One of the most requested training skills is how to stop leash pulling. I know this need stems from well-meaning pet guardians who believe the dog MUST go for walks. Dog walking is a mandatory part of owning a dog – New update: it's not. While taking your dog on a walk might be more necessary for some dogs living in urban environments, it's still very feasible to get a dog outside without taking a traditional dog walk.

To recommend the right protocol for you and your dog, I usually ask a few questions that get to the root of the problem.

• How old is the dog? –Puppies and adolescents are far more likely to find the end of the leash quickly because they have more desire to explore and more energy and strength to exert behind their behavior.

• How long has the dog been practicing the behavior? –Dogs who have just started pulling are going to have a shorter training plan than those who have been pulling on the leash for years, and you have only now decided to start working on it.

• Are there locations or situations where your dog walks politely on the leash? –The environment where you walk your dog matters. Many dogs struggle in more distracting or stimulating environments, while others have specific triggers that might initiate pulling.

• Finally, an assessment to objectively look at the human end of the leash and what you are doing or not doing that is contributing to your dog's pulling and on-leash behavior. I will usually recommend an in person session or ask for at least a 5 min video of you walking your dog (followed by a camera) –I see many clients walk with the leash pulled taught on their end, have a death grip on their leash, some don't look where they are going, others micro-manage the dog's walk holding their head up afraid their dog is going to eat something.

With this information, I can build a training plan that leverages your dog's existing skills, coach you on leash handling, and implement new protocols to build any missing skills for you and your dog on walks.

First things first, we must stop as much, if not all, rehearsal of the current unwanted leash behavior. This usually means we need to stop walking the dog in environments or around triggers that will cause our dogs to pull (or bite) the leash. I know you are probably thinking, "Kelsie, how?!?" You are going to have to think outside the box and get creative. During our session, I can help by suggesting ideas you might not have considered. If you are struggling, look up dog enrichment on YouTube or check out the book Canine Enrichment for the Real World by Allie Bender and Emily Strong.

Next, let's consider the root cause of why your dog is hard to walk on a leash:

• Your dog is a puppy –Leash pulling, stopping or planting their feet, and leash biting are all normal behaviors for young puppies. Prioritize exploration over regular dog walking. Encourage sniffing, stopping, standing, and watching. Think about walks more as a very short meander. Don't travel far; instead, travel mindfully. Try using a long line attached to a harness and just play in an open space until the pup is older and has more worldly experiences.

• Your dog is stressed – Dogs who never got to slow down to look and sniff the world and were encouraged to keep walking at too young an age often pull ahead because they are overstimulated and unable to regulate their emotions (excitement or stress). It's worth taking a step back and treating them like a puppy again by avoiding straightforward walks and slowing them down, encouraging sniffing and contemplation, pausing frequently, and wandering through open spaces on a long line. This can be combined with more formal skill-building practice, such as training in impulse control, focus/attention, and recall.

• Your dog might be experiencing fear – Dogs that are fearful during walks or on leash can show many challenging behaviors, but of course, if the underlying emotion is fear, then we MUST help them feel a sense of safety first. This is mostly done by creating clear routines, starting with putting on the equipment. Some dogs we teach to stand in a specific location for harnessing and leash up. If the dog doesn't come over to their station to put on their equipment, they are clearly telling you they don't want to go for a walk today. It's important to walk fearful dogs in areas with fewer, or ideally no "scary" things to encounter. This might be avoiding busy roads, other dogs, pedestrians, or construction sites. Sniffing is highly encouraged during their walk. Teach attention or eye contact as well as an emergency U-turn. Be sure to let a fearful dog call the shots when out for a walk; this sense of control helps a fearful or shy dog build confidence.

• Your dog might just have a bad habit (habitual leash pulling) –In this case, it's very important to break the habit where it starts. For many dogs and humans, the habit might start when you pull out equipment, the dog starts jumping, barking, and otherwise goes crazy. For most others, the routine starts as they step out the door. Wherever you start to see energy building in your dog, that's where you need to begin practicing a new behavioral pattern. Breaking an old habit will not be easy, but the secret sauce is in your ability to be consistent about your behavior and patterns. Bad leash habits were not developed by either you or your dog alone, but by both of you together.

• Your dog might be reacting to a specific trigger, but otherwise walks easily on the leash. –If this sounds like you, then we will need to consider protocols designed to address your dog's reactions. If we address their feelings about triggers, the unwanted leash behavior will dissolve on its own.

The gold standard of dog walking will look different to different people and dogs. Personally, I let my dog walk in front of me and switch sides; it does not bother me. Be honest with yourself about what is truly important when it comes to leash manners. Try not to fall into the trap of thinking that just because your dog pulls a little, bites their leash, flip flops sides, walks in front of you, stops to sniff or pee, or any other combination of behaviors dogs exhibit on leash are "bad" leash manners. You also need to set reasonable expectations for your individual dog's breed, personality, and age.

If you are ready to start enjoying walks with your dog, reach out for a consultation.

Sit is absolutely overrated. If you have already taught your dog to sit on cue, that's fine, and if it is occasionally asked for also not going to hurt anything. However, if you want a well-mannered dog, STOP TEACHING YOUR DOG TO SIT! Sit is one of the most useless skills pet guardians teach their dogs, and it often ends up interfering when we begin manners training. Most manners programs and puppy programs, our first lesson is focused on un-teaching a dog's sit.

The problem with teaching a dog to sit has nothing to do with the actual motion of sit, but more to do with the "sit"-culture. This cultural thing where we ask a dog to sit before being fed, pet, at the crosswalk, at the vet clinic, etc.. Then this is where the learning stops for most dogs. They have learned all they need to learn (or so they think), meanwhile, their human companions struggle with skills like putting on the harness, going for a walk, coming when called, polite greetings with guests (human or dog), etc. None of these lessons or skills involves sitting if you want to actually teach your dog to do them reliably. While sitting can sometimes be a quick fix for a dog that jumps on people when they greet them, it rarely stops the jumping behavior for the majority of dogs.

Sits when taught and used constantly in a dog's vocabulary of behavior become the dog's only trick, and this is when I call them sticky sits. When a teacher tries to instruct the dog in another behavior, and the dog sits while simultaneously applying a little of the new skill, for instance, paws "off" the counter, they don't ever actually learn the skill "off" because in their brain, they are learning 'I get treats for sit'. "Off", "wait", "stay", "come", etc., all refer to the same behavior: sit. The dog applies the sit behavior to everything and is rewarded–fed a treat/food–while sitting. It's the only way to earn a treat!

So, beyond blocking further learning sit isn't exactly a versatile behavior, and when a dog gets older, or even large breed puppies, sitting for every treat can be hard on their hips and joints.

If I shouldn't teach sit, what should I be teaching my dog?

There are two main skills that every dog-parent should be practicing and giving treats for that can make the difference between a well-mannered dog and a dog that just knows how to sit.

• Name-Attention

• Stand Still

If you teach these two skills regularly, like the average person teaches sit, you will have the most easily manageable and well-behaved dog. Most complex skills rely on these two simple foundational skills. Come when called, paws off people or the counter (anti-jump training), grooming and handling, putting equipment on, leash walking, etc. You name the skill you want your dog to do, and I guarantee it will likely involve one or both of these basic foundation skills.

I will leave you with this, as it is true for all the puppies I have raised and trained. YOU don't need to teach sit because with the culture and environment we live in, everyone else in your dog's life will likely teach them to sit.