03/09/2026
Sandro’s loose-lead walking progress 🐾
We didn’t expect Sandro to go from pulling on the lead to walking perfectly on a busy street straight away. Instead, we built his skills gradually, starting in the garden where there were fewer distractions.
Our first focus was engagement, teaching Sandro that checking in with his handler, paying attention and choosing to stay nearby were rewarding behaviours.
Once he was ready, we moved onto the street outside his home and slowly increased the difficulty. We used directional changes to encourage Sandro to follow his handler, plenty of sniff breaks to help him explore and decompress, and consistent reinforcement whenever he walked nicely or made the right choice.
Loose-lead walking is not about constantly correcting a dog for pulling. It is about teaching them what to do instead, starting in an environment where they can succeed and gradually building their confidence around distractions.
Sandro’s progress is a great example of what can be achieved with clear steps, patience and rewarding the behaviour we want to see. 🐶