Jump to section
Does it matter what people think about your dog's behavior?
You should care, because when out in public your dog is an ambassador for canine-kind. If he behaves badly by lunging at strangers, jumping up, or barking, this is unpleasant and intimidating for others. However, a well-behaved dog that walks nicely to heel and sits politely to greet people is a positive pleasure.
A dog that behaves in public means you can relax and enjoy walks, rather than be on edge all the time in anticipation of problems. Remember, the dog and his behavior are your responsibility, both in moral terms and in the eyes of the law. Should your dog jump up at a senior citizen, knocking them over so that they fracture a hip, then you could well be liable for their surgical expenses.
To behave well in public means having the dog under control at all times, both on and off the leash. This skill doesn't happen by magic but by putting in the time with regular obedience training. Even a basic command such as "Sit", along with walking to heel, equip the dog with a great grounding so that he is able to meet and greet strangers without showing you up.
Training both puppies and adult dogs does require time, persistence, and patience. For the puppies, the world is a big exciting place full of new sights, sounds, and smells, so distraction is rife. For the adult dog, they may have deeply ingrained bad habits that need to be replaced with new good behavior.
For both young and old, be sure to use reward-based training methods. This rewards the dog's good behavior, which sets them on the path to thinking about what they need to do to please you and earn a reward. Old-fashioned methods based on dominating the dog are outdated because they use intimidation and punishment to cow the dog into obeying. Not a happy scenario!
Basic obedience training requires little other than:
A collar and leash to restrain the dog
Bite-sized tasty treats to use as a reward
A bag that clips onto your belt, in which to keep the treats handy
Time, patience, and consistency
Train your dog a couple of times a day for 10 to 15 minutes. You can also incorporate training into your walks, such as getting the dog to sit curbside. However, be sure to make training fun and always end on a high with a command the dog knows and can do well. This helps build self-confidence and enthusiasm for the next session.
The Walk to Heel Method
Most Recommended
2 Votes
Most Recommended
2 Votes
Start without distractions
Train in a backyard with few distractions. Have the dog on a collar and lead. Walk forward. If the dog surges ahead, stop immediately.
Wait for a "sit"
Now ignore the dog and wait for him to sit. Once he sits, reward him with a treat. The idea is that the dog learns he is to stop when you stop.
Stop when he surges ahead
Walk on again. If the dog walks nicely on a slack lead, praise him and toss a treat. If he surges ahead, stop and wait for the sit. Then reward the sit, and start off again.
Label the "heel"
Your dog now has two choices, he can walk by your side and be rewarded, or if he surges ahead you stop and he has to sit and wait. Either way you are in control. When you move off and he heels, say "Heel" is a firm but happy voice, and reward him.
Build the behavior
With the dog now listening to you and watching for treats as he heels, start extending the amount of time he is expected to heel before he gets a treat. By making him travel further each time, he will eventually start to heel automatically. And if he surges ahead, you simply stop, meaning that he gets nowhere fast and finds it more rewarding to behave.
The Not Jump Up Method
Effective
1 Vote
Effective
1 Vote
Know jumping is self-rewarding
When a dog jumps up, he rewards himself, therefore you must prevent jumping up so that it doesn't become a habit. If you can see a flashpoint, such as a friend approaching, have the dog sit and "Look" at you.
Restrain the dog
Other strategies include stepping on the dog's lead so that it is too short for the dog to jump up. This may feel rather a negative thing to do, but know you are preventing the dog learning bad behavior.
Withdraw attention
If your dog jumps up when you come home, ignore the dog and walk off to a different room. Return, and only acknowledge the dog once he is calm with all four paws on the floor. Then make a big fuss of him. The lesson is that jumping up means no attention, while sitting or standing nicely means a fuss.
Practice with friends
Now practice the dog greeting friends. Perhaps do this outside and tie the dog to an immovable object such as a tree. Have the friend approach but stop and walk away as soon as the dog goes to jump. The friend only continues once the dog is calm with four-on-the-floor.
Teach an alternative behavior
Jumping up is an action, but so is sitting, standing, lying, or 'Look'. Decide on an alternative action you want the dog to perform in order to be greeted and work on this. For example, tell the dog "Sit" and only fuss him when he is in a sit.
The Sit on Command Method
Least Recommended
1 Vote
Least Recommended
1 Vote
Get his attention
Hold a treat between your finger and thumb, just in front of the dog's nose so that it holds his attention.
Raise the treat in the air
Use the treat as a lure, moving it slowly so that the dog follows it with his nose. Raise the treat is an arc over and behind the dog's head. As he follows the treat, as his head goes up and back, his butt will drop to the floor.
Label this "sit"
As soon as his butt hits the deck, say "Sit" in a firm but excited voice, and reward him with the treat.
Try without the treat
Practice with the treat until he starts to anticipate and sits as he starts to see your hand move. Now, start phasing out the treat, perhaps rewarding him for every second, then every third sit, rather than each time.
Take your training outside
Now practice in different places and with distractions until he responds regardless of what's going on and has a rock-solid sit.
Written by Amy Caldwell
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 10/06/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
More articles by Amy Caldwell
Training Questions and Answers
My dog barks and try’s to run at both people and dogs when out in public. He is currently just under 30kg so big puppy and I’m worried soon he will pull me with him with this. How do I tackle this behaviour without losing my mind in public?
March 20, 2021
Saber's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Erin, First, I would start by teaching pup a formal Heel command if they don't already know it. The initial goal is just to teach pup what a word means and motivate them to learn. What comes next is intermediate obedience. For intermediate obedience, you will gradually work up to distractions and pup developing the skills to obey in those situations too - at first the distraction might be someone walking through the room, a squirrel in the yard, a leaf blowing by, ect...Start with less distracting environments, then gradually move onto harder environments and spend intentional time practicing in each of those new environments until pup can focus there too. For example, in your home without others around is easiest, your backyard is a bit harder, your front yard is even harder, your neighborhood is even hard, your home with guests present is even harder, a pet store is even harder, the park with other dogs around is harder or similar, ect...Go out of your way to practice at the current level pup needs to learn at and to create the distractions pup is ready to learn to overcome during training sessions when you can control things - so that pup can also respond when things are more out of your control in every day life, but keep the distraction level what pup is ready for at that point in the training so pup can still succeed with your help - the goal is to guide pup and provide consistent, calm boundaries at this point. Second, you may need to switch some of your training methods if pup knows the command and is sometimes choosing to disobey. If pup is pulling because they are aggressive, reactive, or fearful, and not just excited, you will want to work on more socialization and counter conditioning too to help pup associate people with good things. I would consider hiring a professional trainer with experience with those things, who comes well recommended, to help you in person if that's the case. Temperament issues like aggression and fear are very time sensitive with puppies. The sooner its addressed the better the future outcome is likely to be. Reactivity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo-L2qtD7MQ Some other methods to help enforce commands when pup is ready: Reel In method for Come: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-whippet-to-recall Turns method for Heel: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
March 22, 2021
He is really scared to be out side the house
March 7, 2021
Shaggy's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Paola, I would start by simply sitting outside with pup in a calm area for an extended amount of time, pup 30-60 minutes. Play fun games or hide treats (in pesticide free areas) if he will take treats, or simply sit and read a book while pup just hangs out with you calmly and adjusts to the new things in their environment. When pup gets used to that spot, move to another area or your yard, neighborhood, park, ect... and do the same thing. Getting pup used to various things gradually instead of all at once while walking. Make walks and outings a regular thing once pup is more adjusted, bringing treats along to reward confidence, friendliness, calmness, and curiosity along the walk. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
March 8, 2021
My sweet girl - staffy x kelpie - just loves people and her collection of balls on ropes; one for yard and two in the car for the park; she can pick 'stinky' 'bouncy' and 'red' ball on command. My friends at the park walking track each afternoon don't have a dog, so enjoy the interaction with Edi; throwing the ball for her as we walk along chatting about the day. The trouble is she is now not returning to me when I say 'here', instead she runs to them and even seeks them out, running a great distance to them, which they make a huge fuss of. There is no point asking them to help with this by ignoring her. They even object to her being recalled by me, 'she's just having fun.' How do I train my dog AND my friends? Regards, Nonnette
Feb. 16, 2021
Edi's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Nonnette, Check out the PreMack Principle and the Long leash sections of the article linked below. I would work with pup around the friends with pup wearing a padded back clip harness (instead of collar to protect neck better) while using a 20'-40' length training leash, that you can reel pup in with when pup doesn't obey, allow pup to feel like they are off leash still, reward with a treat when they come to you when called, then allow enough slack in the leash for pup to get to your friends all the way AFTER pup comes to you first, so that going to your friends is the reward for coming to you first. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/train-dog-to-come-when-called/ You could also recruit the friends to play a game of round robin to help involve them in a game that also doubles as training, to encourage their involvement, in addition to the above real-life training I mentioned first above - which I would make priority. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Feb. 17, 2021