Walking Basics (Chapter from the upcoming book)
All the steps you need for a successful walk
There are some elementary steps that can easily align you with the successful path if you apply them; first of which is simply playing with your dogs before a walk. By playing with your dogs before walking them, you are telling their body something of crucial importance. You’re saying this is the primary outlet for your energy. Why does that matter? Imagine you’re one of the millions upon millions who have been misinformed that walking your dog is the best and easiest way to get out their energy. That shouldn’t be a hard thinking exercise, you probably already are. Now imagine that your dog is subject to that philosophy. How does their body react if bodies perform optimally on routine? Well, their body is going to (for lack of a better term) store up that energy and their minds are going to build anticipation around any indicators of a walk. This means they will get all riled up over the sound of keys getting picked up, your shoes being put on, their leash being moved, a container or bag being opened, the entrance of your home being wide open– you get the point. All of this anticipation just leads to a burst of uncontrollable excitement, which in reality is controllable, but it is nevertheless difficult to manage and as a consequence, many clients decide to “put up with it” rather than attempting to fix these issues.
Certainly practicing Impulse Control with treats, toys, doors and other things is valuable, but it is a symptom of the larger issue, which again, is that the walk is being enforced as the main way to release their energy. Walks should instead be viewed under the lens of enrichment. Enrichment means that it is something extra, something that enhances your dog’s quality of life. Now that you see how a dog trainer like myself sees it, do you feel this definition applies to the walks you’ve been having with your dog? Some owners have dogs with such intense issues that walks actually do nothing but stress both the owner and dog, resulting in them only occurring for brief instances for potty breaks and nothing more. I doubt you meet this criteria however, as it is very rare to see a dog who is genuinely that stressed. In seeing hundreds of clients I’ve only ever seen one where that was the case.
If your walks are not a nice, relaxing, joyful experience– join the club. As mentioned in the Reactivity chapter, walks are almost never the way they’re painted on commercials. When they are, it’s either because the dog has an absolutely incredible, miracle temperament or they’ve been trained meticulously day in and day out. There are many aspects of a walk that you’ll need to improve upon, many skills that you will have to build up with your dog, many treats that will have to be sacrificed in the process.
Granted, playing with your dog preemptively is not going to guarantee a nice walk, but it will result in a markedly better one. Many of my clients report that their dog acts totally different on the way back home but getting there is the biggest hurdle. This is because the dog has become tired, so they don’t feel the need to engage with every little stimulus. This is what you’re aiming for by playing before the walk, and when dogs are not as distracted by their environment, it leaves room for attention to be paid to you. That means you’ll actually be able to work on the different things that need to be improved upon to have better quality walks in the future.
Some of you are scared to look ridiculous. Let’s be real- part of the reason many won’t work on training their dogs outside with lots of treats, praise and all the other rewards found in the Types of Rewards chapter is because they think others will judge them. I’d ask you to genuinely ask yourself this question:
“If I am completely engaged with my dog, guiding them towards better behavior, not getting upset and giving up but rather changing course and adapting so that they and I may have a better time out walking, does that make me look ridiculous?”
The answer is no and there isn’t a single argument you can provide that could change it. If anything, it’s the exact opposite. You want to know what I feel when I’m out with a dog and I see someone who’s extremely engaged with their pup? I feel ashamed. Ashamed that I am not nurturing that same connection with the dog I’m walking right beside. And you want to know how others react when they walk by me as I’m incredibly engaged with the dog I’m training? They react with a smile. They react by commenting to their friend, family or partner “What a good dog!” (they should be saying what a good trainer, but whatever). So by doing what is necessary to accomplish a better walk, you actually appear like a cognizant, patient, loving and thoughtful dog owner. If anyone judges you for doing so– quite frankly, at that point, who gives a fuck.
Now that your perspective is corrected and your eyes can clearly fix themselves onto the goal, let’s go over what you should do as you’re preparing to leave your front door and take your dog out.
Have them sit while you put on their leash
This is a ritual that you’re going to have to get down. It’s unacceptable to have a dog who is constantly running away from the leash, engaging in a game of chase because it’s fun, or a dog who will struggle every step of the way and make it absolutely impossible unless someone else is holding them still. How do you accomplish the opposite? Simply use one of the treats that you’re going to take on your walk and use it to lure your dog into a “Sit”. From there, have them remain in the sit until the process is done. You may have to reward every step of the way, which means giving a treat for sitting, another treat for putting on the collar, another treat for attaching the leash, or alternatively; a treat for sitting, a treat for lifting one leg and putting it through the harness, a treat for the other leg, a treat thrown on the ground in front of them so you can clip the back, a treat for getting back into a sit, a treat for attaching the leash.
2. Make sure they aren’t jumping for treats
If they’re already jumping up and down trying to tip you like a cow, your dog is not ready to go out the front door. Make sure they’re waiting patiently for your instruction by practicing a few Impulse Control behaviors that you can find in the Impulse Control chapter. Once they’re in a place where they no longer physically embody Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, you’re ready to move on to the next step.
3. Practice Impulse Control at the door
If you aren’t doing this then you’re failing. The door essentially acts as a portal to the outside world and if you can’t get those first few steps to the “outdoors” to be calm and calculated, there’s no way the rest of the walk will look that way either. Your dog must hold one of the basic positions, “Sit, Down, Stand” in a “Stay” until the door is fully opened and you are not barricading it. Then, once you say the release word, they are allowed to take calm steps out the door. If they are having difficulty with this, you can have them walk behind you during this step or simply repeat the exercise until they meet the criteria.
4. Perfect heel position down your walkway or hallway.
If you can have your dog understand that this is a prerequisite for the walk to occur, this behavior will happen and will have a higher probability of continuing throughout the walk. Try not to get too frustrated as you follow the steps from the Proper Walking Technique sub-chapter. If a failure occurs, simply try again. Remember, the walk as a whole can’t occur unless this small segment looks great.
5. A full “Down/Stay” in front of your home.
By doing this, you’re establishing that your dog is in fact calm enough to be successful outside during this walk. Try to have them hold the “Down” position for three seconds at first, then expand upon it as you see fit. Attempt this after your dog has gone potty so you aren't unintentionally torturing them and setting yourself up for failure. I’d even apply this technique on different streets you haven’t explored with your dog, it’s a great way to recenter them.
It may sound like a lot, but it really becomes second nature the more you practice it. There is nothing I’m telling you in this chapter that is supernatural, all of it is very achievable with a little persistence. The same way that taking your shoes off when you come home and washing your hands is a programmed practice, so will having your dog sit at open doors awaiting your cue. And yes– I do judge you if you can’t relate to that last sentence.
I’m not finished. Just as playing with your dog is important and doing all of these steps is important, I did leave out one thing that is going to change the game for you, and that thing is training your dog before a walk.
It doesn’t have to be a full hour of training or even a half hour, just 5-10 minutes before you play with them. By doing so, you’re going to open up the lines of communication with your dog and allow for this kind of back and forth to occur when you’re in an extremely distracting environment, known as “Outside”. For me, that “outside” happens to be New York City, so you can see why I ensure this measure is taken before every walk. The reason for playing after this small training session by the way, is because play boosts memory, so always make sure to play a little after a training session and after a training walk. Which brings me to my next point.
Not every walk is a training walk.
If you attempted to make every single walk a training walk, especially in the beginning, you’d either drive yourself mad or you’d stop taking your dogs out entirely. When you’re just starting out, trying to implement these good practices, make it so only your morning or nighttime walk is the training walk. If you get up early and have lots of time in the morning, make it the morning walk, if you’re a nightowl, then do it at night. The reason why these are the two best times of the day to practice is simply because not many people are out and subsequently, the amount of distractions is lower, meaning your dog will have an easier time focusing on you. Of course this all becomes null if you don’t have good treats with you, so be sure to carry lots of “high value” ones with you.
Okay, enough with all the set up, let’s get to the nitty gritty.
The Basics:
Alright so let’s say you’re starting from ground zero. Whether you have an older dog or an 8 week old pup, it’s possible to be at ground zero. Working with tons of rescues and fosters I noted that most dogs never built that foundation for walking, so in essence- they had a puppy mentality as an adult dog. Even as humans we know (some of us all too well sadly) how adults can have a childish mentality. How do we correct this? By moving forward with this knowledge; and sometimes to move forward, we have to stand still.
Step 1: Stand in place and get your dog to look at you:
Do not disregard this step. I already know some of you are reading this thinking your dog knows how to do this. They don’t. Can your dog respond to their name or “Look!” any time you say it outside? Will they comply on the first try? This is far from easy. It requires lots of practice in different environments, starting from ones with low stimulation to high.
For this step, the dog doesn’t actually have to do anything besides look at you. Even a passing glance will suffice for now. Make sure to mark and reward that effort then try again, seeing if your dog can extend the amount of time they look at you from a passing glance to a full second. This is a huge achievement for most of you, do not pass it off as silly because it’s the building block to everything else.
Instruction: With your dog in front of you, lure their gaze from their nose to your nose. This nose to nose technique is basically them just following the treat, so it’s a form of luring. Luring is a powerful tool that can establish that pattern however, so next (once you have that down), lure from nose to nose and say their name right as your pointing finger touches the front of your nose. Mark and reward. Focus on making that luring step strong. We want confident, secure movements that are easy to read. Once you have that down, move on to saying their name in conjunction with that motion. If you’re having difficulty, go back to the luring step.
Step 2: Stand up with your shoulders back:
Most people neglect the concept of a healthy spine when luring and it hurts to see. Make sure that you avoid the back pain by adding some distance when you lure. This is assuming of course that you have the first step down and you are using high value treats. By adding distance and standing up straight, we are making this name recognition harder and more realistic. Leveling up the skill, quite literally, and making it applicable to actual walks.
Instruction: After luring nose to nose for one or two successful reps, lure from about a foot away from the dog’s face. As your hand goes up, so does the rest of your body, and in one fluid motion you’re standing up straight. Make sure when luring that you’re still going down to their eye level, otherwise they won’t follow the treat. Your hand still goes all the way up to touch your nose by the way. Call their name once it does and proceed to mark and reward your dog for a successful effort. If this is proving difficult for them, you might need a higher value treat, a less stimulating area, or to do the first step a few more times before attempting this one.
Step 3: Moonwalk and do this:
Not really, but if you send me a video of this that’d be hilarious. This is simple enough, we’re just going to see if they can perform this command while moving. We’re also testing whether you can perform it correctly while moving. If you find you’re having a hard time, don’t give up, just keep trying. Practice makes improvement!
Instruction: Walk backwards, making sure nothing is behind you and it’s safe, and your dog should naturally follow you, lure with the treat a foot away from their nose like in step 2 and call their name. Mark and reward if they do this right. I’d suggest doing steps 1 and 2 as reps before attempting this step to ensure success. I’d move backwards slowly at first, then do it more naturally/faster if your dog gets it right. Also, moving backwards with fast shuffles is a surefire way to get your dog to chase/follow you if you’re having trouble with this step. After establishing the pattern however, go back to doing it slowly and building a strong foundation.
Step 4: Walk forward and do this:
You made it to the final step! Although, of course, this is just setting you up to walk a few paces with your dog is a way to promote good leash manners. This is nowhere near the trial of a full length walk. Yet I know inevitably some people will give up before reaching this fourth step, so if you didn’t, I’m really proud of you because it means you’re the committed type that is actually going to see results. You’re the reason I made this book, so thank you.
Instruction: After doing steps 1, 2, and 3 all in conjunction, do this. In step 3 you walked backwards, in this step, you’ll just abruptly walk forwards. Help your dog to position themselves to the preferred side of your body and try to walk a few steps together, holding your high value treat up to your chest. Say their name and then mark and reward- except this time throw a whole fucking festival for your dog. Give a bunch of (small) treats, treat them along with praise, give them a lot of affection, just make sure it’s easy to tell this is a huge achievement. Keep trying this exercise, eventually attempting this while your hand is placed at your side near your waist the way it would be naturally. If they don’t jump up to try and steal it, and they look at you when called, mark and reward. If you get to a point where you do this step and your dog looks up at you without even prompting them to- festival time, baby. This is the behavior we eventually want to build through lots of practice. We want them to look at us and demand the treat- not by jumping, not by barking, not by nipping, but through good loose leash walking and looking up at us.