How to Walk Your Dog Perfectly

Learning how to walk your dog perfectly sets your dog up to be relaxed at home, listen to you as the pack leader, and helps maintain balance at home. If you know how to walk your dog in the right way, a walk can also help you strengthen your bond and bring you closer together.

Here are 5 steps to walking your dog perfectly:

1. Walk in front of your dog. Use a short leash to do this, and keep the collar up at the top of your dog’s neck for maximum control. Keep the arm holding the leash relaxed, with a lose grip.

2. Avoid harnesses, as they can encourage your dog to pull. You should also avoid the unraveling leashes, as those put your dog in control instead of you.

3. Keep yourself calm. You can transfer your calm energy through the leash to your dog, so he can pick up on it, too. That means paying attention to what’s going on instead of texting or answering emails on your phone as you walk.

4. Set some guidelines. Let designated portions of the walk be for sniffing and peeing. Those are rewards for your dog listening to your leadership. After you spend the first few minutes keeping your dog in constant forward motion, you’ve established yourself as the leader. Then you can relax and let your dog sniff and play around.

5. Notice how others are walking their dogs. If their dogs are pulling, running out in front, or if the dogs seem nervous, avoid that situation altogether. Cross the street. Take a few steps aside and put your dogs in a down until that dog passes. Or turn around and walk the other way.

When you know how to walk your dog, a walk can accomplish exercise, discipline, and establish some rules within the pack. After you have perfected the dog walk, you’ll see that a walk can be one of the greatest ways to grow your bond with your dog.