Walk the Walk with Your Dog

As you may or may not already know, dogs follow a pack instinct. This is what is natural for them. To your dog, your family is its pack, and he should be the last member on the hierarchical order of the pack. That means, the rest of your family members should have leadership over the dog.

Packs go on walks. Therefore, a walk is a very important ritual to have between a dog and its owners. It is also a good way to introduce another dog to the family. All your dogs should feel part of the same pack (your family).

Dogs must be taken on daily walks to fulfill this instinctual need. Having a big backyard is not a substitute for a walk. It is our responsibility as dog-owners to provide our dogs with their needs.

Benefits of the Walk:

Physical Exercise for you and the dog
Discipline
Drain excess energy
Leadership Exercise (lead the walk)
Heel on command
Dog-owner bonding: members of the same pack
Balanced life for your dog

Get Started

Make sure you have a well-fitted collar on your dog that is high up his neck. Body harnesses are not recommended since they will make it more difficult for you to control the dog. Prong chains are also not recommended. The walk should be pleasant for your dog and should not give him any pain.
At the house, call the dog to you (do not go to the dog). Do not get him excited. You want him to be calm and submissive.
It is good to have your dog obey a simple command, like "sit," before you put on the leash to make sure he is submissive.
Make sure you take a deep breath and calm yourself before going out. It is important that as the leader, you are calm and assertive.
Hold the leash close to the dog to keep the leash short and to maintain the dog close to you.
Before you get out the door, make sure your dog is calm. Do not reward him with the walk when he's excited.
Make sure you step out of the door first and that your dog follows you. If he accidentally goes out first, come back in the house and try again.
Maintain your dog looking forward. Do not allow him to stop and sniff. Only allow him to sniff around and pee/poo when you decide. Correct with an unexpected tug on the leash.
Do not allow the dog to pull on the leash or go in front of you. To the dog, this would mean he is leading the walk and leading you. If he does pull or go in front, stop walking. Start walking again when he relaxes the leash. A tug on the leash will work too. Pull to the side of the leash, which will throw the dog off-balance.
If you encounter other dogs/people on your walk, stay relaxed and confident, and keep walking. Correct your dog if he gets excited. Touch the dog with an assertive and intense hand/foot to snap him out of it, if necessary. The intensity of your touch should match the intensity of the dog in order to be effective.
The length of the walk should be commensurate with the dog's energy level. Higher energy dogs need a longer walk to satisfy their need.
Reward the dog with rest time to sniff and relieve himself.
Provide the dog with water at the end of the walk (or during the walk if it's longer than 30 minutes).
Provide the dog with food at the end of the walk. This will give the dog the idea that he has to work for his food (like pack dogs do).

Follow these steps and you will have a stable-minded, disciplined dog who follows his pack leader - you! Enjoy the time you spend with your dog, guiding it, and nurturing it to be the great companion you want and that he is capable of being.

Remember to be the leader your dog needs! Calm, confident, and assertive!

practice, practice, practice!