By: Misti Fry M.S.

February is national walk your dog month. What better way to show your dog how much you love them than to teach them to walk politely on a leash so you can take them with you on adventures. If your dog can walk politely on a leash, you can have so many adventures. There are a lot of dog-friendly stores and parks you can take your dog to and help your dog with proper socializing. 

The proper equipment can make teaching your dog easier and set you both up for success. Halters and head collars can give you more leverage and change the type of pressure that your dog feels. I like to teach leash walking with a combination of release of pressure and positive reinforcement.

Lots of dogs can walk politely on a leash and in a dog training class or at home, but when they go out in public, it all falls apart. Real world training and gradually increasing the level of distractions can keep training fun and less frustrating. If we add real world distractions, that are too hard for our dogs, we get frustrated and our dogs don’t learn anything because they are too distracted by the environment.

Springfield Side Kick Dog Training 2023