Leash walking: Do you allow some drifting?

[Anthony8858]

Kira is doing really well on her leash. I'm at a point, where I feel that I can take her on a stress free walk.
Here's my question:

When walking with her, I can easily make her stay by my side, and correct her if she walks ahead of me.
A simple verbal or physical correction with the leash, will always get her to stop and get back to my side.
However, there are times, when I would allow her to drift ahead of me, or away from me. I feel that she enjoys the little extra freedom.

When you walk with your dogs, are they always by your side?
Do you allow them to drift and sniff around at all?

Am I confusing her, by allowing her to occasionally drift?

[Kittilicious]

I honestly don't like it when a dog is right by my side - I always feel like I'm going to step on their toes or fall on my face falling over them, so yes, they drift.

[MomOfBroncoandKoda]

I may be in the minority, but it is a pet peeve of mine when my dogs drift. I feel like if they are drifting and sniffing they aren't really focusing on the walk. They get plenty of play time at the park and plenty of sniffing and drifting then. Koda (9 mo) has been amazing on the leash from day one. I keep a very tight leash and he walks right next to me and doesn't pull on the leash. I have never stepped on his toes. Dogs just know how to walk in step with their owners usually.

[Kittilicious]

I'm sure you aren't the minority, I probably am. My husband is always trying to get me to walk them right next to me and it drives me nuts. I'd rather them a step or two ahead of me or even a step or two to the side of me. They WILL walk besides me, I just don't feel comfortable with it.

[Jack's Dad]

I don't care so much the exact location of the dog. He walks one place with me and a different place for my wife. Since it's not a formal heel it's personal choice.
I do not allow sniffing, looking atound, strolling casually etc...
I've seen enough threads on here about reactive dogs to believe i have been doing the right thing for me. Goofing off on the walk is potential trouble.
I do take him lots of places where he is free to roam and explore and that is fun for both of us.
If there is an appropriate place on the walk then I might let him sniff etc... but not if there are dogs or people and not while we are walking.

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

I don't care about drifting at all- but with a four foot leash, it's not like he's getting far. And for the most part he stays right by me. He is free to sniff and look at whatever he wants. I consider the walks a time for him to get out of the house and explore.

[Lucy Dog]

Just as long as there's no pulling, I can care less where the dog is and what she's focusing on. It's a walk... she's supposed to be enjoying herself.

[NewbieShepherdGirl]

I walk only for her. It's not something that I intrinsically enjoy, but find joy in it because she enjoys it. So my theory is, as long as she is not getting in the way of others she can be what she wants and smell what she wants, whatever; it's her time to be a dog and get out of the house. At the same time, we're working on getting her to come to my side when we're walking so that when another person or dog walks by there are no problems. We don't usually really work that on the fun walk though; I do that after she's had her hour of walking (I don't let her bother people during her fun walk, but I usually just stop, put her in a sit, and let them pass rather than trying to work a heel).

[GSDAlphaMom]

Originally Posted by Lucy Dog

Just as long as there's no pulling, I can care less where the dog is and what she's focusing on. It's a walk... she's supposed to be enjoying herself.

Ditto. I don't allow pulling or craziness but my dogs are good walkers and my walks with them are not heeling training sessions so I let them enjoy it.

[Cassidy's Mom]

It's up to you to decide what criteria you want for your leash walks. I think it's less confusing if you're consistent about your expectations for her, regardless of what they are. You can definitely have different criteria for a formal heel vs a casual loose leash walk, but if sometimes that casual loose leash walk means one thing and other times it means something else, then she may become confused.

What you can do is put the drifting on cue - I do that with sniffing. If my dogs are interested in checking out something at the edge of the trail, rather than just letting them take up the slack in the leash and go over there, I'll put them in a sit, wait for eye contact, and then release them: "okay, go sniff". When I want to continue I say "let's go" and keep walking, and our normal LLW criteria are in effect.

Heeling is a difficult skill, so I really don't use the command much, and only for very short distances within a walk. But I do have strict criteria for a LLW that I try to stay consistent with. There are times when the trail narrows or we're crossing the narrow bicycle bridge at the lake where we walk, and it's easier to let Halo go ahead of me than to walk next to me in such tight quarters, so I tell her "take the leash" and let out some slack.