Why does my dog walk in front of me?
Each of the different reasons that your dog might be walking in front of you will likely come with a number of clues.
Below, I will mention a number of reasons that your dog might be doing it and what would make it more likely.
The reason that it walks in front of you could be that it wants to go faster. This would be more likely if it tends to pull on the leash when it does it and if it is a dog that is known for wanting to go faster such as a Husky.
If it does seem to be doing it because it wants to go faster then it would help to implement the tips mentioned below.
The reason that it walks in front of you could be that it is being protective. This would be more likely if it is a protective breed such as a German Shepherd and if it only seems to do it when other people or dogs are around.
It could be the case that it does it because it wants to interact with something. This would be more likely if it seems to want to go ahead only some of the time and it does it when you are coming up to things such as bushes or trees.
The reason that it does it could be that it has a lot of excess energy and it wants to get more exercise. This would be more likely if your dog is from a very active breed such as a Husky and it is meant to be getting lots of exercise daily.
If it is from an active breed and it isn’t getting the recommended amount of daily exercise then it would help to make sure that it does.
The reason that it walks in front of you might be that it is looking for attention. This would be more likely if it does it when you have not given it much attention and if it does it when you are not walking it. If your dog does walk in front of you when you are not walking it then I have written more about why it might do it here.
If you haven’t trained your dog much then it could be the case that it does not know that it is not meant to walk in front of you. If you haven’t trained it much then it would help to start teaching it basic things such as to sit and to follow the tips below.
It could also be the case that your dog has learned that the behavior is rewarded. If you tend to give your dog things such as toys, treats, or extra attention (good or bad), when it walks in front of you, it would be more likely that your dog will do it more in order to get more rewards. This would be more likely if your dog has started doing it around the home.
Below, I will mention some particularly helpful things to consider when trying to figure out why your dog walks in front of you. Once you have a better idea of the cause it will be easier to take the appropriate action.
Considering the timing of when it first started walking in front of you could be helpful.
Some things that might have happened could include:
If your dog has always walked in front of you then it would make it more likely that it does it naturally and you need to train it not to do it.
The timing of when it does it could also be a helpful thing to consider. If it only seems to be doing it in certain situations then it would likely tell you a lot about the cause.
For example, if it seems to walk in front of you on a walk then it would be more likely that it either does it naturally and needs to be trained not to or it wants to run more.
Whereas, if your dog does it around the home, it would be more likely that your dog does it because it does not realize that it is in your way.
How to get my dog to stop walking in front of me?
There are a number of things that you can do about your dog walking ahead of you. The best option for your dog will largely depend on the cause of it doing it.
Below, I will mention a number of things that you can do about it.
Positive reinforcement training is where you reward the behaviors that you want to see from your dog.
To use positive reinforcement training to get your dog to stop walking ahead of you on the leash you would do as follows:
You can watch the video below to see how it is done
To use positive reinforcement training to get your dog to stop walking in front of you at home you would:
You can also give it lots of attention and exercise throughout the day.
As mentioned above, it might be the case that your dog has learned that the behavior is rewarded. Instead, if your dog does it when on a walk, it would help to stop and wait for your dog to calm down before walking again. If your dog does it around the home, it would help to avoid giving your dog any extra attention when it does it.
When I take my dog for a walk, should I have him heel the entire time? Or is it ok to let him walk in front of me on occasion?There’s no one right way to
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Is it OK for My Dog to Walk in Front of Me? | The Beacon Dog Academy
Here are six dog training tips on how to walk your dog and master the dog walk. When I’m out with my dog pack, I often walk about ten dogs at a time, sometimes even off-leash if I’m in a safe area. People are amazed by this, but it’s simple: the dogs see me as their pack leader. This is why dogs follow me wherever I go.