How to teach your dog to have good manners on the leash

Dogs follow their owner’s eyes and body language to figure out where to walk. — Christin Klose/dpa

Walking the dog becomes a far less relaxing pastime when your pet is always pulling on the leash or dashing off in every direction.

Training your dog to have good manners on the leash makes everyone’s life easier and takes only a little time and patience. Here are a few things owners should keep in mind, says a German animal magazine.

> Look where you’re going: Dogs follow human’s eyes and body language. If you keep turning your head towards the dog while walking, the animal will be slowed down. Let the dog know where you’re going by turning your body and head in the same direction.

> Give proper praise: If the dog is walking well on the leash, then there’s nothing wrong with rewarding the behaviour with a little treat. However, owners shouldn’t hold the treat in front of the dog’s nose so that it walks beside then – this encourages the dog to focus only on the treat in front of it, instead of on its master.

> No yanking: If your dog smells something and suddenly stops, don’t yank on the leash. By doing so, the dog forms negative associations towards the line. The better move is to stop, directly address the dog and lure it back into moving in the desired direction with you. – dpa