I’m a dog trainer – owners are always making a simple mistake walking their pooch and it has to stop
A DOG trainer has shared a tip with pet owners to help them with a mistake they may make every time they walk their pups.
The canine behaviorist has over 800,000 followers on TikTok who find his videos on the app about dog care helpful and entertaining.
In one video Will Atherton (@iamwillatherton) posted on his account, he told dog owners how to control their pooches while walking to make the experience as peaceful as possible.
He captioned the video saying that “most first-time owners don’t know” about the trick.
Will explained that the dog-walking tip is one that “the best dog trainers and handlers in the world know.”
“New owners don’t understand, then make this mistake on every single walk they go on with their dogs,” he said.
The dog trainer advised viewers to “stop letting your dog make decisions when you’re out on a walk,” if others want walks with their dog(s) to go as well as his do.
“Yes, that does mean that they can stop and sniff whenever they want,” he clarified.
He also said: “That means that they can’t react and bark and lunge toward people, vehicles, and traffic when they want.”
Dog owners should “instill” a rule in their pets to have them understand, “when we’re moving forward together, you follow me in all situations.”
Will said that the pooch should understand that, while on walks together, it should never make decisions for itself as the owner is the leader.
“You will have a dream dog on the end of the [leash],” he said about following the tips he shared.
“Then, when you get to where you’re going, maybe to a private field, somewhere safe, we can let them off the [leash] or switch them out to a long line.”
Once the owner and dog are no longer walking to their destination and have made it to a place that’s safe and open, “then they can run, be a dog, and have all the fun in the world,” Will said.
With over 91,000 likes on the video, many users commented with questions and opinions regarding the dog-walking tip.
One TikToker commented saying: “I guess it depends on what you want in a walk.”
They went on to say that they let their dog sniff “whenever,” noting that “it’s his walk, not mine.”
Another person chimed in: “My idea of a dream dog is a dog that behaves naturally.”
Someone interested in teaching their dog how to walk as Will demonstrated in the video asked: “How do we stop that?”
They added: “Mine are amazing off [leash] but the choke themselves on [the leash].”
A different user said: “I could watch your [TikToks] all day – brilliant.”
The TikTok user went on to tell Will: “I own a Cane Corso. I know they’re one of your favorite breeds.”