Loose Lead Walking: Teaching Your Dog Calm Lead Manners

Pulling on the lead is natural for many dogs. Dogs generally walk faster than humans, so they have to adjust their pace to match ours, learning to do that without pulling takes time and practice. Pulling almost always has a strong history of reinforcement. When a dog pulls, they move forward and often get to where they want to go. This acts as a reward for pulling on the lead and encourages them to repeat the behaviour. By allowing this to happen, humans accidentally teach their dog to pull on the lead.

Other common factors that contribute to lead pulling include:

• Opposition reflex: When dogs feel pressure through a collar or harness, they often lean into it. The human instinct is to pull back on the lead and the canine instinct is to pull forward.

• Breed tendencies: Some breeds, like huskies, were selectively bred to pull loads. For them, pulling isn’t just effective, it is intrinsically reinforcing and it just feels good to do.

• Excitement and over-arousal: Dogs with high energy or strong arousal levels often pull on their leads. In these cases, working on reducing overall arousal is useful, but that’s a wider subject beyond this article.

Loose Lead Walking Methods

A practical approach is to have two separate pieces of walking equipment, one to use when training and the other to use when you simply want to get the walk done and don't have the time or energy to train. However, if you are teaching a puppy from scratch, or have a dog who's pulling habit isn't too entrenched just using one piece of equipment consistenly may be the best approach. My preferred choice is to use a flat collar for training and a harness when you're not training and are allowing the dog to pull. This way, your dog can learn that it’s fine to pull on the harness, but not on the collar. The collar itself becomes the cue for loose lead walking, so there’s no need to add a verbal command like heel.

• Set up the lead: Clip your lead to the collar with it at a short but loose length. It should be short enough to prevent them straying too far ahead or to the side, but not so short it’s tight when they’re walking close.

• Stop when it tightens: Begin walking, as soon as your dog forges ahead and the lead goes tight, stop walking and stand still. Don't pull back on the lead just keep your arm and hand steady at your side.

• Reward a loose lead with forward movement: Wait for the dog to move backward or turn towards you and as soon as you feel the lead loosen slightly, mark with calm praise and begin to walk forward again.

• Repeat consistently: Early on, you may need to stop every few paces and wait patiently for the dog to turn. With repetition, the dog learns:

  • Tight lead = no movement

  • Loose lead = freedom to move forward

• For ingrained pulling habits: Instead of just stopping, turn and walk a few paces in the opposite direction before circling forward again.

• Reinforce loose lead walking when it's offered: When your dog is walking calmly and on a loose lead, don't forget to reward them, you can use gentle praise and food treats. Avoid using excitable praise or play as a reward for this behaviour as this can bring the arousal levels up which may contribute to pulling, over time as your dog masters the behaviour you can gradually fade out the praise and treats.

Why it matters

Loose lead walking requires patience and consistency. The process can feel slow at first, but it sets up a lifelong skill that makes walks more enjoyable for both you and your dog. Constant pulling on a collar can put strain on the neck and trachea, while pulling against a harness can cause pressure on the shoulders and spine, both can cause damage over time. Beyond physical health, teaching a dog to walk calmly helps lower arousal and improve self-control in general. Dogs that struggle with reactivity or poor listening skills almost always also pull on the lead. Improving lead manners often feeds into progress in these wider areas. Ultimately, a dog who can walk comfortably without pulling isn’t just easier to live with, they’re safer, healthier, and better able to enjoy the world with you. If you're having difficulty mastering this skill, it is almost always caused by inconsistency. If the dog is allowed to pull sometimes but not allowed to pull at other times, they cannot learn that we want them to walk on a loose lead. If some people who walk the dog allow them to pull and other people don't they will struggle to learn what is required of them. Patience is also required, if your dog has an entrenched pulling habit that they've been successfully practicing for months or even years, they wont unlearn it over night.

Troubleshooting

If you have a dog who is very large or strong, or you are finding that even with consistent training the issue is not improving then you may need to consider a change in equipment. Switching to a headcollar, for example, may help with these dogs, these collars reinforce loose lead walking by making it the more comfortable option for the dog. However, they are not a substitute for training, and although they may appear to offer a 'quick fix' if you do not also train whilst using them then the dog may get used to the feeling of pressure whilst pulling on them and gradually start to pull harder and harder whilst wearing them.

If you’re struggling with a dog who pulls on the lead and you’re looking for dog care in Edinburgh that prioritises behaviour as well as exercise, take a look at our dog walking service. At Training Trails, we actively work on maintaining loose lead walking on all our dog walks.