Dog Breed Photos

HOW TO WALK A DOG PROPERLY

If you'd like to learn how to walk your dog properly, then you've come to the right place.

All dogs need daily exercise...walks, runs, jogs, anything where they are outside of their own yard. If your dog is misbehaving, more than likely, taking your dog for a walk will drastically reduce the misbehavior.

First of all I'd like to explain the importance of different collars and leashes. The collars that you should NOT use are choke chains, any kind of collar that gives the dog a shock or zap, and any kind of collar that has spikes or anything that can harm your dog. Dogs will not learn from pain...that will only make them afraid of you, which can ultimately lead to a dog that will turn on you. All of the collars I have mentioned can harm your dog. A lot of people recommend choke chains for your dog, but if they are not used properly they can seriously harm your dog, therefore, I do NOT recommend them.

The best collars to use to walk your dog are either regular collars that snap on or collars that do up like belts. Leather collars are the strongest. If your dog is a puller and you simply can't get them to stop, I strongly suggest using a gentle leader. I use this on my Saint Bernard, and would never take her out without it. These are not cruel in any way; they simply calm your dog when they are over excited.

Picture of leader and collar

As for leashes, you should NOT use retractable or long leashes as they give you less control over the dog. A 5 or 6 foot long leash is best. Make sure your dog NEVER chews on their leash. If your dog chews their leash and will not stop, you can try using a chewing deterrent like bitter apple.

Picture of leash

Now to get started on your walk… First call your dog to you, do not go to your dog. Once your dog comes, make them sit. Once they are sitting nicely, clip their leash onto their collar or slip their leader onto them. If you are using a gentle leader, be sure it is not too tight or too loose. It can take a dog a couple of times to get used to the feel of the leader on their nose.

Picture of dog sitting while putting on leader

Next, you walk to your door with the dog, do not let the dog go out the door ahead of you; make sure you always exit your house ahead of your dog.

Now you should make your dog sit, you can either do this at the door before you exit or after you're out the door before you start your walk. Once the dog is sitting calmly, say to them in a normal voice your command to start walking, the command I use is "ok let's go", there are many other commands you can use such as "walk" or "forward". If your dog won't move forward you can tap your hand on your leg, and if they still won't come give a gentle tug on their leash. Praise them by saying "good dog" but make sure you are not saying it so that it makes them excited, say it very calmly. You should always reward your dog when they do something good, either with a treat, or preferably with a pet and a "good dog". Dogs want to please their owners and will do anything if they know they will get rewarded.

I am going to try to explain the proper way to hold your leash, and I hope it doesn't sound too confusing. If your dog is walking on your left side, you should have the handle of the leash in your right hand and have your left hand further down the leash giving your dog a little bit of slack, but not too much. Make sure your hand is down and wrapped around the leash with your fingers towards you. The leash should be across in front of you and you should be using your left hand to give the "snap" of the leash when your dog needs correcting…..this snap should be applied by twisting your wrist back in the direction of your pinky finger (which should be closest to the dog in comparison to your thumb).

Picture of proper way to hold leash

Your dog's shoulders should always be right beside your leg; not in front or behind you, and you should always walk your dog on one side of you; right or left doesn't matter, as long as it's always the same side. I personally always walk my dog on my left side so that I am closest to the road, I figure they are less likely to get hit by a car or run off into the road that way. The leash should be loose; you should not be dragging your dog and you should not be keeping a tight leash to keep them beside you.

Picture of dog beside you

If your puppy is still really young, they may need encouragement to keep walking, you can do this by calling them or by putting a treat in front of their face, but far enough away that they have to walk a bit, then walk a little further with the treat still in your hand in front of the dog, then give the dog the treat to reward them for walking.

Picture of treat in hand in front of dog

If your dog starts to pull, give one firm tug on the leash and give your command to slow down. My command for this is "wait", you could also use "slow" or "heel", be sure you say this command firmly. Anytime your dog pulls, repeat this step. When your dog responds and slows down, be sure to reward them and tell them how good they are. If you want you can also stop and make them sit when they get too excited and only start walking again once they are calm. I don't like to do this, but I also don't see anything wrong with doing it.

Picture of dog being walked properly

Anytime you stop while on your walk, to talk to someone, or at a crosswalk, or to window shop, or anything, make sure your dog is sitting calmly beside you the entire time. When you start walking again, be sure to say your dog's name plus your command to start walking, for example "spot, heel". Don't tug on the leash unless they don't start moving when you do, and even then just give a short gentle tug and try saying "spot, heel" again.

If at anytime during your walk, your dog gets excited over a person or another dog walking by or barking, be sure to keep your dog walking and praise them when they ignore it. You can use the command "leave it" (saying it firmly) if they are trying to sniff something or even if they are trying to walk towards something.

If you want you can train your dog to only sniff, urinate, or do his/her business when you tell him/her to. I personally don't do this, as no one tells me when I can or can't urinate, and I don't think it's fair to do that to the dog either.

Be sure that all the corrections you give your dog are done at the right time. You MUST do it either just before they make their mistake or right when they start making the mistake. Do not wait 2 or 3 seconds before correcting them or they will think they got away with it and will just do it again.

You should train your dog to walk at different speeds, when you start walking slow say "slow" to your dog and slow down, they should still be shoulder to leg with you. Then you can start walking fast and say "fast" or "quick" and again, they should still be shoulder to leg with you.

Once you get home, make your dog sit again, and unclip the leash. Don't let your dog leave until you say it's ok. Unclip the leash first and let them stay sitting for a short time after then give the command that they are free to go followed by a wave of your hand forwards. I use the command "go", you can also use "release" or "ok".

Be sure you walk your dog in the morning, especially if you are leaving for the day, they will be less destructive while you are gone. High energy dogs should be walked more than once a day. Dogs of all breeds and sizes should be walked daily, and at least every 2nd day they should get a good run or playtime with another dog. If you don't have somewhere where you can let your dog run, you can purchase long leashes at the dollar store and you can take them to a park (at least 40 feet of leash is best). At the park you can throw toys for them to chase, but more than likely, just like my dog, they will run without any incentive. Just be sure to watch for other people around, as you wouldn't want your dog going up to a stranger who is afraid of dogs.

You will have a happy, healthy, well-behaved dog if you walk your dog daily!