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Dedication
This book is for everyone who has ever hated walking their dog! Let's face it: If something is not fun, we are not going to practice, and without practice nothing is going to change! So, my goal is simple: An easy set of steps to get you to practice, improve and have some fun while you are walking your dog. If I can get you to relax a bit and just enjoy the process, I think both you and your pooch can learn to walk together, versus walking against each other.
Poor leash walking is one of the main reasons for dogs being returned or relinquished to local shelters. Teaching good leash skills is my way of keeping more dogs in their Forever Homes.
I would also like to thank all my clients over the last decade, you were the ones that allowed me to learn, explain, teach and show these techniques... You are the one's that proved it works!
Thank you, Eliza Cantlay, for all the editing help; this book would not have been possible without you and Petri!
Mikeal Barnheart, for another awesome cover! (And for not making my hair gray in this version).
I hope you enjoy it!
Mike
Introduction
It’s beautiful outside, and a perfect day for a walk! You call for your best four legged friend, hook them up on the leash, and open the door. The next thing you know you are sitting on your butt, shoulder throbbing in pain, and you catch a fleeting glimpse of your dog barreling down the street away from you. You wonder why you even try to walk this damn dog! Every time you try, you end up in pain or tears. At best, you end up holding on for dear life, and praying for the torture to end.
Well if you dread walking your dog, you are reading the right book. Whoa Dog, Whoa! will teach you:
How to make leash training easier.
How to make leash training more fun.
And yes, actually show you how to teach your dog to not only slow down, but to pay attention while on leash.
So get up, dust yourself off and let’s teach your dog how to walk nicely. Flip the page and let’s get this party started!
A note from your author
Leash walking and recall (i.e., coming when called) are very similar skills, and many of their techniques overlap. There are specific things that each skill needs to achieve success. In this book you will read about the use of a long line; and while that is definitely a recall technique, I have found that it works wonders for leash pullers, if taught in tandem with leash techniques.
I highly recommend reading my recall book, How To Make Your Dog Come Without Being A Butt-Head before tackling this one. Reading the recall book first will make your journey smoother, and in the end a lot more fun... And that, my friends, will be the secret to your success (along with practice). With that being said, let’s get to why dogs pull!
Why does my dog pull on his or her leash?
Well the simple answer is... Because it works!
Our four-legged canine counterparts only do things that produce a result. If Fido is engaging in a behavior, chances are you are doing something that is reinforcing that behavior, intentionally or not. Dog behavior is easier to predict, manage or modify if you are willing to admit that you are doing something to prompt that behavior!
What does all this mean with a dog who pulls on a leash? If dogs only do what works, (and at this point it must be working or you would not have bought this book!), you are probably caught up in the downward spiral of allowing Fido to create bad habits. Think about it: Whatever you do in life repetitively, you end up getting better at, whether for better or worse. For example:
Sports
Lying
Public speaking
Driving
Chewing your fingernails
Saying “Thank you”
Let’s face it: From your dog’s perspective, the fastest way to get from point A to point B is to simply drag you along for the ride. So why on earth would the dog slow down? From his or her perspective, they are just saving you time! They have four legs, and you, the silly human, only have two. Fido figures he is just helping you out and getting you there twice as fast. Where’s the motivation for the dog to do anything differently?
Now if you are lucky and you have a puppy and are reading this book, great! You can simply teach the right behaviors from the get-go, and in no time your dog will perfect an easy-paced loose leash walk. The rest of you readers no doubt already have pooches who have perfected leash pulling. Ironically, the techniques to teach loose leash walking are the same either way, but if you fall into the second category, be warned: It will take longer.
You will simply create an alternate or replacement behavior to the pulling: We are going to make leash pulling less rewarding than walking with a loose, relaxed leash. Because if we make the leash pulling less rewarding, then the behavior will go away; and this is what we dog trainers like to call the “extinguishment of a behavior”.
It really is that simple! But please do not confuse the ideas of quick and simple... If you do everything I discuss in the book, and do it in a consistent and frequent manner, you should be able to see substantial improvement in 6-8 weeks of practice... I said simple, not fast!
So, let’s look at how you are walking your dog now, and see where this wonderfully terrible behavior got its start.
What are we reinforcing?
We start one of two ways… Either we say the words, “Wanna go for a walk?” or we simply grab the leash and next thing we know we have a severe case of our doggie going “B.S.C.”
Next we fasten the leash, open the front door and our pooch drags us out the door at high speed. And the walk begins: Dragging, tugging, pulling your slow butt to the next stop on the itinerary. You yell, scream, plead and probably use language that would make your mother blush. But did it stop the pulling? Well if it did, I would imagine you would not be reading this book. In all actuality, your dog probably thinks you are enjoying this romp through the neighborhood as much as they are!
The fact remains that pulling still works. The dog starts at point A and ends at point B, even with all your objecting and scolding. Even pulling back on the dog seems to have minimal success, because once you release tension or quit jerking the dog, they go right back to pulling. You, my friend, are focused on the behavior you don’t want, rather than what you do want, and that is the little secret within this book. But before we get to the specifics, let’s look at some of the tools out there on the market. Some of which I am sure you probably have stuck in some drawer in the house!
*Bat Shit Crazy.
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