From Pulling to Peace:

Loose Leash Walking Course

Anna Bartosik Anna Bartosik
Start: 01 Dec 2024
Next: TBA

Auditor:

  • Duration: 6 weeks.
  • Learning materials: Written lessons with video tutorials.
  • Access to other Premium members' threads for additional insights.
  • Certificate of attendance upon completion.
  • Lifetime, 24/7 access to course materials.
  • Join the vibrant Tromplo community.
  • Earn 4 loyalty program points.

Premium:

  • Earn 15 loyalty program points.
  • Personalized attention: Instructor analyzes 12 minutes of your training videos weekly.
  • Engage in interactive learning with homework and daily feedback.
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I know the feeling of embarrassment when the dog I’m walking pulls me in every direction, my arm straining against the force. The thought of my dog training clients witnessing this leaves me feeling mortified, questioning their perception of me as a trainer. What will they think of me and my dog training skills? 

Over the years as a pet sitter working with multiple dogs in many different scenarios, I learned that I can arrange my environment for optimal success and minimize errors. The changing environment of a walk is one of the trickiest ones to arrange but with the knowledge of the dog I’m walking with, I can devise a plan with the highest success rate. Moreover, I continuously introduce new challenges to ensure steady progress. The truth is, that transitioning from pulling to a peaceful walk takes time. However, my experience with different dogs and environments, allowed me to create a 6-week program that will show improvements even with the strongest pullers!

After taking a lot of my pet sitting dogs through this program and honing it with their help, I no longer feel the same embarrassment I used to feel on walks. Now the dogs are happily trotting next to me for most of the walk and when I can I let them off leash (or long line) for other parts. We are enjoying the walk together, getting the most out of it.

You can get the same results I did by signing up for this 6-week program. Even if you are a trainer or work with your dog for a long time on many other things, one of the students in this loose leash walking course shared a valuable perspective:

“Hi Anna! I can’t thank you enough for your observations and encouragement. You do a fantastic job pointing out our wins, small and large. I always felt like you were on our side, your genuine joy in our successes really showed through. (…) When we’re striving towards our goals, (…), we don’t have to do everything all at once, just focus on one thing for some amount of time until we’ve started to integrate the skills that help us progress, and there are times when we would do well to outsource some part of the process. I consider taking classes in that way. I still have to do The Work, but I don’t have to do all the planning and organizing and analyzing. This frees up my bandwidth to be able to do the work, the skill progression with a touch of observation, and then sharing where we are going with my instructor and their knowledge and experiences. So, thank you for freeing up my capacity to be more present with Duncan and what we are working on together instead of having to do the entire package of thinking, planning, doing, observing, and reflecting.“

Katherine and Duncan

Join Katherine in experiencing the loose leash walking training plan I’ve developed, allowing more time for practical training. As a premium student, you’ll receive daily feedback, enabling us to celebrate successes together and adapt our approach for continued progress, even amidst setbacks.

What will we work on during this course?

  • building a solid foundation of behavior in a distraction-free environment 
  • looking at the handler and focusing attention on them
  • looking away from distractions 
  • developing strategies for when the leash gets tight
  • walking at different speeds and for different durations 
  • u-turn and changing direction 
  • walking together as a team in different environments
  • troubleshooting common problems

Who will be your instructor?

I’m Anna Bartosik, a Tromplo instructor since 2020. Grounding my practical training in theoretical knowledge from Applied Behavior Analysis, I’ve worked with various species, including dogs, cats, horses, and guinea pigs. This experience has enabled me to understand how behavioral principles apply universally. My goal is to simplify scientific concepts, empowering teams to maximize their training potential.

Course Testimonials

I cannot recommend Anna enough as an instructor, observer, cheerleader, and free-thinker. Duncan and I already had some exposure to loose leash walking training but I just kept struggling to progress. Anna gently helped me to become aware of my expectations and how to free myself from “we should be able to do this” to the benefit of my dog and myself. She gave me permission to take sniffy walks at his pace and that led to opportunities for Duncan to engage and progress his understanding of when to work and what that work looks like. Her observations and feedback are so clear that it’s almost effortless to add her suggested approximations, yet she is always available to discuss if things go sideways, as they do. Anna also helped suggest some complimentary fitness training to encourage Duncan’s confidence on certain surface textures. I am so satisfied with her instruction from my reframe of walks to our improved confidence and continued practice. I wish I could take a little “pocket Anna” with us on our loose leash walking progression, but I know I can take what I have learned and help me and my dog take some lovely, peaceful walks.

Katherine Berry

April 11, 2024

Lessons:

  • Week 1 01 Dec 2024

    • 1. Introduction

      Read this before proceeding to the first lesson!…

    • 2. What is your dream walk?

      Think about what a walk with your dog looks like now. Do you walk on busy city sidewalks, in a subdivision,…

    • 3. Let’s talk about walking equipment

      I recommend using a harness and long leashes for all walks! The length of the leash will depend on the…

    • 4. Basic terminology

      Classical conditioning, operant conditioning and marker signals A few terms that may come up throughout the course are classical conditioning,…

    • 6. What to do when the leash gets tight?

      The strategy will depend on what is happening in the environment and what is the reason the dog is currently…

    • 5. Basic skills your dog will need – attention

      Let’s introduce the loose leash walking subject a little bit. What do we mean by loose leash walking? I heard…

    • 7. Building up movement

      For this week, to best set ourselves for success we are starting the training at home indoors without equipment. In…

    • 8. What are the necessary skills for you as a trainer/learner?

      When we have a dog-human team there are always 2 learners. What are the necessary skills for you (the human)…

  • Week 2 08 Dec 2024

    • 9. Teaching ‘This Way!’

      Teaching ‘This Way!’ is an effective method to train your dog to change direction, which comes in handy when you…

    • 10. Reinforcement placement – “takeout window”

      In the beginning, it is advisable to choose one reinforcement strategy and stick with that for a while. For the…

    • 11. Progressing attention exercise

      We worked on building attention to the handler as a first skill your dog will need. The first step was…

    • 12. Directional turns

      The next step on our loose leash walking journey is to start moving in different directions and reinforcing next to…

    • 13. 3D’s and starting inside

      Any time we train a new behavior, we need to think about slowly layering in distance, distractions and duration (commonly…

    • 16. Working your environment

      Have you noticed when and where is your dog most likely to pull on the leash? For some dogs, it…

  • Week 3 15 Dec 2024

    • 14. Other reinforcement placement strategies

      We have tons of options when it comes to how and where we deliver treats during training, and our decisions…

    • 15. Changes of speed

      Another component to add to the loose leash walking skills is to include changes of speed. Try walking faster and…

    • 17. Generalizing

      You are probably beginning to understand the importance of taking the time to generalize behaviors, in other words, teach behaviors…

    • 19. Recall

      Recall is a crucial skill for off-leash freedom, long leash walks, and quickly grabbing your dog’s focus on a short…

    • 18. Practicing ‘This Way!’ outside

      Building on the previous lesson about generalizing behavior, and after mastering ‘This Way!’ behavior indoors, it is time to start…

  • Week 4 22 Dec 2024

    • 20. Why do dogs pull?

      Dogs pull to get to interesting smells, sights, objects, people, and animals. It can also include finding something to eat.

    • 21. Listing out distractions for your dog

      To enhance each skill in your dog’s training repertoire, it’s crucial to systematically elevate the level of distraction. Start your…

    • 22. Working with distractions

      To start working with distractions we might first bring distracting objects to our low distracting environment. If for your dog,…

    • 23. Taking training to the more challenging environment

      When we take our training to a more distracting environment with people, animals, or even wildlife in view – one…

    • 24. Using the “distractions” as reinforcers

      When working on loose leash walking skills, one thing that you can do is to teach food as a reinforcer…

  • Week 5 29 Dec 2024

    • 25. Different types of walks

      If you only walk your dogs in the same park where they run and play and it’s the most exciting…

    • 26. Building duration

      It’s time to add more steps (duration of loose leash walking skills) and while we work on duration, we need…

    • 27. Coming closer to the distractions

      Building on our previous lesson, we can apply the same principles to those used when incorporating duration as we address…

    • 28. Practicing ‘This Way’ and recall in different environments

      While focusing on maintaining a loose leash during walks, it’s crucial to consistently hone additional skills like ‘This Way’ and…

  • Week 6 05 Jan 2025

    • 29. Putting it all together – distraction plus duration

      Now it’s time to put it all together! Start asking for more steps (duration) in a more distracting environment. If…

    • 30. Common challenges and troubleshooting

      Each team will understandably be different, but there seem to be some common challenges that pop up with loose leash…

    • 31. What does your walk look like now?

      What are your dog’s current skills? Which strategy I showed you works best for you and your dog? Maybe you…

    • 31. Congratulations!

      Farewell and Keep Moving Forward! Mega Cheers and…

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