Loose Leash Walking Starts Without A Leash #322
Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett
DogsThat
4.8 • 679 Ratings
🗓️ 19 December 2025
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Visit us at shapedbydog.com
Loose leash walking starts without a leash. I would like you to think for a moment about what kind of an emotional experience it is to take your dog for a leashed walk. For some people there is lunging, jumping, spinning, barking, or zig-zagging. Different behaviors, same outcome. What is meant to be exercise, connection, and calm ends up feeling frustrating instead. In this episode, I'm sharing why leash walking fails so often and why it's not because you or your dog have done something wrong. Leash walking breaks down when expectations severely outpace education, and once you understand where that breakdown happens, you'll never approach walking your dog on a leash the same way again.
In this episode, you'll hear:
• What leash walking feels like for both ends of the leash.
• The difference between what we expect from our dogs and what they've actually been taught.
• Why leash walking is one of the most unnatural behaviors we ask dogs to perform.
• How teaching leash walking in reverse sets dogs up to fail.
• Why behavior does not grow in isolation.
• The role the 5C Pyramid plays in building real-world understanding.
• Why distraction is rarely the real issue on leash.
• What changes when education catches up to expectations.
• How seeing where leash walking breaks down changes everything.
Join J-Walking:
Write to us at wag@dogsthat.com with the subject line "Connected Walking" for a very special opportunity to join us in J-Walking.
Resources:
1. Podcast Episode 21: The 5C Pyramid - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/21/
2. Podcast Episode 245: Make Dog Training Easy! Quick Guide To Antecedent Arrangements - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/245/
3. Podcast Episode 144: Teach Your Dog To Listen No Matter What… Even If You Think They Are Stubborn - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/144
4. YouTube Video: Understanding Your Dog's Reinforcement Zone (RZ) with Susan Garrett - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaUAScgaFAg&feature=youtu.be
5. Podcast Episode 74: Yes, Susan Garrett's Dogs Sniff On Walks - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/74
6. Podcast Episode 24: Distraction Intensity Index: Help For Dogs Who Chase Chipmunks, Bicycles, And Neighbor's Cats - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/24/
7. YouTube Video: Susan Garrett's Perch Work Dog Tricks (Pivots and Spins) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=KvaVdO7pIZzFVCcc&v=O6sj6fTJnFc&feature=youtu.be
8. Fitness Planks from Galican - Coupon code SBD15 for 15% off - https://runitagilityequipment.ca/products/training-board
9. Podcast Episode 32: 20 Easy Ways to Exercise Your Dog at Home - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/32
10. Podcast Episode 317: 20 Exercises That Help Your Dog Live Longer: Start Today! - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/317
11. Podcast Episode 314: Dog Enrichment Secrets Part 1: Using Your Dog's Natural Instincts To Build Variety And Engagement - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/314
12. Podcast Episode 315: Dog Enrichment Secrets Part 2: 30 Day Enrichment Challenge + Free Planner PDF - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/315
13. Podcast Episode 176: Why Your Dog's Emotions Are A Critical Element Of Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/176
14. YouTube Playlist: Loose Leash Walking with Susan Garrett - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy1mGMfdVKXq_hiJ27Ej1shW
15. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/sXjX6CkzEVI
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | And this, my friend, is where loose leash walking goes terribly wrong. You get a new rescue dog, |
| 0:05.0 | you get a new puppy, you clip on the leash on their collar or on their harness, and you want to |
| 0:09.3 | take them for a walk. When I teach my puppies or rescue dogs how to walk on a leash, I do it |
| 0:16.5 | without a leash. Yes, I said it. Loose leash walking begins with no leash. |
| 0:31.0 | Hi, I'm Susan Garrett. This is shaped by dog where dog training finally makes sense. |
| 0:36.1 | I would like you to think for a moment what kind of an |
| 0:39.4 | emotional experience it is to take your dogs for a leashed walk. Now, you might have one dog, |
| 0:46.1 | you might have more than one dog. When you go out for a walk with your dog or dogs on leash, |
| 0:50.6 | what is that experience like for you? What is that experience like for the dog? For some |
| 0:55.9 | people, there is a lot of lunging, jumping up, maybe obsessing on something that they find in the |
| 1:03.2 | dirt. For others, it might be zigzagging across your path, spinning, and barking. Different |
| 1:10.4 | behaviors, same outcome. Something that is meant to be |
| 1:14.2 | exercise for both of you, potentially a bonding experience, and ideally an ability to be out in |
| 1:22.0 | nature and get yourself some Zen, some peace, some calm. But somewhere along the way, |
| 1:27.4 | it didn't end up in that place. |
| 1:29.3 | Zen peace and calm probably aren't three words that you are using. If they are, well done, |
| 1:33.9 | you. For many people, it might be frustration rather than something that you look forward to. |
| 1:39.8 | Understanding that our dogs are doing the best they can with the education, we've given them |
| 1:44.3 | in the environment that we've put them in, we get to see that the challenge isn't about |
| 1:50.3 | the distraction. It's not about your dog's emotional state or being overwhelmed or |
| 1:56.6 | overexcited. The challenge really is a mismatch of our expectations and our dog's experiences |
| 2:05.6 | in education. Because the leash-walking experience fails miserably at both ends of the leash |
... |
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