Printable Leash Training Checklist (Stop Pulling)
Loose-leash walking is built in short reps, not long walks. Work this checklist for four weeks and the walk stops being a tug of war.
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Leash training checklist
Pulling is a reinforcement problem: forward motion pays the dog every time the leash tightens. The fix is to make position — not speed — the thing that pays, and to give the dog something to think about on the way.
Set up before day one
- Fit a front-clip harness or flat collar — no retractable leash during training
- Use a fixed 1.8m (6ft) leash; hold it with a soft, low hand
- Pick a reward marker (clicker or a short word) and charge it indoors first
- Load the pouch with soft treats the dog can swallow while moving
- Choose one quiet, low-traffic practice route
Every walk
- Start with 60 seconds of attention games before you leave the doorstep
- Mark and pay every time the dog's shoulder lines up with your leg
- Stop moving the instant the leash tightens — resume only when it slackens
- Change direction at least 5 times per walk so the route stays unpredictable
- Add 2-3 "find it" treat scatters to let the nose work
- Give a release cue for sniffing breaks so sniffing becomes a reward, not a theft
- End while the dog is still succeeding, not once they're over threshold
Four-week progression
- Week 1: 5-minute reps indoors and in the garden only
- Week 2: quiet street, same route, 10 minutes, high pay rate
- Week 3: add one mild distraction (parked cars, distant dogs) at a workable distance
- Week 4: vary the route; thin the treats to every third good stretch
- Only add distance once the dog can hold position for 20 unbroken paces
Troubleshooting checks
- Dog pulls only at the start? Do 3 minutes of warm-up drills before setting off
- Lunging at dogs or bikes? Increase distance until the dog can still eat, then work there
- Dog freezes or refuses to walk? Check gear fit and pain first, then reduce novelty
- Zigzagging with the nose down? Schedule a dedicated sniff walk separately
- Good with you, terrible with someone else? Every handler must run the same rules
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