Training Essentials
The Acclimation Period
For the first week or two, limit walks to quiet, calm areas focusing on building connection and getting a feel for one another over exercise and stimulation. In this early phase, walks aren’t about going places. They’re about slowly getting your dog used to their new surroundings and to you.
The Walk Starts at the Threshold
Begin your walks by asking your dog to wait at the door until invited outside.
First, calmly leash your dog.
Stand in the doorway facing your dog and blocking their path out.
If they attempt to move forward or bypass you, step forward using spatial pressure to reclaim that space. If needed add, "Eh Eh" or "Out".
The leash can be used secondarily to reinforce this message.
Slowly increase the space between you and your dog, applying spatial pressure if they advance. For clarity, keep commands and words to a minimum.
Should they dart past you, use the leash to guide them back inside and start over.
Release the dog only when they are calm and connected offering stillness and eye contact. Quietly invite them out by opening your body to the side and guiding them out with the leash.
Be sure not to rush this step, as the state of mind will set the tone of your walk. In addition to being critical to safety (door-darting), threshold work is the key to calming an excited mind. Use this when exiting the crate and car too.
Energy and Leadership
Calm confident energy, proactivity, and leadership build trust and a strong relationship between you and your dog. Your energy influences how your dog feels and interprets situations. Be mindful of your dog’s energy not overtaking yours. If your dog is hurried, slow down. If your dog lags, don’t linger. For most styles of training, the leash is one of the many communication tools and should remain slack (if only by an inch or two), applying pressure when communicating with your dog for direction or a correction.
Triggers and Advocacy
Excitement, anxiety, and reactivity are intertwined. As you begin to move out into the world, keep an eye out for things that might frighten or excite your dog. Err on the side of creating space from triggers like other dogs, people, delivery trucks, bikes, strollers, and more. Moving away teaches your dog to trust that you will make space from things that make them uncomfortable and ultimately helps them normalize new things.
Avoid greeting unknown dogs on leash as this often brings tension and frustration, and can later work against leash manners. Additionally, avoid asking your dog to sit when there is a trigger. Instead, guide them away and create space.
If you have more than one dog, begin walking with one dog per handler until the dogs have built a relationship and both are walking nicely on leash. Rushing this process may result in a deterioration in leash etiquette or reactivity.