There are any number of reasons why your dog might be acting this way on walks. One guess is that he is displacing his excitement about being outside, or perhaps stress about being outside. A “displacement” behavior is simply a behavior that is channeling an emotion in a funny way that doesn't may not make a lot of sense– like punching a wall when you’re mad, or jumping up and down when you’re happy.
You can try to keep walks short and fun in order to temper what might be stress. Bring lots of good food rewards on your walk, and toss them on the ground, to encourage him to spend his time outside looking down– the head-down position is a calming one for dogs, and I’d rather he spend his energy scavenging than jumping on you etc. You can also try bringing a toy on a walk. Sometimes, giving a dog the chance to carry a stick or a toy on a walk can make a world of difference in their on-leash behavior.
To help your dog focus on walking, try these four things on walks:
1. Walk quickly
If your dog is focused on keeping on with you, he’ll be less focused on trying to get ahead of you.
2. Switch directions often
If your dog thinks you always walk straight ahead, he is more likely to be out in front of you. Turn him into a vigilant backseat driver by being unpredictable! Once you switch directions, your dog will go from being in front of you to in back of you…Clever, right? Get in the habit of making swift, unpredictable turns and your dog will be forced to pay more attention to you, which means less attention will be spent trying to get out as far in front of you as possible.
3. Reward regularly
Outside, you are probably less interesting than everything else around you. Do you think he’d rather spend time with the human he sees hours a day, or that discarded chicken bone over there? You can build your interest-factor by becoming a periodic dispenser of good things as soon as you hit the sidewalk. Here’s the thing: You don’t have to reward him for walking well; approach it from the point of view that by keeping him focused on your rewards, it’ll result in nice walking without you even having to focus on it. A few examples of when to reward him on walks:
- Reward him any time he looks at you. This might mean giving him a treat, or just praising him, or even whipping out a toy.
- Pick an arbitrary marker and reward him whenever you come upon one, like every fire hydrant you pass or every red car you see.
4. Reward at your leg
It’s important that you deliver the reward (e.g. a piece of dried lamb lung) to your dog where you want your dog to be: Usually this is by your knee, hip, or ankle, depending on your height and your dog’s size.