In last week's column, I explained one method to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash. This method involved stopping and backing up when Spot pulls on his leash. You can try many other methods if plan A was not successful.

A method I read about recently recommends you walk your dog in a circle when it pulls on the leash. Picture this; you are walking along calmly when Spot sees your neighbor in the yard. Spot strains at the lead to get some pets from his friend. Instead of stopping and backing up, jerking on the leash or allowing Spot to drag you along, you begin to move in a circle about 10 feet in diameter. As you calmly move away from the neighbor, Spot slows, putting slack in the leash. You give Spot a lot of praise and rewards. The natural progression of the circle brings you back around to the neighbor. If the leash remains loose, you drift closer, if the leash tightens, you circle again. This method keeps the dog moving which can decrease frustration for you and Spot. It teaches the dog self-control. He controls the approach by keeping slack in the leash. The ultimate reward is a life reward. Spot gets pets from your neighbor. That is exactly what he wanted.

I have found this method works well with excitable dogs. The stopping and starting in last weeks plan can increase a dog's agitation. The calm, steady progress on a circle seems to reduce anxiety and arousal. If you walk in a circle long enough, it gets boring. It is the same over and over, so the dog calms down.

The simplest method I have used is described in Dawn Jec's book Choose to Heel. Dawn's method involves walking around your fenced yard with your dog off lead. Hold your hand out next to your hip/thigh area where you like your dog to walk. Every time Spot touches your hand, reward him and change direction. Spot will come up and touch your hand again. You reward every touch and change direction each time. Eventually, Spot lines himself up next to you because good things happen there. I know it sounds like it would never work. I tried it with one of my dogs. The first day, after 5 minutes of practice, I was sure I was wasting my time. The next day, I tried again for 5 minutes. My dog spent more time near me. The third day, she was heeling all around the yard. That was three five-minute sessions! Yes, I used great rewards and tons of praise. However, I did not use anything else. It was pretty easy and tons of fun after the first seemly fruitless day.

Try some of these methods when you walk your dog. You might be as pleasantly surprised as I was. If you are interested in finding out more about training, join one of my classes at Pawprints. I teach a logical progression of commands and cues that make your dog a fabulous pet using force free methods.

Cissy Sumner of Best Behavior Dog Training is Vero's first Certified Pet Dog Trainer. If you have a training or behavior question, email Cissy at bbdogtraining@bellsouth.net. Visit www.pawprintsofverobeach.com for group training information. Private training is available by appointment.