Loose Leash Walking More Patterns

Описание: In the Loose Leash Walking Games Lesson, you were introduced to “Figure 8’s”. That pattern has a lot of benefits for teaching your dog to stay in position beside you, but in this lesson we are going to go over even more patterns for you to try with your dog!

These patterns are all great practice for your dog’s focused walking skills! Don’t worry about spending a long time practicing focused walking, just do short bursts!

Here’s a reminder of the Tips from the “Figure 8’s” pattern, as they apply to these patterns, too!

Tips:

Reward your dog often!! Don't be afraid to lure your dog to start, then fade to rewarding every few steps. Gradually Build up how many steps you move between rewards
Talk to your puppy! Use lots of praise and be exciting!
You can add the "Stop & Go" game to any of these patterns to mix things up!
Serpentine

This pattern is weaving between objects. This pattern is great for teaching your dog to stick with you through more subtle sideways movements!

Set up 4+ cones/objects in a line. (Start with less, and work your way up to more!)
Have your dog set up sitting beside you, focused on you
Give your “Let’s Go!” cue, and start walking
As you are walking, weave in between the cones
When you hit the last cone, turn around and go back the other way!
Circle

Moving in a circle teaches your dog to move with you. This pattern is great for getting continuous motion, and you can throw in turns, stops and speed changes. This pattern is also great for teaching your dog not to cut in front of you or behind you, and to stay beside you. This is a very common pattern for agility and obedience dogs.

Start with your dog beside you, and decide if you want your dog on the inside or outside.
Start moving in a large circle at a brisk pace
Reward your dog at your side for sticking with you!
Switch between having your dog on your right and left side, and which direction you go!
For Agility:

If you are planning to do agility with your dog, you might want to try running instead of walking!
Advanced:

As your dog gets more advanced, play around with how fast or slow you move! Changing your pace really keeps your dog on their toes!
You can also change up how large or small the circle is to influence how tight your dog has to turn
Throw in turns and direction changes to keep things interesting!
Square and "L" Pattern

Both of these patterns focus on teaching the dog to do sharp turns, with the "L" Pattern adding in an "about turn".

Square:

Set some cones or other objects up in a square
Move around the the square at a fairly brisk pace
When you reach a corner, turn 90 degrees toward the next object
You may have to lure your dog through this sharp turn! Perch Work can help with the rear end awareness required to make these turns really tight
Make sure to move both directions around the square
"L" Pattern

Similar to the square, just missing one corner
Start at one end, and move towards the corner
At the corner, turn 90 degrees towards the other end object, like the turns from the square pattern.
When you reach the last object, perform an "about turn" which is when you turn 180 degrees and go back the direction you came from
Repeat through the pattern, make sure you mix up having your dog on the inside or outside for the about turns.