QUICK TIP: Use the lead more!

Using the lead to guide your dog isn’t a sign of failure. It shows you are willing to set your dog up for success.

Telling your dog off for a behaviour you don’t like doesn’t help him to make a better decision if he doesn’t know an alternative behaviour. In fact, he will just keep doing what he knows, and ultimately you will be helping to entrench that behaviour.

You can use the lead to help teach alternative behaviours.

So, for example, getting your dog to sit and wait to be invited in means nothing if it just leads to him exploding out of the sit, through the door and racing around the house knocking stuff over.

What do you want him to do instead? Maybe you want him to go straight to his bed? Maybe you just want him to enter calmly and join you in whatever you are doing? Whatever it is you would like him to do, clip the lead on BEFORE you invite him in and show him what you want.

Firstly, it will interrupt his go-to behaviour in that situation. The one he always does. The one he has practised over and over until he’s really rather good at it.

Secondly, it teaches him an alternative behaviour. One that makes you happy and therefore makes him successful.

A BIG bonus is that it gives the lead more meaning when you go out for a walk.

It doesn’t mean you will always rely on the lead. Once you’ve done enough repetitions to replace the old picture with a new one, you can start to give him a chance to make the right choice off lead.

The lead is an excellent communication tool. Don’t be reluctant to use it.