# Loose Leash Walk Victory



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

I've been working with Noelle on loose leash walking. She's made great progress. We can walk past dogs, cats, squirrels, and kids playing basketball, without her pulling about 75% of the time. Since Noelle isn't quite six months old, I'm really happy with her progress.

Today, on the way home, Mr. J. (my dog's favorite neighbor) was walking towards us. He was about half a block away. Noelle stood up on her hind legs and tried to drag me toward him. I told Mr. J. to wait where he was. I turned around and walked the other way. I waited until Noelle calmed down and made eye contact with me. Then we walked toward Mr. J. again, but Noelle started dragging me.

Once again, I turned around and walked us farther away. It only took three tries for Noelle to walk with a loose leash all the way to Mr. J.. She got praise, petting, treats, more treats, and a huge celebration. That was hard for her, and I was proud.

Mr. J. apologized for being a distraction. Are you kidding me? That was the best distraction ever. Good girl, Noelle!


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

I think that's super! Is that the common way to do it?


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Click-N-Treat, I've said it before, but Noelle has one of the sweetest faces in all of Poodledom. What an earnest, considerate, wants-to-do-right little girl she is!

How tall is Noelle now? That photo makes her appear smaller than an oversize Miniature maybe? Of course, she has a very big heart! I'm just curious what will be her ultimate finished size. She's a lovely girlie.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

I took that picture a few weeks ago, actually, LOL! Noelle is just about 16 inches tall at the withers. I expect her to weigh around 20 pounds full grown. Noelle is tall enough to put her paws on the kitchen counter, but she knows I don't like it. She's a good girl. Eager to please, doesn't cause much trouble. Barks at the neighbors, but is learning to "tone it!" My husband calls Noelle an adorable, harmless, little fluff ball. That pretty much sums her up. I'm glad you like her girly little face. I love it, too.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Wow, 16 inches, she is indeed what you expected and her breeder projected . Photos are all perspective, aren't they? Noelle is lovely whatever her size. She just has a special light to me. There's something about her.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

seminolewind said:


> I think that's super! Is that the common way to do it?


There are about a dozen different tricks to teaching a dog loose leash walking. This method is called Penalty Yards. It requires a stationary target the dog really wants to get to. The target could be the dog park gate. It could be a friend. Could even be your front door. 

When the dog starts yanking you toward the target, walk the opposite direction. Walk far enough away that the dog calms down. Make a mental note of this spot. It's the penalty box. Start walking toward the target. If the dog goes bonkers, return to the penalty box, wait for eye contact, and try again. The second time, you might get a whole sidewalk square closer. Third time, two sidewalk squares. Repeat until you are able walk with a loose leash to the target. (The lesson: the more you pull, the farther away you get.)

I was prepared to spend 20 minutes getting Noelle to walk from two houses away. Luckily, it only took two minutes. 

Here's more info about loose leash walking. ClickerSolutions Training Articles Contents -- Walking on a Loose Leash


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Congratulations! That was great training that you couldn't have bought if you tried. With Lily I did your method. It took weeks before we ever went much more than two or three houses. With Javelin I did the be a tree method. He somehow has always been much better at checking in and he naturally would look back to me when he realized he couldn't go anywhere since I had taken root in the street.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Javelin sounds so awesome. Be a tree works if your dog actually cares about moving forward. Noelle is perfectly content to sniff a bush, check out this neat rock, what's this dirt in the sidewalk crack... Seriously, I'd be outside for a month, on the same sidewalk square, and she would still be happy. We're not moving right now? OK, that's cool. Let me see what I can sniff? 

In the beginning penalty yards discouraged her a lot. Noelle didn't know what I wanted, so how could she give it to me? All she knew was I was taking away her fun, and there was no way to go and get it. Now that she knows what I want, penalty yards is awesome.

When I first started training, I used 1 step=1 treat. That got reinforcement going at a super rapid pace. Then I took two steps and gave her a treat. Returned back to 1 step=1 treat. Every time I increased duration, I went all the way back down the ladder to 1 step=1 treat.

1 step/treat x5
2 steps/treat
1 step/treat x5
2 steps/treat x2
1 step/treat x5
Repeat this pattern until you lose count of steps, and the dog is happily walking at your side.

This was how Noelle got a meal, so I had lots of treats and a hungry dog. My goal was to walk my dog from one driveway, to the next driveway, and back. Even though I looked like an idiot, walking back and forth in front of my house, I'm glad I put in the work. It takes months to train a loose leash walk. Maybe that's why I see so many of my neighbors getting dragged down the street.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Oh man, I literally got dizzy walking back and forth with Timi in my lobby trying o keep her from pulling to the exit. I am such a failure at this!
Sometime I wonder if I should just carry her to the dog park, because I just know that we are going to fail on the way there. But on the way home she walks like a dream. Maybe instead of allowing her to fail, I should just prevent her from having the opportunity to walk when she isn't going to walk nicely for a few months, and she will just forget that bad leash walking is an option?


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

If you can carry Timi and prevent bad habits, I would. It's so much easier to follow the dog to the dog park entrance, rather than spend 45 minutes getting from point A to the gate. Dog gets frustrated and angry. You get flustered and exhausted. No one goes to the dog park. No one is happy. 

I think the dog park is way too high value to practice loose leash walking. Maybe you could use a friend as a target, like I did, and work your way up. Set Timi up for success and prevent opportunities to practice the wrong thing.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Click-N-Treat said:


> If you can carry Timi and prevent bad habits, I would. It's so much easier to follow the dog to the dog park entrance, rather than spend 45 minutes getting from point A to the gate. Dog gets frustrated and angry. You get flustered and exhausted. No one goes to the dog park. No one is happy.
> 
> I think the dog park is way too high value to practice loose leash walking. Maybe you could use a friend as a target, like I did, and work your way up. Set Timi up for success and prevent opportunities to practice the wrong thing.



Thank you, I think a plan is forming here!


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

I hope this helps. Keep me posted.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

TinyPoodles I agree with Click-N-Treat. I am sure you can do this.

Click-N-Treat I think the reason be a tree worked better with Javelin than Lily is his boy personality of always wanting to check me out. For Lily the penalty yards worked better because she always wanted to just keep moving in her direction. And my neighbors certainly thought I was crazy walking back and forth on the same little stretch of street in front of my house and the one or two next door. We don't have sidewalks so all of this had to be in the street which meant we walked past all the pee mailed trees and shrubs as well as garbage, not to mention dealing with passing cars.


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

How far should I walk a 12 week old?


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## TeamPoodle (Aug 10, 2015)

Click-N-Treat said:


> Mr. J. apologized for being a distraction. Are you kidding me? That was the best distraction ever. Good girl, Noelle!


I have to say, I love how you've turned Mr. J into a reward for Noelle. I know how frustrating it was a few months ago trying to teach a good recall with him around. It sounds like you've really figured out how to use the situation to your advantage!



Click-N-Treat said:


> I took that picture a few weeks ago, actually, LOL! Noelle is just about 16 inches tall at the withers. I expect her to weigh around 20 pounds full grown.


How much does she weigh now?


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

TeamPoodle said:


> I have to say, I love how you've turned Mr. J into a reward for Noelle. I know how frustrating it was a few months ago trying to teach a good recall with him around. It sounds like you've really figured out how to use the situation to your advantage!
> 
> 
> 
> How much does she weigh now?


Thanks, TeamPoodle. Yes, it's been interesting living next door to Mr. J. He was in the hospital for three weeks. During those three weeks, we worked extremely hard on recall. Having only minor distractions in the yard made it much easier. We have a bowl with assorted dinner leftovers in the fridge. I take it outside with us. About a dozen times, I'll call the dogs to me. 

Francis and Noelle come at a run, grab a quick snack, and go back to what they were doing. Come=fun, yay! Not Come=inside, boo. I can call them from anywhere in the yard and they will come racing back at top speed. It's breathtaking to watch them come at full speed from 60 meters away. I will have to get a video.

Now when Mr. J. is out, I can call the dogs, and they still come at a run. Mr. J. is doing a little better. He has more home healthcare and is taking his meds. I can talk to him and he can talk to me. He has more short term memory and can carry on a conversation. Is he well? No. Should he be living alone? No. Is this situation optimal? No. But our local memory care facility has a minimum age of 60, and Mr. J. is 57. 

His dogs no longer come to visit. I'm saddened for him, but he can hardly take care of himself, let alone a diabetic blind dog. Sharing our puppies with Mr. J. brings him joy. As long as I can call them back when I want to go inside, I'm happy to share. 

My only issue now is he leaves the gate open and the dogs escape out front. :afraid: I now assume his driveway is always open, and call the dogs when I see them head over there. They always come back at a run.

Noelle is 16.4 pounds, 16 inches from floor to withers, and 16.5 inches long. She will be 6 months old on April 30. She's on track to be roughly the same size as Chagall. (Which would be cool, because that boy is awesome!)


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

lily cd re said:


> Congratulations! That was great training that you couldn't have bought if you tried. With Lily I did your method. It took weeks before we ever went much more than two or three houses. With Javelin I did the be a tree method. He somehow has always been much better at checking in and he naturally would look back to me when he realized he couldn't go anywhere since I had taken root in the street.


Took my Roxanne out on a leash with a 1.5 inch wide martingale collar (mild) and went for a walk about twice around the house and it took her about a minute to learn I was a "tree"!!!!! Maybe beginner's luck, but there's hope. 

Funny I used to use that method with horses that wouldn't get in the trailer. Worked every time.


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## TeamPoodle (Aug 10, 2015)

Click-N-Treat said:


> Thanks, TeamPoodle. Yes, it's been interesting living next door to Mr. J. He was in the hospital for three weeks. During those three weeks, we worked extremely hard on recall. Having only minor distractions in the yard made it much easier. We have a bowl with assorted dinner leftovers in the fridge. I take it outside with us. About a dozen times, I'll call the dogs to me.
> 
> Francis and Noelle come at a run, grab a quick snack, and go back to what they were doing. Come=fun, yay! Not Come=inside, boo. I can call them from anywhere in the yard and they will come racing back at top speed. It's breathtaking to watch them come at full speed from 60 meters away. I will have to get a video.
> 
> ...


The whole situation with Mr. J is very, very sad. I think it is great that you are sharing your dogs with him. It brings him joy and you've found ways to keep training them. That's truly fantastic.

Noelle is quite a tall girl! In all the pictures she looks so tiny and dainty, and in reality she's taller than Riley!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I am another that is very, very impressed with how you have coped with the difficult situation with your neighbour, and managed to turn it into something that brings joy to him and to your dogs. If everyone were like you, the world would be a better place!

Seminolewind - the rule of thumb is 5 minutes formal walk per month of age up to 12 months, twice a day. So at 12 weeks that would be 15 minutes, twice a day. That is for walking with you on a hard surface - free running and playing, where the puppy can stop and rest and make her own mind up about how far and fast to go, is limited only by your mutual endurance! Loose leash walking is probably a skill still to be learned at 12 weeks, though...


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Oh, thanks you guys. Caring for Mr. J. is our pleasure. We share our puppies with him and give him a daily smile. Once they figure out how to go down the basement stairs, they'll have the time of their lives racing around his house. Our weimaraner, April, used to break into Mr. J's house. She stole a piece of pizza out of his kitchen, and proudly brought it outside. Mr. J thought it was hilarious. April used to go in his house and climb on his bed. We expect Francis and Noelle to do the same.

Watching how Francis responds to Mr. J. has cemented my husband's decision to help her become a therapy dog. Once she's done being a wild puppy, that is. I think Francis will be great at it. Snuggle with an elderly person who needs a friend? Francis is on it. Noelle is on her way to becoming my service dog. We have a long, long way to go, but the potential is there. Loose leash walking is a critical skill for her. Once Noelle has her CGCA, then we'll start working on service dog tasks. 

Having Noelle still follow directions when distracted by Mr. J. is great training for her job. Mr. J. walks unsteady and shuffles his feet. Seeing someone who moves in odd ways is good for Francis as well. I hope Mr. J. can remain independent for as long as possible. We've been neighbors, sharing our backyards, for 23 years. I'd rather live next door to Mr. J. than someone who hates dogs and complains all the time. There are worse things.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I was talking with one of my students last night about dogs needing jobs. He had been telling me about how his parents 2 year old Maltese has adopted the habit of watching over and comforting his sister's autistic son. They all currently live in the 2 halves of a mother daughter home. However his sister and her family are in the process of purchasing a home of their own. I asked him if he thought his parents would let the dog go on the move with his nephew who she has clearly chosen to work for. He said that they had talked about that and do agree that she will move to stay with this child who clearly benefits from her tender attention.

It is so nice that you recognize so well how much Mr. J's sad situation can have some light brought into it by your dogs. You really have made the sweetest lemonade for yourself out of a situation where most people would simply have stewed over the idea that they had been handed a bag of rotting lemons. You are a most generous and clever person for having done so.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Oh thank you. That was kind of you. Sharing the puppies is all I can do to help him right now. Mr. J. is still drinking. His mental state is still fluctuating. For his long term safety, he cannot stay in his home. He has a psych evaluation coming up. I hope it helps his family find the right place for him. The whole thing is incredibly sad. If Noelle and Francis can bring him a little light in a dark place, I'm grateful. I guess, they are both therapy dogs right now, huh.


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

I did the "tree" thing 3 days now. I think she learned the first 5 minutes. We went for a 15 minute walk down the street and back. I've had two bonuses with loose leash walking. She is always paying attention to me and adjusting, and when we get back she "sits" for me to take her leash off before a treat. (NILIF)


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Your way of handling your neighbor AND your dog is amazing. You've been very kind and smart about the whole thing. Kudos!


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

I took Noelle for a walk today and she was all over the place! Tug, tug, here. Tug, tug, there. My treats weren't interesting enough and she kept spitting them out. Puppies. They make you look like the world's best trainer one day, and the next day they make you look like you have no idea what you're doing.


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

Click-N-Treat said:


> I took Noelle for a walk today and she was all over the place! Tug, tug, here. Tug, tug, there. My treats weren't interesting enough and she kept spitting them out. Puppies. They make you look like the world's best trainer one day, and the next day they make you look like you have no idea what you're doing.


So true!


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