Transitioning to off leash heeling/LLW

You need to work the foundation exercises to get ready for this exercise, only work on this if you have decent loose leash walking at your side.

• Work in a low distraction area, with a dog that has already been exercised.

• Tie your leash around your waist or shoulders, you need a long enough leash that they still have a bit of slack.

• Do not start walking until your dog is sitting at your side and focused on you.

• Give them your walk at your side cue you have trained for heeling or at your side loose leash walking.

• Start walking.

• As soon as the dog starts to leave your side stop and help them come back to your side WITHOUT TOUCHING THE LEASH.

• You can pat your leg as you step back, pet your dog, gently guide with your hand in the collar (don’t yank them).

• Give them some good affection before moving on.

• You can give treats once they are in position but do not use the treats to get them into position.

• The whole goal of this is to help our dogs feel like our hands on them is a good thing and nothing to avoid, if your dog is jumping away from you as you reach, SLOW down and be gentle! This is not a manhandle your dogs exercise.

• Your dogs should think this is affection not correction.

• Don’t move on to the off leash exercises until you can do this exercise for at least 100yards without needing to touch them to help.

After you can go for nice long walks like above and you feel like you are ready to begin off leash heel/LLW work first think about setting up for success! Don’t gamble and risk your dog, if you don’t feel ready for this step and don’t have a safe place to work, don’t do it. Work with your dog on a long line with the line dragging so you are not guiding them physically and practice that way. Why work on this if you plan to always have your dog on leash? Because sometimes we drop leashes, leash snaps break, etc. We want to be able to have a dog stay with us without being physically forced to.

• Is the area safe? You can always drop the leash, use a long line, etc.

• A nice big fenced yard or park?

• An area far away from roads.

• Low distraction- go at off hours.

• Your dog is exercised.

• You have high value rewards.