1/12/13

How do I calm my dog when it's time to put on the leash?

How do I calm my dog when it's time to put on the leash? When my dog sees a leash in my hand she starts jumping around and will not let me put on the leash properly. How do I calm her? She is too excited to listen to 'Sit Down.'

Answer:
You have to wait until she gets tired of jumping. Only reward her with the leash when she calms down. The first time you do this it may take a long time. Be prepared to wait patiently, calmly and quietly with the leash in your hand. Dogs only have so much energy and she will eventually stop jumping just because she is tired. When she is calmly waiting reward her by putting on the leash.


 If she becomes hyper again when you start putting on the leash, wait longer. If she is calm when you snap the leash on and then becomes hyper right after, stand there and wait once again before proceeding. Do not reward her by beginning a walk while she is hyper. You must wait at each step until she learns that you only move forward when she is calm. After a while your dog will begin to realize that the leash only goes on when she is calm, the walk only happens when she is calm. 

The time you have to wait for her will become shorter and shorter and eventually she will be calm for you right from the beginning. In order to accomplish this you need to spend the time and be consistent. If you give in and put the leash on her when she is jumping and hyper she will never learn. If you put a leash on a hyper dog it is very hard to get her to walk correctly on a leash because her mind is set in hyper mode.