# Dog walking question... which side should he be on?



## goldendogowner (Aug 29, 2010)

hello... i'm new to the forums here and i hope i'm posting my question in the right place.

i have a year-old golden retriever and he does fairly well when walking on the leash. my question is this:

when training the dog to walk on the leash, you are told that the dog must be on your left side when you walk. however, when you walk on a trail on which other people are walking, they are always walking on the right side of the trail. if you are also walking on the right side, this means that when you face the other person, the dog is between you and the other person, toward the center of the trail. is this correct? should i be walking my dog on my right side so that i am between him and the person coming from the opposite direction? and if that is so, why do people say the dog should be on the left side? 

i hope that doesn't sound too silly!

rather confused,

goldendogowner


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## bartleby (Aug 18, 2010)

I think the practice of keeping the dog on your left side started because people needed to keep their right hand free for stuff other than the dog. I think most right handed people prefer to use their right hand for carrying their shopping bag, pushing the baby carriage, etc. I have horses, which are traditionally led with the right hand. When I need to lead both a horse and a dog, I hold the horse's reins in my right hand and the dog's leash in my left. It's kind of handy to have the dog accustomed to walking on your left ahead of time so that it's not getting stepped on by the horse, conked by the shopping bags, or tangled up in the baby carriage wheels the first time you're all out together. However, if you're not doing obedience, I don't see why you shouldn't walk your dog in whatever way makes sense to you.


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## MegaMuttMom (Sep 15, 2007)

I almost always walk my dog on the right just to make sidewalk passings easier. If you ever plan to do agility, it is good to work a dog on both sides. In my class, lots of dogs and owners that have done lots of obedience heeling work have trouble working on both sides, which is crucial in agility.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

There is no correct side to walking a dog - choose whichever side is most comfortable for you. Some people, esp. those who compete in obedience or have service dogs, for example, need to teach the dog which side to walk on. It's also convenient to pick a side so the dog knows what is expected and can be called back to a heel position when needed.

I'm right handed so it's easier for me to loop the leash around my right wrist and control the slack with my left, so the dog is on my left. When we approach someone coming with another dog, I either step to the side and let them pass with my dog in a sit, or I switch the dog to my right side to be away from the other dog since I like to control any encounters we have. So my dog is trained to walk well on either side.


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## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

I have to walk with a cane on my left side. That pretty much means that my dog must walk to my right. Unless you are showing or competing in some way that requires the dog to be on the left it doesn't really matter. I also like Dixie to walk a little ahead of me rather than right at my side. She is highly reactive to things and can get out of control rather quickly. I need her where I can see her better so I can read her body language. You have to do what works best for you and your dog.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

My dog walks on the right side and slightly ahead of me, because when I go for walks with hubby, he is always on my left side, and the dog would get in the way if she was on the left as well. She doesn't walk next to me because I like to be able to see her, and she is more comfortable in front of me. When she does walk next to me (in areas where she doesn't know where we are going) she keeps stopping and looking up at me for direction and gets in my way, so it's just easier for her to be in front.


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## goldendogowner (Aug 29, 2010)

thanks so much for replying! i'm not really into agility with my dog, and he's not a service dog either. i had started to shift him over to the right every now and then just so we don't lose momentum while walking, so will try my hand at that some more to see if it works. would be nice to have him walk on both sides with ease. he seems to be a fast learner so far. but i am happy to hear of so many different ways people do things that work for them. 
bartleby: i work with horses, too, and while my dog doesn't work with me while i'm with horses, i never actually thought about it that way, but it sure is something for me to think about!


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

I trained a "switch" command, meaning that the dog is supposed to switch sides by going behind my back. Works like a charm whenever we're on a sidewalk or trail and someone needs to pass.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

I walk my 3 dogs together. Two are on the left and one is on the right.


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## Meshkenet (Oct 2, 2009)

I usually walk with Léon on the right, Jame on the left, and Coco on the left a bit ahead of us. When I only have 1 dog, whichever it is, they each know to walk on the left. I have also trained them to switch to the other side in case we walk pass someone or there is an obstacle. They also know a command to walk behind me when we come to a small passage.

It's nice to have variety and choice, and it keeps them alert: I often make them change side or walk behind me just for the fun of it, to keep them busy during walks.


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## pbmix (Sep 8, 2009)

I've never even thought about this... what a great idea! I'd love to hear how you taught this command.

To the OP, I didn't know a thing about training a dog when I got Annie.. I just naturally walked her on the right side. However, I wish I would have taught her to walk on the left, because in obedience classes, everyone else had their dog on the left, and teaching "heel" was a bit more of a chore because I really had to pay attention to left turns, right turns, etc. I guess it didn't really matter though, because Annie graduated at the top of her class 



GottaLuvMutts said:


> I trained a "switch" command, meaning that the dog is supposed to switch sides by going behind my back. Works like a charm whenever we're on a sidewalk or trail and someone needs to pass.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

You have a Golden, you can teach them to walk the horse... if you want to 
One method:
1. Get some tiny treats.
2. Walk the dog on one side. 
3. Say Switch, and move the dog to the other side., Give a treat. Walk a little.
4. Say Switch, and move the dog to the other side., Give a treat. Walk a little. Phase out the treat as the dog understands. 
5. Repeat for 30 min. Now you have to teach the dog to stop switching  
{After Switch works for a few days, do the next steps}
6. Next, walk the dog on the right. Say Left and move the dog to the Left. Give a treat. Walk a little.
7. Say Right and move the dog to the Right. Give a treat. Walk a little.
8. Repeat for 30 min.

Goldens are really that eager to learn....


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