How to Teach a Dog to Walk Without a Guide

 

Teaching your dog to walk without a lead is considered advanced training. To do without a lead safely, dogs need to learn to hold positions for a certain period of time, respond to commands about distractions and from a distance. Not all dogs are ready for this type of training and some dogs pose greater difficulties than others.

Some dogs, such as hounds (sniffers) and greyhounds (dogs that stand out by sight), have been selectively bred to work with hunters, and the mere smell or sight of prey can make them run instinctively without paying the slightest attention to the calls of hunters. Owner’s return. If you are lucky enough to have a docile dog and are patient, consistent and committed, you can train your dog to walk without a leash and get reliable results as well as long as you follow certain rules.

1 – Start in a fenced area

Since you're training, it's best to start by practicing in a safe, fenced area. After all, how can you teach the dog to walk without a leash if he is always on a leash? Just as you can't learn to ride a bike on a stationary bike that won't move, your dog won't learn to walk without a leash while always on a leash. Inside a safe and fenced area, your dog can finally be without a leash, and if he decides to run away he won't be able to go very far and, best of all, he won't be exposed to dangers.

Don't worry, you and your dog won't be confined to a fenced area forever? As your dog improves, training progresses and you can then work in larger, more distracting fenced areas. The fenced-in area will help you “test the waters” and determine how reliable your dog can be without a leash without further risk.

2- Work on the command to come when called

When your dog is unleashed in an enclosed area, you can work on testing some important voice commands. You don't necessarily need to rely on voice commands; some people like to use whistles. One of the most important commands in unguided training is a reliable call, a command that simply tells your dog to come back to you no matter what.

This means being able to call your dog away from situations that might distract him like a running animal, people and other dogs. You don't want your dog chasing animals and other people during the walk! Also consider that for many dogs that are not used to being without a leash, freedom can feel quite exciting at first, and calling you away from the fun can feel like punishment. Always make sure that really cool things happen when you call your dog!

3 – Reward volunteer submissions

When your dog is unleashed, pay attention to those times when he decides to come back to you voluntarily. Show that you recognize this presentation by congratulating and rewarding your dog when he does. With time and practice, you should see your dog coming to you more and more. When behaviors persist and increase in frequency, it is an indication that you are correctly reinforcing them.

If you don't see many volunteer submissions, ask yourself if maybe you're not rewarding him enough. Most likely your dog will find other stimuli around him that he finds much more interesting than you. To succeed, you will have to compete with these environmental stimuli. Reward lavishly and offer special treats by switching them from time to time to add an element of surprise.

4 – Work on the stop command

While a reliable call is important for an unleaded dog, it is equally important to have a dog able to stop at your command, even at a distance. Unlike calling, when your dog readily comes running to you, a dog that stops on command simply doesn't move anymore. This command can become a savior if your dog gets into a situation, for example, where you don't want him to cross the street or chase a dangerous animal.

The stop command could simply mean that your dog freezes in position, immediately sits or lies down and waits until you release him. If you want, you can combine the stop command with the call by training your dog to stop and then releasing him with the call command. In this way, your dog receives two types of reinforcement: first, he is free to move again, which for many dogs is rewarding, and in addition, he is rewarded for coming to you.

This can make it a fun game and you can get a good level of control. It might sound a bit ironic, but dogs that really reap the benefits of unguided walking are the ones that are under the most control lately!

5 – Work on command to stay together

There may be times when you may want your unleashed dog to stay with you. For example, you might be walking and meeting other people. It's not very nice if your dog runs out to them, and even if you can call out to them, people might be scared of the dog that's about to come loose near them.

It can also happen that you suddenly hear some other animal around and you want your dog to stay with you safely instead of taking risks. Before going for a walk without a lead, practice this command with your dog so that it performs well even in an environment full of distractions.

As seen, teaching the dog to walk without a leash requires you to train a combination of commands to keep your dog safe and these commands must be mastered before going out without a leash. The more you train about distractions in fenced-in areas, the more prepared your dog will be to confront them in real-life situations. So it's not a bad idea to invite friends and have other dogs around as you work in safe, confined areas.

But remember, no matter how much effort you put into teaching your dog, no amount of training can make you 100 percent safe, so choose wisely the areas you will let your dog free. Obviously it would be very risky to walk the dog without a lead near a street full of cars. Also consider that not all places allow dogs without a lead, so be safe, respect others and follow local laws.