Better Loose Leash Walking with THIS Strategy! (Heeling Training for Puppies & Adult Dogs)

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Step 1 Loose Leash Walking: • Loose Leash Walking Fo...
Step 2 Loose Leash Walking: • Loose Leash Walking Tr...
#looseleashwalking #heel #heeling #obedience #obediencetraining #dogtraining #leashtraining
In this video I talk about the strategy I use to get good loose leash walking from the dogs I train. It includes strategies for what to do if the dog is pulling, as well as how to create a reinforcement zone. I also discuss how to "protect" my good walking skills. Finally, I answer the question: harness or collar?
Note: Be sure to take into consideration what length of longline you can safely manage
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[@vampbat12]

Can I just say how much hope it brings me to see someone that promotes and teaches force free service dog training, love this channel so much!

[@DoggyU]

Hi f! I'm so grateful for this comment. It truly made my day. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and for being a supporter of my channel!

[@Serjicaladdictable]

Using a leash is still force. Take the leash off and see what the dogs really choose to do

[@garry19681]

I never thought about walking in a straight line at a constant speed is not what a dog does. Thank you, this makes so much sense.

[@DoggyU]

So glad that was helpful Garry!

[@misty-eyes]

The one thing I learned is it takes a lot of patience and time for a dog to learn to walk loose leash by your side and it's also that we need to learn how to walk with the dog by our side. In the beginning you will be stepping on your dogs paws.

[@DoggyU]

Patience and a sense of humor is helpful in any new learning endeavor I think, but especially in dog training! Happy training!

[@UriskOfTheFae]

I'm glad I found your channel! Videos are so helpful with my ADHD since my newly adopted 3 year-old husky boy is still not quite ready to work at an obedience class or with most strangers. So many channels either use forceful tools I'm not comfortable with, or intimidating techniques that would trigger my boy's anxiety to high heavens. Your videos have been great review and clarification tools, in the training style I prefer. I'm excited to refine our heel and make what I'm asking of him much more clear! He'll massively enjoy it, and I will feel much safer

[@DoggyU]

I'm so glad you find the channel helpful! I have a video specifically on training with ADHD if that's helpful as well:kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJ7WqJyoltaNiKc Thanks for being a subscriber and happy training! :)

[@UriskOfTheFae]

Yes, I've seen it! Thank you so much!

[@nicoledelieto1735]

That video is very helpful for handler’s on the autistic spectrum. I really enjoyed that video. This video is really good for ADHD and Asperger’s syndrome handlers. This video can also help with ADD too or any autism spectrum disorder. I have a question. Is it acceptable to have your service dog get pets from people when asked? I want Freja to be part of society and understand when it is time to work or meet strangers. I use a gentle leader to help with the pulling and loose leash walking. I would recommend using a gentle leader while you are doing your loose leash walking. She is still having some problems with the heel. We are working on blocking technique. She is having problems doing the blocking in the back. What suggestions would you recommend or cue words that I can use to train Freja to block in the back?

[@noellelynn7389]

Your channel is our favorite!

[@izzytheplantwitch]

This is gonna help blossom and I immensely! I wasnt sure how to transition to using environmental rewards for heeling - now i know switching the gear & using a cue will definitely provide the clarification i was looking for!! Tysm!

[@DoggyU]

I'm so glad you found this helpful Avril! Happy Training!

[@alishagarcia5150]

Fantastic video ❤

[@DoggyU]

Thanks Alisha!

[@cchambersglenn]

Excellent. This is SO important for my dog and myself.

[@pennypiper5857]

Thanks great video

[@DoggyU]

Thanks Penny!! Happy Training!

[@TrainMePlease]

Your production value went up. Looks great. The content is on point. Thanks for sharing.

[@DoggyU]

Thanks! The crew over here (aka just me lol) has been trying to up our game! :)

[@pawzisthenamechicken3393]

Thank you! I think your leash and collar technique will work well. I definitely need more consistency in my rules.

[@DoggyU]

It's definitely more work on the human's part to stay consistent but the more clarity we can provide our dogs, the better! :) Happy Training!

[@rockymtndog]

Aww, great video and thank you for the shout out! ❤️ -Julie

[@DoggyU]

Haha that was my absolute favorite saying!

[@drj2220]

Thank you

[@DoggyU]

You’re welcome ☺️

[@Melissa-pb6wv]

I love you. I love your videos. I love your dog. ❤️💜♥️

[@DoggyU]

So glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@ordash1136]

Wow. ❤ You are the very first trainer I heard this from!!! And my dog had 5 real life and countless “KZbin” trainers 😂 I always thought he was a hopeless dog because once I let him sniff he wanders off. He does the lose leash walk just as a trick. I love the distinction you make between the two modes. I need to be more consistent so he better understands. Improved a lot but still depends on his mood how many corrections it take after the free long line walk to get back to heeling.. sometimes none but other times when he gets too excited sniffing something he completely refuses to do the heeling after.

[@DoggyU]

When you're first starting out and making sure you're being really clear, use a hand touch, or even lure him away from sniffing to get him into position, switch to short leash and collar and walk off. If he does just 5 good steps reward heavily with food, release him back with "go sniff" cue, repeat. You can use the sniffing to reinforce the good walking and build up the distance.

[@malinoisamericanakita2022]

Thankyou hes really pulling hard at the moment .

[@DoggyU]

Definitely check out the videos linked in the description and stay tuned for next week's video on leash handling skills and techniques for the human to improve walking skills!

[@malinoisamericanakita2022]

@@DoggyU defo thankyou. 👌

[@malinoisamericanakita2022]

It's really no fun having arm pulled off . And he's soooo strong . Triggers like cars . Cats and squirels flavour of the day atm and he's 10 month puberty stage giddy puppy x were working hard o his Training from day one . He's lovely in house but outside eeek lol . 😆

[@DoggyU]

@@malinoisamericanakita2022 oh yes 10 months is a tough time for both you AND your pup! Stick with it, be patient, and make sure you do lots of fun things together to remind yourself why you got this crazy teenager in the first place :)

[@barronleeds4585]

Another great video. I love the biothane long lead. I use it on all of our "casual" walks now, and Hilda seems much happier. Now, does it make nuts as she goes from side to side to sniff everything. Yup. Sure does, but as I have mentioned before, chaos didn't suddenly befall our hometown because she wasn't at the heel position every second of the walk.😊 She performs just fine in public and at stores, etc. so no worries there. Now if I can just survive the remainder of her teenager phase, we'll be good to go!😂

[@DoggyU]

🤣🤣🤣

[@user-MilanaJormung]

Thank you for the video. ) ❤ We're still learning and learning. We are only eight months old. My puppy wants to play with other dogs all the time.

[@Offishal_Lifestyle]

so stoked for this series. I may be getting ahead of myself but when you are long lining do you reward them when they come back to check in with you?

[@DoggyU]

I definitely reward them with different types of reinforcers. Sometimes food, sometimes pets, sometimes personal play :)

[@fayejeffries8150]

Loving your videos. Trying to teach my puppy heel walking so he can walk alongside my son’s wheelchair. Just starting with heel position. Reassuring he can have fun walks too. Any tips for walking with a wheelchair please

[@DoggyU]

So glad you're enjoying the videos! I don't have any wheelchair specific videos, but Donna Hill has an entire course on heeling with a wheelchair that will likely be helpful!

[@bethc5919]

Just took my 5 month old GSD on her 1st harness walk. No more choking!!

[@DoggyU]

I'm sure that was more fun for both of you! Awesome work!

[@shiori510]

My dog always wore a halti, he was a huge dog and we lived in an 'older' area. When we were accepted we could go everywhere, before that we always got someone who tried to annoy him in to losing his manners, it ñever set him up to fail but I almost ĺost my cool a few times,

[@melissajenkins9960]

Do you have any tips for training when there is a ton of snow on the ground? I live in Alaska. I’m thinking I could maybe train her at a place like Home Depot or maybe our garage, though we don’t have a huge garage. Training walking in snow is very difficult. The city rarely scrapes our streets.

[@DoggyU]

Yep! Lot's of indoor work in dog-friendly places, any area in your house you can clear, and if you have a yard, you could potentially shovel a section of the yard to work in on nicer days. You can also check out nearby neighborhoods that might plow/shovel a bit better. Sometimes I'll drive to different neighborhoods to train :0) Parking lots in front of stores work well too. Just wear boots to avoid salt damage if they salt there. Hope that helps!

[@jackvancekirkland]

I don't have a fenced in yard so my puppies have had to be on leash to go out and go potty. I think this has reinforced a lot of pulling behavior and I'm having a really difficult time with going on walks. When letting them do their business in the yard, I mostly follow them around and let them pick their spots. They don't seem to understand that a walk is different! Maybe I will try a change of equipment. I really don't want to use a prong collar but many people have suggested it to me because of the intense pulling. Aussies with a lot of energy.

[@DoggyU]

Totally understand the no-fence situation. Because I live part time on the road, I've had to potty train in a similar scenario. For potty trips, I would consider a long line - 20 ft or so. That way if you're in a rush to get out the door, you've still got 20 feet to play with before the leash gets tight. If it is tight, don't follow them around. Any time it's not tight, follow them. This assumes it's not a service dog, as with service dogs I'd tell you to pick a spot and let them only potty in that spot so they learn to relieve on leash quickly, then give them freedom to roam. Hope that helps!

[@jackvancekirkland]

@@DoggyU Thanks so much for the quick reply! We'll definitely get some long leashes for this purpose though leashed walking is still a big priority so we can more easily take them out to the places we have nearby (forest trails) where we go to do all the fun running around.

[@neuroarchie2782]

My only question is, how can you enure they will listen to you if need be even when they dont have the "right" equipment on? For example, sometimes it may be too hot for a SD to wear their vest. So how do you reinforce that even though no vest typiclaly means off duty, they must still act on duty in some cases w/o vest? Thats the only concern i have about the different equipment method

[@DoggyU]

I haven't really run into this issue. Even without the vest, most dogs understand the context of a short leash on a flat collar vs. harness and long-line.

[@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084]

This video is super interesting and helpful. I do have a question though. I have a GuideDog and tell her harness is for working and I’ve been trying to think of some thing I can use to let her know when the harness is off whether or not I want her to heal at my side. I’ve been trying to teach her that a short leash means heel and a long leash means she can go sniff I also did find that your strategy of giving a longer leash definitely does help with minimizing pulling. But I was wondering if, do you think using one collar when I want her to heal and another when she can sniff would be an effective distinction or would it not be a very clear indicator

[@DoggyU]

I think two different collars likely isn't much of a difference, though something like a headcollar for heeling and a flat collar for sniffing could work. Alternatively you could work really hard on having a "heel" cue and "go sniff" cue and do exercises to help them learn the difference. But you'd have to actively train and maintain that.

[@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084]

@@DoggyU she doesn know he’ll command and knows free means she can Smith so I think I might spend more time and intentional effort on distinguishing those. I also thought about using her Martingale collar just for work and her flat color on snippy walks but know that can be a hard distinction for them to make. What do you recommend to your Guide Dog clients when it comes to helping them to distinguish between healing and free walks? I don’t use a harness for her free time since that’s what she uses when she works

[@DoggyU]

@@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084 you could use a harness that isn't like your guide harness for free time (ie. a balance harness or similar nylon style harness). Otherwise I would spend time using your heel cue, reinforcing at a high rate for walking next to you, then giving her the "go sniff" cue, and marking and rewarding her when she disengages to go sniff. Rinse and repeat. This can help clarify for her.

[@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084]

@@DoggyU Thanks for the advice

[@DoggyU]

@@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084 You're welcome!

[@melphillips1608]

Would sticking with a flat collar but switching between Long line and shorter leash between the two types of walks be ok ? I don’t have a harness at the moment.

[@DoggyU]

Hey Mel! My concern with a flat collar on a long-line is that you can easily do damage to the dog's neck if they are running and abruptly meet the end of the line. Highly recommend you purchase a non-restrictive, Y-Front harness for long-line use.

[@larrydlewis1914]

Hello I would like to talk to you about service dog training

[@DoggyU]

Hi Larry, unfortunately I do not offer private service dog training. My business is focused on providing free and low cost educational content that’s available to as wide an audience as possible. I recommend looking for an ADI organization near you for service dog training.

[@vintifada7115]

It’s way too cold and snowy to do this training with my 5 month old pup tbqh. Puppy walks for now ig

[@DoggyU]

Great time to practice all around your house!

[@user-lm5uo3wk2o]

How do you teach them not to pull in general, even when not "working"? I know some people just stop walking until he stops pulling, I've been trying that. My dogs pulls more on long line, I think he just wants to take off running...

[@DoggyU]

Definitely check out the videos I list in the description above to get started!

[@bethc5919]

I feel like a weight was just lifted off my shoulders!

[@DoggyU]

So glad this was reassuring and helpful :)

[@AnimeGamerCreater]

5:44 is that a good leash?

[@DoggyU]

I love that leash. It’s from bold lead design. I actually have a video coming out next week that will discuss leashes and the one specifically so stay tuned! :)

[@AnimeGamerCreater]

@@DoggyU been trying to find a good leather multi purpose leash

[@DoggyU]

@@AnimeGamerCreater yeah I love this one. It is really light though - they do make a thicker version. I prefer light leashes since my dogs don't pull on them. I also love their biothane leashes and have had mine for five years and it still looks new.

[@adaszpakowska9384]

How is loose leash different from heeling in this video? I thought that 1. heeling is staying in position and being focused 2. loose leash is following the owner but with ability to sniff (with let's say 3-5 m leash clipped on) 3. and exploring is doing whatever they want to and going whereever they want to (15m line or off leash).

[@DoggyU]

Hi Ada! You can define each in the way that works for you! For me, focused heeling is competition style, head up heeling that would really only be used in obedience competition. Loose leash walking is where the dog is within 6 inches or so of my leg and is generally in a loose heel position. And decompression is anything else (usually on a long line). But you can set criteria in whatever way works best for you!