Dog training requires your focus

I am amazed when I am out on a walk how many owners are just not paying their dog any attention and allow themselves to be pulled down the road. Some you can tell are in discomfort and have just accepted that their dog will pull, while others are so glued to their mobile devices that they are ones causing the problem.

If you want your dog to not pull on the lead then you need to be present, be in the moment with your dog and correcting every error they make. It’s no good just correcting it occasionally or some days giving up completely. Remember my blog about consistency? If not then you need to go back and read it.

How should you walk the dog

When it comes to your body posture you need to show your dog you’ve the right to lead. How you do this is by holding yourself high, head up focusing on where your going, relaxed body but a determined walk.

Walking while hunched over your phone shows your dog your not paying attention and you’ve no ability to lead. The amount of owners I’ve seen walk into things such as lampposts or low hanging branches because their eyes are glued to their phone is a joke.

It's more than just your body



Also when working with your dog you need to keep your emotions in check, if you're anxious, nervous, worried, stressed or angry your dog will pick up on this and won’t follow your lead. You need to display confidence and remain calm, even if you get frustrated.

It’s by no means easy to change your emotions especially when you’ve had a bad day, or if you're in a rush, that's why you need to make time specifically for training. I find taking a deep breath a few times before I begin the training helps me to focus and balance out my emotions. If I find myself becoming frustrated and stress then I turn back, head home and try again later.

So remember, hold your head high, determined walk, remain calm and be sure to be focused on your dog, not your phone. Give it a try and see if it improves your training sessions.

Next I am going to be talking about ‘Behaviours in dogs’, did you know that if your dog is reactive on lead, nervous, suffers from separation anxiety or other behaviours then this can impact your lead training?