Walking The Dog

Note from Con Slobodchikoff: This is a post by guest author Nancy Frensley, CPDT, CAP2, who is Manager of Behavior and Training at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society in Berkeley, California. She will write periodic posts about the behavioral challenges and joys of shelter dogs.

Recently, news broke of a woman in Richmond,California, who was pulled in front of a train by her dog, killing them both. An eighteen-year-old boy on a bicycle was accompanying them and as the train barriers lowered, he slipped around them and dashed across the tracks just ahead of the train. The dog apparently bolted after him, dragging them both into the train’s path. This story made me stop and think about how many people fail to train their dogs to walk properly on leash and respond to their voices.

In the shelter at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society, we work at developing basic walking skills so the dogs will show better to adopters and live better with their new owners and be less likely to be returned for being unmanageable. Adult dogs who wind up in shelters usually have had a bad start. Many have never been walked on a leash before, and those usually pull like sled dogs because of a lack in training.

At the shelter, we walk all the dogs in a particular way, so their handling is as consistent as possible.  We use the traditional heel position on the left side, close to the person handling them. The dogs get rewarded with food treats in that position on every outing, and they are not allowed to go to the end of the six-foot leash until the person handling them verbally releases them. We call this the “arms length rule.”

This process lays the foundation for a more pleasant walking experience for both the dog and the handler. As the dogs get used to this walking behavior they learn to respond to the person on the other end of the leash. This is why it is so valuable to have a training department associated with a shelter. When we train staff and volunteers in one consistent handling method, the dogs adapt more quickly to shelter life from day one. It also provides the adopter with resources on how to handle their newly adopted dog when they arrive home.

Once the dogs are adopted, it is then up to the adopters – their new family, to continue teaching them good walking manners. This means continuing to use the arms length rule, keeping the dogs close and rewarding them.

 If you were to do this with your dog, it’s helpful to think of yourself and your dog as a team. You have a part to play, and so does your dog. Your part is to define the space in which you want the dog to walk, and to reward him enough so he wants to walk there. The dog must learn to walk in the space you have chosen, and that space should always be the consistent. It can be on your left side or your right, but always close to your leg. The leash should never be tight but should have a nice, relaxed “J” shape as you walk together. 

 What makes this seemingly simple task arduous is that it is so easy to let the dog zip out ahead of you. Your dog’s part is to stay tuned in to your movements just enough so that if you turn or stop, the dog goes along with you. And, your part is to show him how to do it.

 And just what do we do about that zipping ahead problem?  A great trainer and author, Pat Miller, came up with a maneuver she calls “the positive interrupt”.  This is a very effective way of letting your dog know that the rewards are not out in front of him, but near you.  First, you have to be ready and learn to “read” your dog. Then you have to get your dog responsive to a word like “Hey!”.  Once you have taught your dog that “Hey” means a treat is coming, you are ready to try it out in the real world.  Go out prepared with food or your dog’s favorite squeaky toy.  When your dog notices something exciting, immediately interrupt that look with your “Hey.” (Your dog will simply look like he has alerted on something). Your next reaction is to move rapidly away from the stimulating event, then feed and praise your dog generously for coming along with you (if using a toy, play tug or toss the toy).  It’s important to do this consistently on every outing for a while. 

In an amazingly short time, your dog will understand that it pays to walk alongside you.  Do give him permission to have some free time all the way at the end of the leash periodically as you walk along so outings with you are still fun for your dog.*

It’s all about habits. If you develop the habit of having your dog walk next to your leg, within arm’s length, and you praise and give treats generously in that space, your dog will soon start to walk in that position naturally.

Walking next to you you, under control, is a vital, life-long skill that will not only create a calmer dog, but will help to ensure your dog stays out of trouble and learns to keep you both safe.

 * A handout on the Positive Interrupt and more information on training your dog to walk with you are available on the Articles page at www.berkeleyhumane.org

Comments

[Nancy Frensley, CAP2, CPDT]

Betty,

Thank you for your nice comment on the blog. I really enjoy doing it and I'm committed to helping people be successful with their rescue and other second chance dogs.

[Betty]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Betty

http://smallpet.info

[Nancy Frensley, CAP2, CPDT]

Thanks to everyone who has submitted comments. The handouts are now on our website so feel free to look them up. One is on the Positive Interrupt and the other is called Everyday walking.

I find good walking style to be the last thing people really work on and I think that's both because the concepts are so vague and that it takes a focused campaign to get it going.
For example, in my walking class today, I asked everyone what their “ideal" walk with their dog looked like. They each had difficulty articulating it.

This is an answer for both Shelly and Sean. Shelly asks how she can apply good walking and interruption techniques with three feisty little dogs at the same time. Sean is working with his puppy to get her to "not pull" on the leash.

I find that, instead of thinking about how to get a dog to "not pull", it's more effective to think "how can I teach my puppy to walk right beside me when I ask her to?". It is easier to get something to happen than to get it not to happen.

Reinforcement is the key to getting what you want to happen.

For Shelly, you will not get very far trying to work with all three dogs at once. Not only are they reinforced by the excitement of seeing another dog, the gang of three are reinforcing each other and, as a result, chaos reigns. It will pay off for you to spend a few minutes each day with each little dog (separated from the others), showing them where their walking space is and feeding treats when they are in the that space beside your leg. You also need to organize your three dogs before you take them out together. When you have them outside on their leashes, do a group sit. Practice this until all dogs can sit together and look at you for about 30 seconds. At the end of thirty seconds, you can give them a release word (OK will work for now) and they can take off. Try to arrange the leashes so that you can easily make a quick about turn, away from any stimulating event, with all three of them. In addition, when you turn away, keep walking in that direction until they have calmed down. As you turn, keep your hands low so they can feel the direction in which you are turning. That’s not the whole technique for creating great walking style with your dogs, but it is a beginning. Begin by rewarding each one for paying attention to you while you are standing still. You can add the walking later.
The instruction sheet called “Everyday Walking” at www.berkeleyhumane.org in the training department articles page spells this out in detail.

For Sean, with his new puppy, start working primarily on rewarding the puppy for focusing on you. There are a number of parts to teaching a dog where and how to walk with you. Getting your puppy to focus on you in all sorts of environments will give you a great beginning. Everything after you get focus will be easier to teach. Remember your puppy needs to know where you want her to walk and when is to all right to be free. Just taking a few steps with her at your side, then saying OK and tossing a toy (then repeating the game several times) will start that process.

[sean]

Thanks for sharing this information. I have been working with my new puppy to get her to do not pull on the leash, my older dog hasn't had the training since I haven't worked with him as much, but I will start using these techniques and see what happens.

[Shelly]

How can I apply this to walking my 3 dogs? They're all about 20 lbs & all 3 pull & bark when we see or pass other dogs.

[Terry Albert]

Couldn't find the article on their web site. Found some other good ones though!