It's happened to the best of us: you're minding your own business when you see your dog out of the corner of your eye, running away from you with something in their mouth that they definitely shouldn't have. Whether it's a pair of your favorite shoes or the remote control, it can be frustrating trying to get them to drop the item and come back to you. But why do they run away in the first place?

Loose leash walking can be a challenging skill for many owners and dogs. There is a lot going on when trying to train your dog to walk nicely next to you. First you have to learn to hold the leash and the treats, usually while your dog is pulling you everywhere. Not to mention, your dog’s focus is elsewhere as they sniff every blade of grass and pull towards every dog and stranger they see.

I very rarely think about getting my dogs away from treats or toys during training anymore. So, sometimes when clients ask me about this, I can have some difficulty understanding why they are concerned because I know that dogs work for many things beyond treats and I can harness those things to use to my advantage.