Stop, Drop and Turn Method
If you are a regular visitor to this website, you may have picked up the fact I like simple, and by simple I mean effortless, easy, no-fuss methods to train dogs.
Therefore, it should not be a surprise to find that the method I’m about to share with you to train your dog to walk on a loose leash, is a simple one.
In one of my other articles, How to Stop a Dog Pulling on the Leash I talked about the risks and dangers associated with dogs pulling on the leash.
By the time you finish reading this article, you will know how to train your dog to walk beside you on a loose leash and be the envy of many other dog owners.
You will no longer be that dog owner with the dog out front, leash at full length, one arm out-stretched in a superman style.
Who Has Time to ‘Wait For a loose leash’
If you’re like me you don’t have a lot of spare time, so you need to be as time-efficient as you can. Therefore, the ‘Wait for a loose leash‘ technique is probably not an option for you.
For those not familiar with the wait for a loose leash – also known as wait for a loose lead – technique, its where the owner stands still until the dog relents and the leash slackens off.
At which point the owner moves forward, and when the dog pulls the leash tight, the owner stands still. Get the picture?
I think you can see why this method, while it does work, will take a lot of time.
Before we get into the training, there is one thing I’d like to point out; it is so much easier to train your dog to walk on a loose leash when they have already been trained to walk on a leash.
It sounds like a bit of gibberish, doesn’t it?
What I wanted to say was, it’s easier to train your dog to walk on a leash before you try to train them to ‘walk on a loose leash‘. So don’t try to jump straight into loose leash walking.
Therefore, if you need to train your dog to walk on a leash, the following video will teach you how to leash train your dog in less than four minutes.
Click here to ==> learn more about Doggy Dan The Online Dog Trainer and many other simple solutions to some of the most common dog training and/or behavior issues.
Preparing to Loose Leash Train a Dog
The first thing you need to do is prepare your dog by ensuring that they already know how to walk on a leash.
Once you are happy that your dog is walking on a leash to your satisfaction, you can begin. You don’t need to buy much, you may already have the first two items, which are essential for this type of training.
A long leash
First up, you’ll need a long leash. Eight to ten feet should be more than enough. However, don’t use one of those retracting dog leashes.
For best results, attach the leash to a body harness or flat collar, particularly for very strong or large breed dogs.
And you do not want to be using a choke or slip chain.
A Pocket Full of Doggie Treats
Doggie treats are an excellent way to get your dog interested in learning, and over time you will use them less. To the point, you won’t need them much at all – after this training at least.
Fill your pocket with them, or have them within easy reach – yours not your dogs – so that you can reward your dog within 3 seconds of them behaving correctly.
See my article Homemade Dog Treats Are Cost-Effective, Quick and Easy to Make for a quick and straightforward homemade liver treat that your dog will love.
The more your dog craves the treat, the harder s/he will work for it.
An Event Marker
An event marker is a term that I associate with recording data sets and timelines, but the principle is the same. Something to mark the time an event takes place – in this case, the moment your dog obeys your command.
You can use a word, Good or Good Boy/Girl or you may want to use a clicker. However, whatever you use, be consistent, it doesn’t work so well if you mix and match your event markers.
Somewhere to Train Your Dog
In an ideal world, you will have somewhere that’s quiet and free from distractions. If not, do the best you can.
However, the more distractions there are for your dog, the harder it will be for him/her to maintain focus on the task at hand. No matter how tasty those doggie treats in your pocket are.
Start on an even surface for the first few sessions – carpark or paved area. You will find this easier for several practical reasons.
Establish a Routine
Set aside ten to fifteen minutes twice a day – less is more. More than fifteen minutes and your dog will get bored. If you have the time, then ten minutes four to five times a day is better.
In my experience, it takes between two and three weeks with an average of three sessions a day. So be prepared to dedicate up to three weeks for this training.
Training Your Dog to Walk on a Loose Leash
I found that if I attached the harness at home before I put my dog in the car to go to the training area, he learned that this was not a regular walk. And this seemed to settle him down.
I think it was like saying we are off to work now, it’s not playtime. So he wasn’t as excited and hyped up as usual. This worked for me, so try it out on your dog.
Once at the training area, attach the leash to the harness and you are ready to begin training.
Stop, Drop and Turn
Once you have attached the harness, your dog will probably pull on the leash immediately, wanting to drag you to the nearest dog turd or some other aroma that only dogs can smell.
If this happens, you must remain standing completely still until your dog relents and stops pulling on the leash and turns towards you. S/he will eventually turn to see what the delay is.
As soon as you have your dog’s full attention, turn around to face the direction you have just come from.
At this point, you’ll want to encourage your dog to come up beside you, as s/he does so drop a treat as a reward.
Once s/he has consumed the reward, start over. And over. And over. And over.
The key to this method is to be patient.
In the first few sessions, you will spend more time standing still than walking. And you will probably not move more than a few paces from your car.
However, as long as the treats are tasty and you are consistent, this method is the quickest and most foolproof method I know to train a dog to walk on a loose leash.
What to Do if It’s Not Working
Sometimes even the best-laid plans can go astray.
In my experience, the three primary reasons this technique doesn’t work so well are:
- it’s an older dog used to getting their own way (some rescue dogs can also take a little longer to train)
- the owner has not established themselves as the pack leader or the trainer has not established themselves as the dominant partner in this duo
- the treats just aren’t tasty enough.
What if your dog doesn’t stop pulling away and turn back towards you, what do you do then?
I had this issue with my neighbor’s 18-month-old Bullmastiff. He was used to getting his own way and he was very determined he wasn’t going to let anyone stop him.
What he hadn’t encountered before was someone, me, who had the patience of a saint and a pocket full of homemade liver treats and chicken skins in the freezer.
He tested my patience and pocket before finally giving in. It took me about three days before he started to crack, and once that happened, it was about ten days before I could ease up on the treats and rely purely on voice prompts.
With a dog like this, it’s OK to use voice prompts to get their attention. I make a clicking sound with my tongue, but you can click your fingers, use a clicker or any sound like that. Just be consistent.
As soon as you have the dog’s attention, drop a treat at your feet, and turn away, facing the opposite direction immediately.
The aim of this exercise is the treat you dropped on the ground is now just behind you. And you are ready to take another step forward as soon as s/he has consumed the treat – and will be looking forward to earning the next one. Hopefully 🙂
My Dog Just Isn’t Interested in Turning Around
On the first attempt to train my neighbor’s dog, he just wasn’t interested in turning around. Nor did he seem to be interested in the liver treats I had with me.
I think it was a combination of things:
- too soon after he’d eaten his breakfast, so he wasn’t hungry enough
- he’d not been for his usual morning run
- he was not used to receiving treats/rewards.
The solution was simple enough. I ended that training session and headed home. Once home, I dove deep into the freezer for the chicken skins that I saved for this very purpose.
That afternoon I went back to the park with a plastic container with the chicken skins and started over. What a different dog – the enthusiasm and excitement on getting just a whiff of the chicken skins.
So if the dog isn’t interested in the first selection of treats try something else – find out what motivates them.
Patience, Persistence, and Perseverance
How many times do you hear me say those words?
Patience is critical in training your dog to walk on a leash. The more patient you are, the sooner you will get results. You can’t hurry some things!
In the beginning, you will most likely get bored, you certainly won’t be getting any exercise – because you won’t be walking any vast distances, that’s for sure.
You might even feel self-conscious if you think others are watching and wonder what on earth you are doing. But don’t let that bother you.
You need to be more determined than your dog, and you need the mentality to win this battle. The spoils of which are to walk your dog on a loose leash eventually and for always. How nice will that be?
Typically it shouldn’t take more than three or four sessions for your dog to figure out what it is that you want, and to receive a reward.
From then on it gets a little easier each time. And you will find that you are walking further and further between each turn.
Training tip: If at the end of a training session your dog has not made any progress, DO NOT let them off the leash for a run. Put them back in the car and take them home, without the reward they so wanted.
Your dog learns two things by doing this:
- they don’t get rewarded by pulling on the leash
- this was a training session, not playtime!
Don’t Get Prematurely Excited Though
As you progressively take more and more steps, you will probably find that your dog will still eagerly try to pull ahead.
However, this will happen less and less often, providing you continue the stop, drop and turn routine.
Over time, you will get to walk greater distances and eventually go the full distance of your intended walk without a change in direction.
Once you get to the point where you can walk the distance of your training area without changing direction, its time to move out into the real world.
Don’t be surprised if the first time you try this in a public space your dog seems to forget everything s/he has learned in the previous few weeks.
Which is not surprising, with so many new smells, sights and sounds to distract them. Simply revert to the stop, drop and turn training and your dog should respond to the newly learned habit of walking loosely on the leash.
If your dog continues to pull and refuses to walk on a loose leash, quit the walk straight away and return to the training area – either immediately, if you have time, or the following day.
Eventually, you will be able to walk your dog on a loose leash past all sorts of distractions – people, other dogs, and dogs on heat, dead animals, cats, and other animals.
However, it will take time. And you are likely to experience a few false starts.
Try to find situations to test your dog, such as walking past a house that you know has another dog, or cat and see how your dog responds.
However, it is important that you don’t get angry with your dog if they revert to old behaviors and lunge on the leash. Simply, stop, drop and turn. And repeat.
Think of it like this: you are trying to break a chocolate addiction and someone leaves an open bar of your favorite chocolate on the table.
How tempting is it going to be to stop rather than walk on by, EVERY time without hesitation? So give the dog some slack and be patient, you’ll get there eventually.
And finally, don’t stop rewarding your dog for walking on a loose leash.
Dog training tip: just because you have successfully trained your dog to do something does not mean that you stop rewarding them for good behavior. Continually reinforce good behavior and your dog will continue to please you.
Whenever you are out walking and your dog walks past a “Temptation” and doesn’t try to pull or lunge, reward him.
If you don’t, s/he will soon forget or will get back into testing the law of averages that I talked about in my article How to Stop a Dog Pulling on a Leash.
In summary:
- Be patient
- Set aside at least 2 ten to fifteen minutes every day for two weeks
- Prepare treats in advance and have a backup
- Choose a training area free from distractions
- Reward good behavior – always
- Test in a public space and test again
- Be forgiving and continue to treat your dog
Articles and links mentioned on this page include:
How to Stop a Dog Pulling on a Leash
Homemade Dog Treats Are Cost-Effective, Quick and Easy to Make
Learn more about Doggy Dan The Online Dog Trainer
Products:
Retracting dog leashes
Clickers
