Do you share your home with an adult dog that doesn't know how to walk on a leash? This is an especially common situation in cases of adoption of adult dogs, since many of them have not had the necessary care and have not previously gone for a walk on a leash. Other problems are sometimes added to this situation, as in the case of abused dogs, whose training can be more complex due to their reactions of fear and insecurity.
In any case, daily walks are absolutely necessary for your pet's balance. Therefore, in this article on our site we show you how to teach an adult dog to walk on a leash.
Getting used to accessories
To teach an adult dog to walk on a leash you will mainly need love and patience and the objective of making sure that this learning is for your dog a pleasant and pleasant learning. For the incorporation of new knowledge to be pleasant, it must also be progressive. In this sense, the first thing you should achieve is for your pet to get used to the accessories that will accompany it during the walk: the collar and leash
In the first instance, you should start with the collar, do not put it on without later being able to smell it enough, then, proceed to put it on and leave it for a few days until you notice that it is no longer an element strange for your dog. Then it's time for the leash, and just like the necklace, you first need to let her smell it and get familiar with its texture. We recommend using a non-stretchable leash to facilitate control at least during the first walks outside.
Don't put the leash on for the first 2 days, just hold it in your hands and hold it close for a few moments throughout the day.
Simulation of walks inside the home
It is essential that you simulate several walks inside the home before taking your dog outside. To do this, you must make your dog calm down before putting the leash on him. Once you put it on, walk firmly next to him, if he wants to pull, stop until he stops too; whenever he obeys you and behaves as you want, it's time to use positive reinforcement to solidify learning. For positive reinforcement you can use various methods, be it clicker training or dog treats.
When simulating walks inside your home, we recommend that a stopping point be the exit door. When you get here, you should always ask your dog to stop and reward him later, this will be the most effective way that when going outside your pet does not go out before you, since if so, it would try to mark the entire trajectory, and that task does not correspond to it.
The first walk away from home
The first time you walk your adult dog outside the home it is essential that he is calm before leaving. However, during the walk he may be restless and nervous, and this is a normal response.
Regarding the way of directing and rewarding it, we must act the same as in the previous occasions where we have simulated the walk inside the home: if the dog wants to pull, we must stop until he stops tooThen it's time to give him a reward.
The same should happen when our dog urinates or defecates outside, the reward should be immediate so that he understands that the outside is the place where he should relieve himself. For more details, don't miss our article in which we tell you how to teach an adult dog to relieve himself outside the home.
Obviously it is our responsibility to behave as civic owners and carry plastic bags to collect excrement.
What to do if the dog doesn't want to move?
This is a normal reaction in adult dogs that have been adopted and is usually due to a situation of fear, probably caused by stressful and traumatic situations that it has experienced before.
If you are about to start teaching your adult dog to walk on a leash and find that he won't walk, you should never force your dogto go for a walk if he is in this state, since it would be a very unpleasant experience for him. What you should do on these occasions is to excite your dog beforehand. Encourage him with your voice (while on the leash) so that he jumps on you and trots around you, then show him a ball and play with him until he gets very excited.
Finally, let him bite the ball and hold it in his mouth to channel all this arousal energy. Then you will see how the dog is predisposed for the walk and calm, this will be the right time to leave the house.
Walk your adult dog daily
As we mentioned initially, teaching an adult dog to walk on a leash requires a lot of patience and although it may be complex at first, the routine will make the walk a very practical practice. nice for your pet and also for you.
Despite the difficulties, do not stop walking your dog daily, as the walk will be its main source of physical exercise, it will discipline it and allow it to manage stress properly. If you want to know how many times you should walk your adult dog, don't miss our article!
