Shih Tzu has his own way of walking...............

[C&M 40]

So I can't believe I never mentioned this, [probably because I've gotten used to it] but Coki seems to...walk his own style. It's funny but I'm the one affected.

He tends to walk on my left and right side. Of course, I'm the one always having to move the leash from my left hand to my right and vice versa. Not only that, but if he walks too far from me, he stops and sits and then waits for me to pass him before continuing.

Should I just let it be? Or for my own sake, how should I train him to walk only on one side. The other neighbor dogs just walk on one side and the owners don't even flinch and I'm the one going all crazy trying to keep up with which direction he wants to go.

Edited November 10, 2013 by C&M

[oOShih Tzu LoveOo 426]

I trained mine to only walk on the right side of me. If you do a quick search in YouTube, there are ton's of detailed video's showing you how to train a dog to heel .

This is exactly how I train mine:

[Luna 8,676]

Competition dogs (conformation, obedience, agility, etc.) and service dogs are trained to walk on the owner's left side. When I helped my dad train his Pointers for hunting, they were also taught to "heel" on the left side. For a guide dog, the reason is obvious: someone walking on a sidewalk will have the road to his/her left so the dog needs to be on that side to keep them from stumbling into the street. Although I am not positive, I believe that it is otherwise common because the majority of people are right-handed; if you are holding the lead in your left hand, you still have your primary hand free to do other things (like pick up poop, lol). If one is left-handed, they might train the dog to walk on the right. Just my thoughts.

[oOShih Tzu LoveOo 426]

Competition dogs (conformation, obedience, agility, etc.) and service dogs are trained to walk on the owner's left side. When I helped my dad train his Pointers for hunting, they were also taught to "heel" on the left side. For a guide dog, the reason is obvious: someone walking on a sidewalk will have the road to his/her left so the dog needs to be on that side to keep them from stumbling into the street. Although I am not positive, I believe that it is otherwise common because the majority of people are right-handed; if you are holding the lead in your left hand, you still have your primary hand free to do other things (like pick up poop, lol). If one is left-handed, they might train the dog to walk on the right. Just my thoughts.

The only reason I trained mine to walk on the right side is because I would much rather them be away from the road when we are walking in town

[FluffySidekick 3]

Although I am not positive, I believe that it is otherwise common because the majority of people are right-handed; if you are holding the lead in your left hand, you still have your primary hand free to do other things (like pick up poop, lol). If one is left-handed, they might train the dog to walk on the right. Just my thoughts.

This is the exact opposite of horses, which are lead from their left side. But, I like the mental distinction of having dog on one side, horse on the other. That way, if I ever had to lead one of each at the same time, I'd have a hand for both. Though, I will admit that I alter the side Little Guy walks on depending on the environment. Or, in the winter, which hand is the coldest and needs to go in my pocket.