ADVANCED LEASH WALKING

Transcription

1 ADVANCED LEASH WALKING (212) East 2nd Street, NY NY 10009

2 LEASH WALKING OVERVIEW Good leash walking is a cooperative activity between dog and owner. The leash should be free of pressure (loose) and your dog should offer eye contact when asked and be responsive to direction. WHY DO DOGS PULL? To get to whatever is out ahead: Great smells, other dogs, open spaces, fun and adventure. Pulling gets dogs to what they want faster because as a strategy, it works. This is why it is best to teach dogs loose-leash walking as early as possible. Pulling is rewarding to the dog, so the more he does it, the harder it is for him to give it up. If you have an expert puller, however, don t despair. Any dog can be taught loose-leash walking with consistency and patience! WHY DO DOGS LAG BEHIND? Typically if a dog is lagging behind or stops walking there is a reason - and it s not just to annoy his human! Is there a smell he wants to enjoy for longer? Something in the environment making him nervous? If so, work on reducing his stress outside by making walks more fun and rewarding for steps taken. WHERE SHOULD YOUR DOG BE? Before you even start, it s essential that you choose a specific zone where your dog should walk in relation to you. We recommend your dog walk by your right or left side with his shoulders even with yours, like your friend or a human companion would. That s the location where you can communicate with Fido most easily. This position is often referred to as heel position. It s also okay if your dog chooses to walk a little behind you or a little in front of you - so long as the leash is loose. PACE MATTERS Choosing the right pace for walking with your dog is important. Dogs don t walk from point A to point B - or at a consistent speed unless we train them to. If we want a dog to follow our lead and stick with us, we have to walk in a manner that makes it clear we know where we re going. That means we should generally walk at a brisk enough pace to keep our dog at a fast trot. This is also a much better pace for helping to burn calories in both you and your dog! LOOSE LEASH = FORWARD MOTION When you follow a dog on a tight leash you are actually training him to pull. To the dog, the forward motion is the reward and by pulling they are getting what they want. Instead, a loose leash should equal forward motion while a tight leash means no forward motion. REINFORCEMENTS? Teaching a dog to walk without pulling requires plenty of rewards and a treat pouch. Use highly desirable treats that your dog doesn t get at other times. Soft treats are best so your dog can eat them quickly and continue training. Most dogs love hot dogs, cheese, cooked chicken or ham, small jerky treats or freeze-dried liver. Chop all treats into small peanut-sized cubes. You can also use a Kong Peanut butter tube. JACKPOT RADIUS Your dog does not have to constantly be in a perfect heel position at your side BUT when he does find his way there, he should be rewarded. Think of the radius around you (about 6 inches on each side of your legs) as the jackpot radius. Whenever your dog comes within that radius, he should be rewarded with a yes and treat (at least during the learning process.) PICK A CONSISTENT ROUTE Pick a consistent route with few distractions to start for all walks. It s easier to train the concept of loose leash walking from point A to point B and then teach your dog to also loose leash walk everywhere. A DOG S SENSE OF SMELL MAY BE AS MUCH AS 100,000 TIMES STRONGER THAN OURS! DOGS USE THEIR NOSES TO GAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT. FOR THAT REASON, SNIFFING SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED ON WALKS - BUT SO SHOULD ATTENTION TO THE HANDLER. Info@ (212) East 2nd Street, NY NY 10009

3 LEASH HANDLING BASICS Teaching your dog that pulling doesn t work requires consistency and some practice. Use these exercises to help your dog grasp the concept of approaching things he wants on a loose leash. FOLLOW THE LEASH Hold the leash in one hand and a handful of treats in the other. Lightly pull your dog s leash towards you as you turn and immediately feed a treat afterwards. Repeat this at least 10 times until your dog is starting to actually follow the pressure with ease. When that happens, mark/click and treat when he responds to the pressure and moves in the direction of where the leash is being pulled. You are teaching him to respond to slight leash pressure by following the direction rather than stopping or pulling. Continue doing this and changing directions until your dog begins to follow the pressure with ease. STEP WITH A LOOSE LEASH With your dog standing calmly next to you, say Let s go. (Note: you may drop a treat behind you if your dog is already in front of you.) Take one deliberate, brisk step forward and mark/treat after the first step, as long as your dog doesn t dash forward to the end of his leash. Now take a step to the right or left - click/treat your dog in the same position. Gradually increase the number of steps in between clicks. If your dog starts pulling, stop and wait until there is some slack in the leash again. Then take a step with him and reward him quickly for walking near you. Keep him guessing. Sometimes reward after 1 step, sometimes after 2, then again after 1 again. RED LIGHT/GREEN LIGHT Begin to walk in your intended direction, rewarding for loose leash walking. The instant your dog reaches the end of his leash and pulls, STOP (red light) and wait. When he stops pulling and puts slack in the leash (maybe he turns to see what you re doing and this makes the leash a little slack), put out your hand for a hand target and say touch. When he comes to you, cue a sit. Mark, (click or yes ) and reward. Resume walking (green light). If your dog looks up at you in anticipation of more tasty treats, quickly mark (click or yes ) and give him one while you keep walking. If he pulls again, repeat the red-light step above. As you re walking, reward your dog frequently for staying next to you or slightly ahead and for looking up at you. If you do this consistently, he ll learn that: 1) if he stays near you or looks at you, he gets treats and gets to keep moving, and 2) if he pulls on the leash, the fun stops because he doesn t get to keep walking and he has to come back to you and start again! If your dog pulls toward an object to sniff or eliminate, carry out the red light, but when he comes back to you, don t reward him with a treat. Instead, make the object he wanted to sniff the reward. Mark (click or yes ) and release him to go to the object. (Make sure you go with him toward the object so that he doesn t have to pull again to reach it!) Continue to reward your dog intermittently for walking with slack in the leash or he ll start pulling again TWO-HAND LEASH HOLD ALWAYS KEEP TWO HANDS ON THE LEASH: ONE HAND FOR AN ANCHOR, AND ONE AS A CONTROL HAND WHICH CAN GIVE YOUR DOG LESS OR MORE LEASH. BEING CONSISTENT WILL HELP YOUR DOG LEARN FASTER. Info@ (212) East 2nd Street, NY NY 10009

4 CHOOSING THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT A leash and collar are important tools that a city dog owner encounters every day, and taking them for granted might mean that you re not using the best equipment for you and your dog. Let us help you break it down. Basic Leash A basic 6-foot leash made of nylon, leather or rope material is a standard tool for every dog owner. A basic leash offers some distance for a dog to explore his surroundings while allowing the owner to maintain a safe level of control while walking the busy New York streets. Long Leash Long leashes are recommended for hiking or for other wide open spaces like the park as they offer a dog the freedom to explore a wider distance. Long leashes are a great way to practice distance recalls with your dog and for your dog to have off-leash freedom time safely. Flat/Buckle Collar A flat or buckle collar lays flat around the neck of a dog and is best for providing a way to hang ID tags. If your dog has the potential to pull on leash, the use of the flat collar will cause undue pressure on the trachea so would not be appropriate for leash walk training. Martingale Collar A martingale collar is similar to a flat collar but has an additional loop where the leash is attached enabling the collar to tighten uniformly around the dog s neck when he pulls, distributing the weight more evenly. A martingale also provides extra security as they are impossible to back out of when properly fitted. Front Clip Harness A front clip harness can be helpful for a dog learning how to walk politely on a leash as it removes pressure from the neck area and offers the owner more control. Note that back clip harnesses will allow a dog to pull harder and engage their oppositional reflex ( putting on the brakes ) so should only be used for pulling weight or Mushing. Head Halter A head halter is a useful tool for a seasoned or strong leash puller or for dogs who are reactive on leash. It goes around the snout of a dog and offers the most amount of control without pinching or hurting the dog. A dog will need to be trained to enjoy wearing one and the human will need to be trained on how to use it appropriately. Treat Pouch A treat pouch might not be the most fabulous accessory but it provides easy access to food rewards or toys on a walk and ensures that the reward delivery is smooth. You can also store your keys and ID card in one. Hands-Free Leash A hands-free leash paired with a front-clip harness or martingale collar is a great way to leash train a dog as it allows the owner to have both hands free and sense when the dog has started to pull more effectively. They are also great for jogging or for walking multiple dogs. Tip: you can make your treat pouch into a hands-free leash by putting the loop of your leash through it. Retractable Leash Retractable leashes do not provide adequate and safe control over a dog on a walk, especially in New York City. Not only do they encourage pulling (as the dog rewards itself with more freedom whenever he wants) but they often get tangled up and have caused serious injury to humans including rope burns, cuts and even amputation of fingers. Prong Collar A prong collar (also sometimes referred to as pinch collar) works by tightening and casuing pain with the spikes when the dog pulls on leash. Most dogs find this feeling uncomfortable and avoid pulling on leash so they don t feel the pain. However, some dogs habituate to the pain and pull anyway. Using pain to teach a dog (especially a dog who is not socially mature yet - under 3 years of age) can have serious behavioral side effects and often creates or exacerbates aggressive behaivor. Choke Chain A choke chain tightens around the dogs neck when he pulls. Often owners use leash corrections with this piece of equipment and again, this intense pain may exacerbate behavioral problems. Choke collar use has been associated with spinal cord injuries, crushing of the trachea, crushing and/or fracture of the bones in the larynx, dislocated neck bones, bruising of the esophagus, bruising and damage to the skin and tissues in the neck among other injuries. Info@ (212) East 2nd Street, NY NY 10009

5 UNDER, AT AND OVER-THRESHOLD Reading your dog s stress level by observing their body language is very important. It will help shape your training expectations and the decisions you make on the street. Learn when your dog is workable and when to just get away or distract him until the stimulus has passed. UNDER-THRESHOLD WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE Loose and relaxed body posture Mouth and ears are soft Dog is responsive to handler and can respond to known cues Is able to disengage (look away) from stimuli easily HOW TO WORK YOUR DOG OVER THRESHOLD WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE Staring intensely Straining on leash Very rigid/tense posture No interest in food Growling Barking Lunging Charging 1. In this state, your dog can handle seeing another dog although it may be a fair distance away or just the sound of a dog tag jingling that they respond to. 2. Mark & Move: Mark when they notice the dog and then move away quickly and feed a high value food treat or pull out their favorite toy once you arrive. AT THRESHOLD WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE Stiffer body posture Ears pricked forward Mouth is tightly closed Weight shifted forward Having a hard time disengaging (looking away) HOW TO WORK YOUR DOG 1. No learning is taking place when your dog is in this state so keep it simple: immediately and quickly increase the distance if you can. 2. If you are stuck - put yourself between your dog and the other dog and distract them by dropping a handful of treats on the ground away from the other dog. 3. You can also use a portable peanut butter or cream cheese dispenser as a consolation prize in this scenario. Harder for a dog to bark when they ve got a mouth full of peanut butter! HOW TO WORK YOUR DOG 1. Increase the distance asap! 2. Call dog away with either a This Way! (u-turn) cue or a Find it cue. 3. If dog is still stuck, use your leash pressure/treat exercise to help him out. 4. If you move closer or the dog moves closer, he will react. 5. If your dog doesn t respond to any of these things, toss a treat at his head or body block him/prevent him from looking at the stimuli and then cue a Find it when his focus is broken. Info@ (212) East 2nd Street, NY NY 10009

6 ATTENTION Attention is an important foundation behavior. If you can get and keep your dog s attention, you can prevent or interrupt unwanted behaviors before they happen. CAPTURING THE BEHAVIOR Sit or stand up with your dog in front of you. Have several bite-sized treats in one hand, holding them between your forefingers and thumbs and a clicker in the other. (*Note: you can also use a toy or a ball! The goal of this exercise is for your dog to CHOOSE to look away from the item and towards you to get it.) Hold the hand with treats up near the side of your face - at about eye level - make sure your dog sees the treats in your hand. Click the moment when your dog s face is facing yours and then deliver a treat. Repeat. Begin only marking when your dog makes direct eye contact. If you are having trouble getting your dog s attention, use a highpitched noise or kissy sound and mark the moment his eyes meet yours. At this point, we are refraining from using your dog s name. ADDING A VERBAL CUE Sit or stand up with your dog in front of you. Your dog should not be looking at you but should only be mildly distracted for now. Cue your dog by saying Look! or his name - just say it once. Click or use a marker word the moment you see your dog s head start to turn. If your dog does not respond the first time you say the cue, follow it a couple seconds later with a high pitched or funny noise. Reward any head turn that follows. As soon as your dog finishes his treat, say the cue. Again, reward any head movement towards you. At this stage, do not reward attention unless you have cued it. Ignore, reset, and cue again when your dog is looking elsewhere. When your dog is reliably turning his head to you when you say his name, begin only clicking the head turns that are followed with eye contact. ON CUE WITH DISTRACTIONS Let your dog engage with a distraction. The distraction may either be another person playing with him, or a toy that he can interact with. Start with the distraction between one and three feet away from you. Call his name, just once. If he pauses at all from interacting with the distraction, reward immediately. Make him come to you for the reward. If he doesn t respond to the first time you say his name, follow it with a loud noise or high pitched sound, and mark/reward any movement towards you that follows. As your dog gets better at paying attention to you even when interacting with the distraction, begin to only reward responses to his name, see if you can take a step farther away. WHEN TO ASK FOR ATTENTION Before greeting a familiar human on leash Before sniffing a tree plot or hydrant Before exiting a door STICK TO ONE ROUTE WHILE TRAINING POLITE LEASH WALKING, IT S HELPFUL TO STICK TO ONE OR TWO ROUTES FOR YOUR DOG. THIS WAY THEY CAN LEARN TO WALK POLITELY IN ONE AREA CONSISTENTLY BEFORE GENERALIZING THE SKILL. Info@ (212) East 2nd Street, NY NY 10009

7 ATTENTION HEELING Keeping your dog s focus while walking is a great way to move him past something on the sidewalk you want him to avoid, whether it s a chicken bone or another dog. CAPTURING THE BEHAVIOR Put several small treats in your fist and close it. Stick your closed fist in front of dogs nose and lure their focus upward. Click/treat when the dog looks at the fist and deliver one treat by your knee. Repeat until your dog is following your fist up to your face reliably when they see it move. ADDING IN STEPS & DURATION Now, add in taking one step as you lure your dog s focus upward. Mark only if they take the step with you while they are also watching the closed fist. After you click, begin adding in Okay! as a release word to let your dog know the behavior is done. From there, continue to build the duration of the steps and level of distraction separately until you have a reliable hand signal your dog stares at while walking. ADDING A VERBAL CUE Add in the word Watch just before you lure your dog s focus upward with your fist. Take your steps while maintaining your dog s focus on your fist and release with Okay! when the behavior is finished or you are past the distraction. WHEN TO USE IT At least once randomly on a walk to maintain To avoid your dog scavenging or sniffing in an undesirable area To quickly pass by another dog, skateboard or other distraction FIND IT GAME REWARD A WATCH WITH A FIND IT TO ALLOW YOUR DOG TO PICK SOMETHING UP OFF THE GROUND THAT YOU VE TOSSED THERE - LEGALLY! THIS ALLOWS THEM TO FULFILL THEIR NEED TO SCAVENGE WITHOUT ACTUALLY PICKING UP A CHICKEN BONE. Info@ (212) East 2nd Street, NY NY 10009

8 TARGETING Hand targeting is an excellent way to redirect your dog or get them into a desired position like right next to you. You can also use this behavior as an asking for permission cue. CAPTURING THE BEHAVIOR Hold your flat palm out (or two fingers) about two inches to the left or right of your dog s nose and click or mark any movement or look towards it. (If your dog is avoiding or backing away from your hand, present it below their nose to start.) Remove your palm after each click or marker word, and present reward. Present your palm again just as he finishes his treat. Hold your palm one inch to the right or left of your dog s nose, then above and below. Click any time his nose touches it. If your dog is having any trouble, move your hand closer. Once he is touching it at least ten times in a minute, up the ante by moving your hand slightly farther away. If he is not consistently touching it with his nose, move it closer. ADDING A VERBAL CUE When your dog is reliably targeting your hand, start giving the verbal cue Touch just before you present your hand. Soon you will be able to cue Touch when your dog isn t looking at you. WHEN TO USE IT At least once randomly on a walk to maintain To get your dog into the heel position Have your dog ask for permission by performing this behavior in order to gain access to a smell ADDING IN POSITIONING Position yourself in front of your dog (toss a treat behind you if needed.) Hold your dog s leash in one hand with several treats and place your other hand (flat palm or two fingers) about 5 inches away from your knee - in the jackpot heel position. Click/mark any movement or look towards it to start, gradually shaping for a nose target. Remove your palm after each click/marker word, and present reward in the same spot each time - exactly where the hand target was presented. TIRED DOGS PULL LESS TRY EXERCISING YOUR DOG INDOORS FOR 20 MINUTES BEFORE A LEASH WALK! FETCH, TUG OR FLIRT-POLING WILL REDUCE ENERGY IN MOST DOGS. Info@ (212) East 2nd Street, NY NY 10009

9 U-TURN Teaching a reliable u-turn cue is especially useful in NYC as it allows you to quickly turn your dog around to avoid overly exciting scenarios, mitigate distance and keep your dog on her toes! CAPTURING THE BEHAVIOR Walk in your intended direction with your dog on a loose leash. Stop walking and turn towards your dog. If your dog automatically turns towards you, mark (with a click or good! ) and jog/walk quickly in the opposite direction, using your hand to lure him with you if needed. If your dog just stops at the end of the leash and doesn t turn towards you, stick your hand in front of his nose with a treat and lure him towards you and then in the opposite direction. Mark when he u-turns but wait to reward until you are at least 5 feet in the other direction. PUTTING IT ON CUE To add a verbal cue, simply say Let s go! just as you stop and turn around. When you ve done that 10 times in a row, begin pre-empting the turn with the cue. The stop/turn will always be there as a prompt should your dog forget or become overly distracted. WAIT Teaching wait is a great way to increase impulse control. For dogs who pull on leash, it s a must as it helps reduce charging through doors. WAIT AT A THRESHOLD Put your dog on leash and crack your door open two inches or so. If your dog moves towards the door, immediately close it. If your dog stays in position, click and feed him in position. Repeat 5 times until your dog can stay in position while you crack the door two inches or so. Then say Okay! and open the door all the way up, encouraging your dog to go through the door. Repeat every time you go out for a walk to reinforce the idea that your dog should stay in position while the door is cracked open until they hear Okay! Once this is easy for your dog, up the ante and open the door to about 12 inches. Remember - if your dog moves, immediately close it. If they stay in position, click/treat in position. Repeat a few times before saying Okay! and encouraging your dog to exit the threshold. Your goal is eventually to get all the way up to opening the door the entire way with your dog in position. When this is happening reliably, say Wait just before you open the door and instead of marking/ treating just say Okay! and release your dog as the reward. U-TURN FOR SQUIRRELS A FUN U-TURN CAN BE A NICE CONSOLATION PRIZE FOR YOUR DOG SPOTTING A SQUIRREL OR SOMETHING ELSE THAT EXCITES HER AS IT ALLOWS THE DOG TO MOVE QUICKLY AND JOG WITH YOU. Info@ (212) East 2nd Street, NY NY 10009