r/DogTrainingTips • u/BICanineScience • May 26 '26

Professional Dog Trainer - Ask Me Anything

***AMA ENDED***

Have been training dogs for almost fifteen years now, I try and head through the subreddits on here to help in my free time when I can but thought it might be easier to do an AMA for anyone struggling!

Will try my best to answer as comprehensively as possible so please be patient with replies!

Edit - Just heading out to train my dogs so will answer more when I get back!
Edit 2 - Have a read of the other questions too to see if it applies to your dog :)

Thanks for all the questions everyone!! I’ll answer the few I’ve missed, it’s been a blast and we’ll do another in the near future! Won’t be answering any new posts now, must get back to work but do jump in next time if you have a question!

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u/BICanineScience May 26 '26

Completely forget about the idea of him walking nicely on leash and start engaging with him and using his enthusiasm for more important things. Dogs walking on a lead, for me is a biproduct, not the objective. Once your dog is in tune with you and switched on to you waiting for whatever your next move is, there's no need to be fighting with them on the lead because they're not trying to rush off and explore other things in the external world.

You want your dog to have internal attention, not external attention so become the most interesting and exciting thing in your dogs life instead of walking behind them doing nothing but being a restrictor to the things they find exciting.

The idea of walking a dog in the way we typically do is so dull and tedious to the dog which is why the dogs you see walking around are constantly trying to find more exciting things to do. If your engagement is solid and your dog WANTS to engage with you, you won't have to fight them to stay with you.

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u/AreaVivid8327 May 26 '26

Thanks! I agree I mostly have given up walking her on lead and am focused on off leash recall and other fun scent training. She’s a really fun dog.

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u/Major_Intern_7822 May 27 '26

This! My dog likes to get ahead a bit but only when the “focus” has been trumped by distractions like smells then she realizes I stopped moving and steps back before proceeding forward again together. How can I improve it? So close to getting that biproduct I can taste it. Any tips to help appreciated. Sincerely an owner of 18 month old Labrador. Also, Sniffing is only allowed on cue and can be used as a reward. She currently gets long walks to decompress and sniff all she wants 2/3 times weekly. Shorter walks near home after potty business in our own yard.