The Weekly High Five 🐾

Hey Reader,
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I worked with a family last spring who came to me completely defeated.

They'd been yelling "heel" and "leave it" for months. Bought the harness. Watched the YouTube videos. Tried every trick.

Their dog still dragged them down the street every single walk.

When I showed up and watched them walk for about 30 seconds, I saw exactly what was happening. And it wasn't a training problem.

Their dog was so overstimulated the second they stepped outside that no command on earth was going to get through. It's like trying to have a calm conversation with someone at a rock concert. Doesn't matter what you say. They can't hear you.

Here's what I told them, and I tell almost every family I work with this time of year:

Calm comes before commands. Always.

If your dog can't settle their brain, they can't learn anything you're trying to teach them. And spring is the worst time for this. After months of being cooped up inside, the world outside is suddenly FULL of smells, sounds, people, other dogs. Everything is cranked to 11.

So your dog isn't ignoring you. They're overwhelmed.

This is essentially the thing most people get backwards. They think the dog needs to learn to listen better. But the dog needs to learn to be calm first. Listening follows calm. Not the other way around.

So what do you actually do about it?

Here's the 3-step approach I teach my families:

1. Start before you leave the house.

Don't clip the leash on while your dog is bouncing off the walls. Wait. Leash goes on when all four paws are on the floor. If they jump up, you put the leash behind your back and wait again. This might take 5 minutes the first few times. That's fine. You're teaching them that calm is what starts the walk.

2. Use the first 60 seconds of every walk as your reset window.

Step outside and just stand there. Don't walk yet. Let your dog look around, sniff, take it in. When their body language softens (less pulling, less scanning, maybe a glance back at you) THEN you start moving. You're showing them that the walk doesn't begin until they're regulated.

3. Reward the absence of pulling, not just obedience to commands.

Every time that leash goes slack, even for 2 seconds, mark it. "Yes." Treat. You're building their understanding that loose leash = good things happen. Most people only react when the dog pulls. Flip it. Catch them doing it right.

That family I mentioned? Within two weeks, their walks went from a wrestling match to something they actually looked forward to. Not because their dog suddenly became obedient. Because their dog learned how to be calm first.

Here's the deal. Your dog isn't giving you a hard time. They're having a hard time. And once you start there, everything changes.

If leash pulling is your thing right now (and with spring here, it probably is), my Loose Leash Foundations guide covers the full approach. If you already grabbed it a while back, now's a great time to pull it back up.
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Spring is exactly when this stuff matters most. And if you haven't snagged it yet, here you go.

​Get the Loose Leash Foundations Guide here →​

You got this. Spring walks are supposed to be fun. Let's make them that way.

Happy training,

Pam,
CPDT-KA