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3,955 Posts
My rule was always "don't pull me and you can do what you want". I did not enforce a heel on walks or quick potty breaks unless we were passing other pedestrians. I might occasionally do some heel work just for practice, too, but my dog never spent the entire walk in the heel position. Before we had a fence, I would take him out for a potty break on a long line so he was under control but could wander about to find his potty spot without me having to follow him. I basically stood in one spot and let him do what he wanted, only applying pressure if he was going to go over the property line.
But really, a moment of being able to pull on the way to the potty spot isn't going to completely undo all loose leash walking training. My dog pulls horribly when he REALLY has to poop, so sometimes he would suddenly pull hard off the sidewalk and jet to a patch of grass to complete his business. He still walks politely on leash the other 99% of the time. At this point, getting him outside and to the proper place to do his business is probably more important. After his potty business was taken care of, then I enforced the no pull rule.
But really, a moment of being able to pull on the way to the potty spot isn't going to completely undo all loose leash walking training. My dog pulls horribly when he REALLY has to poop, so sometimes he would suddenly pull hard off the sidewalk and jet to a patch of grass to complete his business. He still walks politely on leash the other 99% of the time. At this point, getting him outside and to the proper place to do his business is probably more important. After his potty business was taken care of, then I enforced the no pull rule.
