Most of the dogs you see walking in the park or down the street are on a leash. Have you ever seen a Labrador retriever walking down the street next to his owner without a leash? You may wonder how the owner got so lucky to have a Labrador that will walk by his side without worrying about him running off after a squirrel or rabbit. The answer doesn’t lie in luck; instead, it lies in the Labrador retriever training you complete with your dog.
Look at Me
The most important step in teaching your Labrador retriever to walk with you without a leash is to train him to look at you to place his focus on you. To do this, hold out a treat where he can smell it and speak the command, “Look at me.” Once you say the phrase, move the treat toward your face. When your Labrador retriever makes eye contact, give him the treat. Repeat until he responds without the treat.
Sit on Left Side
Once your Labrador retriever is doing well with looking at you, move on to encouraging him to sit on your left side, which he will need to do whenever you stop. For this part of the Labrador retriever training, sit him on your left side facing forward and encourage him to sit. When he does so, give him a treat. Walk forward a few steps and command him to sit again. Repeat this process until he automatically sits when you stop walking.
Heel
The universal command to get your Labrador retriever to walk is “heel.” Training him to use this command is essential so your dog knows when you expect him to come along with you. Reward your Labrador with a treat each time he comes with you when you say “heel” and stops and sits when you do. Continue working with your dog until he is able to do this at different walking speeds and around turns.
Once your Labrador training is complete, you will be able to remove the leash from your dog and allow him to walk by your side unrestrained. However, don’t be discouraged if you still experience problems with your dog not walking with you for a while. It is normal for this process to take some time. When it is complete, though, you will be glad you took the time to perform this Labrador retriever training.
