Printable practice sheet

Loose-leash practice sheet

One rule on every walk: a tight leash never moves forward.

Or fill it in on your phone.

Dog's name

Start date

Step by step

Set up. A flat collar or well-fitted harness, a fixed leash of about 6 feet (not retractable), small soft treats, a quiet place.
Red light, green light. Leash goes tight: stop and stand still, "like a tree." Leash goes slack: praise and walk on. Watch the leash, not the dog.
Pay the position. Feed right beside your leg, every few steps while the leash is loose.
Change direction. Dog surges ahead: turn calmly, no jerk. Reward at your side when they catch up on a loose leash.
Keep sessions short. About 10 minutes, two or three times a day. Stop while it's going well.
Add distractions slowly. A toy on the floor: only a loose leash gets there. Then a quiet street, then a busier one.
Manage every other walk. Front-clip harness, quieter routes and times, the stop rule as much as you can.
Give sniffing its own time. A long line in a safe, open space, or a sniff walk at your dog's pace.

What owners try, and what to change

Instead of	Do this
Stopping when the dog pulls	Stop the moment the leash goes tight, every walk, with everyone who walks the dog
Treats	Pay often, beside your leg, while the leash is loose
Turning around	Turn calmly, then reward catching up on a loose leash
A new harness or head halter	Use it to manage walks while you train in short sessions
Leash pops, choke or prong collar	Drop them; reward-based methods do as well or better
Long walks to tire the dog out	Short training sessions, plus separate sniff time

Instead of

Do this

Stopping when the dog pulls

Stop the moment the leash goes tight, every walk, with everyone who walks the dog

Treats

Pay often, beside your leg, while the leash is loose

Turning around

Turn calmly, then reward catching up on a loose leash

A new harness or head halter

Use it to manage walks while you train in short sessions

Leash pops, choke or prong collar

Drop them; reward-based methods do as well or better

Long walks to tire the dog out

Short training sessions, plus separate sniff time

14-day log

Count the stops your dog needed in a session. Compare this week with last week.

Day	Date	Minutes practiced	Pulls per walk
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

Pulls toward dogs or people? That is often reactivity. The free dog check (10 questions, about 3 minutes) gives the starting distance for your dog.

From the guide: dog pulls on leash, tried everything.
Sources: San Francisco SPCA, Dog: loose-leash walking (handout); RSPCA, How to teach your dog to walk nicely on a lead; RSPCA Australia, What equipment should I use when teaching my dog or puppy to walk on a leash? (updated January 10, 2023); American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, Position statement on humane dog training (2021).