This is the real-world payoff. Everything you’ve built — engagement, handler focus, impulse control, check-ins, the ability to go from high arousal to calm — gets put on a leash and taken into the world.
Loose lead walking isn’t heel. Heel is a specific position command with military precision. Loose lead walking is a conversation: she can explore, sniff, look around — but the leash stays loose, she checks in regularly, and she responds to your direction. It’s a partnership walk, not a march.
What You’re Building
By the end of Phase 3, Melon should:
- Walk on a loose leash (no pulling) in moderate distraction environments
- Check in with you voluntarily throughout the walk (eye contact)
- Respond to direction changes (turns, pace changes) without leash tension
- Disengage from distractions when asked
- Accept that exciting things (other dogs, squirrels) aren’t available unless you say so
- Walk as a communication exercise, not a battle of wills
The Stages
Stage 1: Engagement Outdoors
Before you worry about leash skills, build outdoor engagement. Check-ins, name response, focus in distracting environments. If she’s not looking at you, nothing else matters.
Stage 2: Leash Communication
Pressure and release. Direction changes. Pace changes. The leash as a conversation tool, not a restraint. Pattern walking (Michael Ellis) that teaches her to follow your body.
Stage 3: Real World Walking
Structured walks with increasing distractions. Using tug and fetch as rewards for walking work. Proofing in real environments — neighborhoods, parks, downtown.
Bonus Games for Phase 3
1-2-3 Walking Game (Engagement on Leash)
A structured way to build check-ins during walks.
- Walk forward. Count your steps silently.
- Every 3 steps (at first), if she’s on a loose leash → YES + treat
- If she pulls before you hit 3 → stop, wait for slack, restart the count
- Gradually increase: every 5 steps → 8 → 12 → random intervals
- She learns: walking near you on a loose leash pays off at unpredictable intervals
Why it works: Variable reinforcement (she never knows which step will pay) is the most powerful schedule. Same principle as a slot machine, but for good behavior.
Red Light / Green Light (Outdoor Impulse Control)
Transferred from the original program’s Cycle 2, adapted for walking.
- Walk briskly (green light) — she’s excited, moving, maybe pulling slightly
- Stop suddenly (red light). Wait for her to stop pulling and look at you.
- She gives you attention → YES + treat → resume walking (green light)
- Repeat. She learns: when you stop, the fastest way to get moving again is to check in.
Equipment for Phase 3
- 6-foot leash — standard for all walking work. Not retractable. You need to feel and communicate through it.
- Long line (15-20 feet) — for engagement work in open areas before formal walks
- Treat pouch + high-value treats — more treat-heavy than Phases 1-2, since engagement in a distracting environment is hard
- Tug toy in your pocket — surprise tug reps as the ultimate reward for great check-ins
- Ball — fetch as a reward for walking sections done well
How Long Will Phase 3 Take?
This one’s open-ended. Basic loose lead walking in low-distraction environments can come together in 2-4 weeks. Reliable walking through busy environments? That’s an ongoing project that gets better and better over months.
The good news: You don’t need to finish this phase to have great walks. The first few weeks of engagement work already transform the walking experience. Each stage makes walks better, even if you haven’t “graduated” yet.
The Connection to Phases 1 & 2
Phase 3 works because of what came before:
| Phase 1 Built… | Phase 3 Uses It For… |
|---|---|
| Out command | Disengaging from distractions on leash |
| Re-engagement (eye contact) | Voluntary check-ins during walks |
| Obedience gate | Sit at curbs, down at benches |
| Arousal regulation | Staying calm when exciting things happen |
| Phase 2 Built… | Phase 3 Uses It For… |
|---|---|
| Outdoor engagement | Focus in real-world environments |
| Wait for release | Impulse control at doorways, crossings |
| Working through distractions | Not losing her mind at other dogs, squirrels |
| Fetch as reward | Walking well earns a game of fetch |
Everything connects. She’s been building toward this since the first tug session.