Great Dog Walking Tips

Do you often have issues on the walk? After studying episodes of Cesar Millan, the "Dog Whisperer", and finally actually trying his techniques on my dog walking clients, I found the results immediate and extremely rewarding. It really is as easy as he makes it look!

Try these tips BEFORE you even walk out the door and experience a whole new reality to walking your dog.

1. Buy a short leash.
2. When taking out the leash, present it to your dog and wait until he/she is sitting or laying down calmly next to you/it (Dog should not give you the impression that he/she is ready to bolt at the door as soon as you put the leash on).
3. When your dog is calm and relaxed, only then should you attach the leash to your dog.(Dog should be sitting or better yet, laying down, calmly as you do this. If he/she gets excited during this time, stop, reprimand your dog in a calm assertive way, take off leash, and start entire routine over making sure both you and your dog are relaxed).
4. Once the leash is on your dog and he/she is waiting calmly for your next move. Stand up tall and proud, and walk towards the door. (Your dog should either follow behind you, or even better, continue to stay in place and wait calmly. If this is not the case, reprimand your dog and return them to the state they were in at step 3).
5. Open the door and do not let your dog walk through the door before you. This is extremely important. If you allow your dog to be the first out the door, they will automatically take control over the entire walk. I've learned that even if I follow every step, but let this one slide, the result ends up that the dog will not behave on the walk. (Your dog should wait on the other side of the door until you invite them to come outside with you. It's better to not let them even follow behind you for this step, but to make sure theywait for your invitation to let the join you on the other side of the door).
6. If your dog is waiting calmly (not waiting with excitement or anxiousness), only then should you invite your dog to join you outside. If he/she is not calm, be patient and wait for them to calm down again, or go back a couple steps until they return to a calm state.
7. Begin your walk by standing up straight and walking with pride in yourself. If you are confident, your dog will trust and follow you. It is most important to pay attention to yourself and your body language rather than focusing on your dog and what they are doing.
8. Be sure to not put tension on the leash, especially if your dog is doing the right thing by walking either beside you or next to you. If you find that you are holding the leash while being in a tense state, stop walking, take a deep breath, and let it go. Once you are relaxed, 90% of the time your dog will be relaxed too, and you can continue on your walk.
9. Do not let your dog lead you. You should be walking ahead of your dog, your dog should be next to you or slightly behind you. (If your dog is infront of you, do not speed up in order to be in front, this will only make your dog walk faster too. Instead stop walking, get your dog behind you, wait until the are calm and waiting for your command, then continue to walk).
10. If you follow each of the steps with calm-assertiveness, you will find your dog walking beside you or behind you 100% of the time, and the walk will be an activity you look forward to rather than dread.

A good way to focus your mind and energy on yourself, rather than on your dog as stated in step 7, is to invite a friend to come join you during your walk and have a conversation with them, or call a friend and have a converstation while your walking. I found that if I am tense furing the walk with a particular dog, this is the best way to relax and divert my energy and attention on to something other than the dog. By doing this, many times I find myself forgetting that I'm even walking a dog in the first place since the dog won't be pulling at this point and there is no tension on the leash.
Hope this helps those of you who find it to literally be a drag to walk your dog!