Dog Walking training tricks and tips

I\'ve been teaching dog walking to clients and animal shelters for years. While there is some debate as to whether or not entering and exiting doorways is important, I will say that pack leadership is. If you are the leader or teacher or whichever name you want to apply, your dog will be better on the walk. There are a couple recommendations I have that will help though:

1. Use a dog back pack. Fill it with water bottles (appropriate weight for your particular dog). This gives the dog a job and he will focus on carrying the pack instead of other distractions.

2. Before leaving the house, make sure your dog sits at the door and has a calm energy. Too many people make the mistake of saying Let\'s go for a walk, or Wanna go for a walk?! I understand that they are trying to make the dog happy but it only creates excitement and leads to erratic and difficult to control behavior on the walk.

3. Make sure the collar is high on the neck. When the collar falls on the low part of the neck, it creates a natural instinct for the dog to pull. This is why handlers at dog shows have the collar high on the neck. It also gives you more control over the dog.

4. Be sure the walk is long enough. When a dog doesn\'t get 30 to 45 minutes of walking each day, the excess energy builds up. If the dog had not been on a walk for three days, your dog will try to release that energy as quickly as possible and that leads to pulling.

5. Be firm (no intimidation!) with your rules. It\'s okay to let the dog sniff around about an effective dog walk is at a solid pace with little room for distractions. Letting a dog sniff as he pleases puts him in control of the walk.