms so I opted for the color. He’s not learning on a slip leash and does fairly well. If he pulls a tad, I quickly correct him with a trigger word and snap my fingers once. He knows to stop. Smart aren’t they?
Now I know this worked for me, but definitely not my hubs. He doesn’t use the words or actions so needless to say, he doesn’t walk him often, if at all. It’s all on me. As you know, not everything works with every dog or owner. This did work for me so I’m happy with the results.
Fabulous tips for someone who wants to try a body harness or who is new to training their dog leash walking. Thanks Kimberly! Happily sharing this along!
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Brenda recently published..Do You Know Your Dogs DNA?
Twitter: PibblesNMe
January 14, 2013 at 1:46 pm
Thanks so much, Brenda and thanks for sharing. Walking three dogs is a nightmare for me. Sydney does well off leash; she stays by my side. Rodrigo and Blue need to be on the leash if we’re in an area with a lot of people or dogs. Otherwise, I try to walk them in areas were they can run and play and I keep leashes just in case. This means that I’m waking up early on weekends to get our walk in, but it’s worth it to see them so happy and healthy.
You should see their faces when I have to leash them up. When we come across others, they slow down and return, because they know they’re going to be leashed. If I know the people, then I say “go say hello” and they happily run to great the owner and dog. I’m lucky to have three great dogs.
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
January 14, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Awww so adorable! You have some well mannered babies there that I know you’re very proud of. Awesome feeling isn’t it!
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Brenda recently published..Do You Know Your Dogs DNA?
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January 14, 2013 at 12:00 pm
Great points! I have heard before not to loop the leash handle over the wrist because your wrist could get broken and you could get hurt if you fall and the dog drags you across the ground, but I personally would prefer to have a broken wrist and my dog by my side than an non-broken wrist and a dead dog that got loose and hit by a car! One of the most important things that your dog should be taught is to learn to walk nicely on a leash and it’s the thing I see the most people walking their dogs struggling with… and those stupid extender leashes (while they do have a purpose) should not be used in place of proper training… or around other dogs… or at the vets, etc. They are one of my biggest pet peeves!
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Amanda Griffin recently published..Tasty Homemade Dental Treats to Combat Your Pooches Bad Breath
January 14, 2013 at 2:19 pm
I love Shannon Finch. She helped us with Isis and Leo. I only wish we’d found her sooner!
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January 14, 2013 at 2:42 pm
Yayyy, a local dog lover! Isn’t she amazing? I’m going to schedule some time with her this summer for our dogs. A couple of hours with her and our dogs are pooped and happy. They love her farm.
Twitter: thefurmom
January 14, 2013 at 8:52 pm
Oh I have had my wrist yanked many, many times! I always tried to remember not to wrap it around my wrist at work, but sometimes it’s just a bad habit!
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January 15, 2013 at 8:28 pm
I KNOW. It hurts like a B**ch when this happens and is one of the many reasons why I’m happy that we can walk them leash free. Even my sweet Sydney will yank me if she sees a bird or cat. Just for 2 seconds, they forget that we’re attached.
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
January 14, 2013 at 9:04 pm
What great tips! Now what if you are walking 2 big dogs? lol:)
I have a bad habit of wrapping the leashes around my wrist and my thumb on both hands. So far I still have both my hands but I know that I have to change my technique:)
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Jen recently published..Monday Mischief. Leroy And The Puppy.
January 15, 2013 at 8:17 pm
My dogs aren’t as big as yours, but they’ve been crazy strong since they were 9 months old. I still wrap the leash around my wrist and have to remind myself to stop. My trainer taught me to walk them on each side of me and to lead the walk instead of letting them lead. They still walk ahead of me, I don’t mind that, they’re sniffing. But if the start pulling, I turn and walk the other way and if they fall behind, I don’t adjust my body to them, I just keep walking – they feel the leash give and they adjust with it. It took some getting used to, because didn’t really care about our walking style beyond trying to stop them from pulling.
Now they walk off leash as much as possible. The bonus of living in the “country.”
Twitter: thefurmom
January 14, 2013 at 9:59 pm
Great tips! What do you think of the Gentle Leader? I’ve used that before when walking/hiking. It keeps the dog from pulling and stopping, and in every case that I’ve used it, the dog has walked evenly by my side. In the wrong hands it could be dangerous…you don’t want to snap the leash or jerk the dog around with it (but you wouldn’t want to do that anyway?) It’s not at all like a spike collar, as it doesn’t hurt the dog into obedience. It just places the center of gravity to a different area where there’s not as much muscle to fight against.
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January 15, 2013 at 8:22 pm
The Gentle Leader didn’t work for us only because Rodrigo became amazing at taking it off if given the chance. I’m a sucker for puppy eyes so we only used it for a couple of days. I purchased a harness where the leash attaches at his chest and that made a HUGE difference. Rodrigo wore that until he chewed it apart (I’m bored, Mommy), but he no longer pulls.
What I loved about the Gentle Leader is that there was immediate improvement. It’s so important to get the right one and learn how to use it. It’s not very intuitive (at least it wasn’t for me) so our trainer gave me a little lesson AND a video. I needed both for those 2 days Rodrigo wore it
Thanks for stopping by!
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
January 15, 2013 at 12:17 am
Definitely love the help of the hips. First used it with our late Roxy, who’s never made a single step without pulling like a mule. It was the only way I could have held on to her. Yeah, I had no idea about training then, I was just trying to survive walking hubby’s dog. The hips are a great anchor and also good place in regards to center of gravity.
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January 15, 2013 at 8:24 pm
One of the breeds we were looking at were Huskies. Such beautiful dogs and someone told me that they would drag me down the street. I think I’d do great with a Husky today, but then, I was too soft to handle a strong puller.
Twitter: thefurmom
January 15, 2013 at 12:21 pm
Great tips. Walking two dogs with different walking styles can be hard sometimes. Torrey wants to check out everything, and gets reactive with other dogs. Thats a great tip about not wrapping the leash. We reviewed a leash, The Konalu, that is perfect. It is easily adjusted for short or longer.
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January 15, 2013 at 2:07 pm
Thanks! We have three dogs who have different walking styles too. Blue is very similar to Rodrigo in that he’s reactive (in a happy way) and Sydney, because he stays close to me. All three want to sniff every inch so our walks are slow going if I don’t keep them moving.
Thanks for stopping by!
Twitter: thefurmom
January 15, 2013 at 9:03 pm
I use a 6 foot leash and always wrap it around my wrist. Snickers used to pull like crazy too (always so excited), but we switched to a no-pull harness which totally solved it. I’d be afraid I’d drop the leash if it weren’t wrapped around my wrist though. Actually, I HAVE dropped it. Once, I dropped it in the middle of the intersection of 39th St & 8th Ave (in NYC). Luckily, Snick didn’t notice and just kept walking right next to me! Maybe I should look for a better way to secure the leash instead of wrapping though…
January 16, 2013 at 4:54 pm
Love those no pull harnesses, they’re such a fantastic tool! Rodrigo used to have one.
Twitter: thefurmom
January 16, 2013 at 11:00 am
I never thought about how you could break your wrist! I have had big dogs before and would always do the same thing.Luckily I don’t have to worry about it to much with Kirby,lol.
January 16, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Kirby is such a sweetie
Twitter: thefurmom