Back to the Basics

I took Bare for a walk around the neighborhood (neighborhood? ok, more like around the block) today and decided to work heavily on LLW (loose-leash walking for those of you not in on the service dog lingo). I did the whole "every time she pulled on the leash I plant my feet and make her come back to my side" thing. It definitely started to work. After a few times of that, Barely was catching on that we weren't going anywhere unless she kept the leash slack. I didn't bring any treats with me, but I figured the reward of just moving forward plus some praise would be enough and it definitely was. By the time we turned for home, she was consistently keeping the leash loose (with it only attached to her collar--no Easy Walk!). :)

I'm ashamed to say that I have allowed her to get away with pulling when we go for walks for way too long. It's not like I let her just pull me down the sidewalk, I always shortened the leash enough that she couldn't do that, but she was still keeping it tight so that wasn't a good thing at all. It's strange how different she is once you put her SSD harness on and take her out in public. She rarely pulls me anymore in public. But obviously she realized she could get away with it when we go for walks...again, totally my fault. :( Anyway, I'm glad that she's catching on so quickly and I'll definitely keep it up!!