I am something of the leashwalking expert, after many painful months of trial & error. I rescued a feral, fear-aggresive Catahoula Leopard hound from a bush earlier this year. He was highly protective of me, had a deep distrust of men, and was both people and dog reactive. The 'houla was definitely a handful, but he taught me what does and doesn't work when Leash-training a dog. (FYI he's now found a forever family with a giant back yard:)
Most sites on the internet talk about how to leash-train a puppy. But what if you already have an adult dog that cannot be walked? What if you have a dog that is already damaged, reactive, unpredictable, fearful, dominant, or agressive? I was so frustrated looking for support with my Catahoula. The internet was full of overpriced trainers and overly-basic articles on "how to walk my labrador puppy? Answer: Carry treats!"
Like bruh.
It's not that easy.
Anyways, once I mastered leashwalking with the Catahoula, it was a lot easier for me the second time round. When I taught my mastiff to leashwalk like a goodboi, I knew how.
Here are my tips:
Only leashwalk your dog once he's gotten his energy out in a yard or park first. Let him run, stretch go crazy for a little bit. He is a dog, afterall, and you need to allow your dog to be a dog.
Now that he is sufficiently exhaused, try walking him in a relatively "trigger-free" area. Set him up for success. If your dog gets triggered by other dogs, or becomes reactive/fearful, then maybe don't walk him in a dog park. Walk him in a quiet residential street, industrial area of town or on an empty beach.
Think about the time of day. At 7-9am, every single dog owner is outside walking their dog. My Boerboel can SMELL all these dogs out 'n about. If I try walk Samir at 8am, he goes into dominant, hyperfocus/hunting mode. I just adjusted my walk times. No one in Fl walks their dogs at 11am. It's super hot and empty out. So when Samir and I walk at 11am, he doesn't smell or see as many dogs. His whole demeanor is so much calmer. Perhaps, we will encounter one or two dogs at a distance. Samir has a certain "threshold" of how many dogs he can tolerate and ignore before he gets into a hyperexcited state. He can see around 3 dogs per walk (at a distance), and stay calm. But once we encounter 5+ dogs, his energy shifts into an overly excitable state, where he cannot control himself anymore. He will pull/bark/jump. Know your dogs limits and thresholds. Model the calm energy you want your dog to exhibit on a walk. Breathe deeply. Walk at a relaxed pace. Your dog picks up on stress and will mirror your energy state.
You have to force your Boerboel to relax outdoors. Sometimes, I put Samir in a "down" outside and feed him a piece of dried chicken slowly over the course of a minute or two. This way, he learns it is okay to lie down and switch off the "guard mode" at times.
I issue a lot of commands on walks. Sit, down, Paw, stay, come, Watch me. This keeps his brain occupied.
I also treat him immediately every time he makes eye contanct.
I praise him heavily if he sees a dog in the distance and makes the choice to look away and ignore it. (The old Samir would've been straining at the leash, on two legs, spinning to escape the collar, possibly barking).