[Gretchen]

I see it’s been a month since this post, but thought I would share what I do. Firstly, I have to admit where I live I don’t have to have them on a leash… However, when I visit my son in a city neighborhood, I use retractable leashes. The baby needs her “going to town” Herm Springer collar, my other does not. They have several commands, this is key. The obvious ones, “let’s go”, “leave it”. The most important is “car” this is extreme “come” for when a car goes by, every time a car goes by they must come to me and sit – unless we are on a busy street and then, they must be on a “heel close”. “Heel Close” they learned by me having my hands in their collars for many months of conditioning. The second most important command is “too far” and “No”, this means they get to the end of the leash. Teaching this requires the Herm Springer to give a correction, “No”, they stop pulling, then, reward, “Yes”. If this isn’t possible, use a 30 ft leash in a park for enough sessions for them to understand “too far”. I learned leash walking should be taught walking backwards with the dog following. This step is important. The last command is “stop pulling”, if we are walking along while they are allowed to be out sniffing and are pushing the limit, but not actually pulling on my arm yet. These commands took weeks of multiple a day conditioning. I don’t walk on 6 ft leashes unless I am in a city center and then, I always use the Herm Springers where there is no chance of them pulling, lunging or even thinking they can go visit with another doggie friend. I also walk them both on the same side when on the short leashes. They are not allowed to sniff or potty only “heel”. Hope these added commands can help you!