Have you ever passed someone walking his/her dog on the street or in a store or park whose dog walked perfectly on a loose leash and sat to greet people… and wondered how that person got so lucky to have a dog like that?
I say, think about that from a different perspective. Yes, there are those rare dogs who are just born to walk on loose leashes and greet people with a sit BUT MOST of those ‘well behaved’ dogs have an owner who has devoted countless hours of training with consistency to have THAT dog.
Dogs are always learning from their environment. They do what works for them. If they have learned that walking on a loose leash, sitting and paying attention to their handler gets them good stuff, they will do that.
This photo by the way, is one that I took of a client during one of my lessons last year.
And remember to have fun teaching!
