One of the best exercises to help your dog learn to walk calmly by your side involves teaching your dog the position you would like them to walk in, before you even attach the lead. This is great because the lead can be a big distraction for some dogs who might find its movement exciting and other dogs who need careful introduction to unfamiliar equipment, so they don’t become frightened.

To start, show your dog the treats you have and reward them by your side, where you want them to walk.

Walk away from your dog and as they catch up to you, mark when they are within reach and feed them a treat beside you again. If you always reward in the same place, your dog will be more likely to seek out this location as you walk together.

Practice moving away and rewarding your dog whenever they choose to come close to your side being sure to feed low enough that they keep their paws on the floor throughout.

As they get good at this you can start to walk further with your dog beside you before rewarding.

Working on teaching your dog to walk beside you without the lead will really speed up how quickly they can master the art of walking nicely on their lead.