Dog trainer, LisaBurton has shared a simple three-minute pre-walk routine that may help your dog become calm and attentive on loose lead walks instead of ‘straining like a maniac’
A dog trainer says this ‘one simple change’ will make walks much less stressful (stock)(Image: Christopher Hopefitch via Getty Images)
Do you sometimes find walking your dog a struggle? If so, one dog trainer may have just the answer – and it requires nothing more than a single simple change and three minutes of effort each day.
Lisa Burton, founder of Listen Dog Training, regularly shares canine tips and techniques on TikTok, and she’s confident that following her advice will lead to a marked improvement in your pet’s behaviour. “One of the most common problem behaviours I receive training requests for is to teach dogs to walk nicely on a loose lead,” she began in a video. “So I’m going to show you my top hack, which will take no more than three minutes a day to implement and involves absolutely no yanking, choking or shouting at your dog and I promise if you make this simple routine a non-negotiable part of your daily dog walk, you will see noticeable results.”
Lisa went on to explain that there are generally two reasons why your dog ends up “straining at the end of their lead like a maniac” – the first being their overwhelming excitement about their surroundings.
“They become deaf and dumb to the human tied to them because they are so desperate to forge ahead and find gratification out there,” she said.
Whereas the second reason for such behaviour is the thrill of an upcoming walk. Lisa continued: “Putting your shoes on, the lead coming out and stepping over the threshold has sent their arousal and excitement levels spiraling through the roof – and an overexcited, over-eager and highly-distracted dog is never going to walk calmly on a loose lead by your side.”
So, what’s the solution? Lisa explained that the key is to “tackle the problem at the source” right as each walk begins.
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“Instead of throwing open the door and allowing your dog to drag you towards the street, the first thing you do once the lead is on is you’re going to ask your dog for a really basic behaviour they already know, such as a ‘sit’ or a ‘down’ – before you open the door,” she advised.
Once your pet has completed this, Lisa suggests spending three to five minutes “re-engaging your dog’s ability to think and their connection with you”.
To accomplish this, she recommends requesting your dog perform another straightforward behaviour once you’ve stepped outside, followed by dedicating roughly a minute to several short engagement exercises to ensure they’re “fully connected” to you before starting your walk.
“The first time you do this, you may find you have your dog’s attention for all of 30 seconds,” Lisa cautioned. However, to guarantee this approach delivers a “long-term, game-changing effect”, she stressed that the engagement routine must be “non-negotiable”.
Lisa went on: “Dogs are master predictors, so once this calm and attentive period of focus becomes attached and associated with the beginning of your walk, you will find it becomes easier and easier to engage with a calm and connected dog as you leave the house, and you may even see them offer this kind of behaviour themselves.”
As interacting with your dog during the first few minutes of a walk becomes simpler over time, Lisa recommended progressively increasing the length of time you give cues and request engagement as you set off. “Sometimes I’ll keep stopping and ask for a ‘sit’ and do a little bit of luring until we are halfway down the street,” she added. “That way, they can still engage with us even when they’re in that big, exciting environment.”
Closing, Lisa explained that the longer you stick with this method, the more often you’ll spot your dog offering “spontaneous check-ins” during walks, as they expect you might be about to interact with them. Beyond walks, meanwhile, you can further improve your pet’s behaviour by teaching new commands such as ‘spin’, ‘give paw’ or ‘nose touch’.
“You can then integrate these into your routine down the line,” Lisa said. “The greater variety of cues you both have, the more varied it is for your dog and the more focus the will have to give you in terms of how they will get their next reward.”
