Two Step Pattern Game

There’s a lot that goes into loose leash walking, and the Two Step game is another great skill to add to your toolbox! This pattern game teaches our dogs that being beside us is a valuable place to be.

It is helpful to choose one side you'd prefer the your dog to walk on, and then do your best to always feed them with that hand. For example, I prefer my dogs to walk on my right side, so I always feed treats with my right hand. It’s also a good idea to feed them by turning your hand back toward them, like a scoop heading straight for their mouths. These two minor adjustments can help prevent our dogs from walking directly in front of our legs as we try to feed them, and further reinforces being in that specific position on whichever side of your body. 

We start the game by simply scattering a small handful of treats on the ground by your side. I specifically drop a few treats so that it takes the dog a bit of time to eat them- this is my opportunity to take two steps ahead of them. When the dog finishes eating the treats, they are likely to look up and begin moving towards you.

I am intentionally keeping the leash loose and waiting for Bertie to come to me. Leashes are a safety tool, not a steering wheel. Refrain from pulling or yanking your dog around by their leash. When a dog chooses to move toward you on their own and then we reinforce, learning is much more powerful than if we pull them into position. Think of it like this, if I physically move my dog into position myself, I am doing the homework for them.

Use your marker the moment your dog looks up and begins to move toward you. I use the marker word “yes” in this video with Bertie, but you might be using a different word like “good” or a clicker. Check out my blog post “What’s a Marker?” for additional clarification about markers.

After you mark, you’ll then reinforce by placing another small pile of treats by your side, restarting this simple pattern game. When you first play this game, practice inside or in your yard where there are few distractions. However, as you get better at this game you can level it up a couple ways!

The first adjustment you can make is to stop and feed your dog directly from your hand, rather than setting the treats on the ground. You can also try not stopping, moving fluidly with your dog alongside you, and marking and feeding every two steps. Furthermore, you can add to the challenge by turning this into the three or four step game.

If your dog is short, you might want to consider using a big spoon or rubber spatula smeared with something lickable to use as reinforcement. This way you can avoid bending over every time you need to treat them! Simply lower the spatula to let your dog have a couple licks when you want to treat them. Some lickable treats to consider are peanut butter, whipped cream cheese, wet dog food (usually pâté style ones work best for this), or even baby food (check that the ingredients are dog safe). 

• These reusable baby food containers also work well for this! 

The Two Step game is a great way to teach your dog the value of walking by your side. Remember to keep training sessions short and fun, and to take breaks often to ensure that your dog stays engaged and motivated. If you're interested in learning more about positive reinforcement training, check out my other blog posts for additional resources and tips. Give the Two Step game a try with your dog and see how it can help improve your loose leash walking skills!

• Video Transcript

  Hello, Lily of Spot On Dog Training here with my puppy, Bertie. In this video, she's helping me demonstrate the two step pattern game. I start the game by dropping a few treats on the ground next to my feet- and I specifically am dropping quite a few treats because I want it to take her a second to eat them, so that I can take my two steps to get ahead of her. And then what I'm doing is the moment that she looks up and starts moving towards me- that's what I'm using our marker. We use the word "yes" but you might use something different, but you're using your marker the moment your dog lifts their head and starts moving towards you. And so, that's how you introduce the two step pattern game. But as you get better, you can kind of level it up. In this next pass I'm showing, I'm feeding Bertie directly from my hand instead of dropping the treats on the ground. And so, I'm still taking two steps, marking when she's catching up to me, and then feeding from my hand. In these last few passes then, this is how we play the game when we're actually on the trail and using it where as I'm moving and not stopping to feed her the treat and I'm just feeding her a treat every two steps as we're walking, marking as she's staying in that position with me. Notice that I'm feeding her with my hand, my right hand, because she's walking on the right side of my body. Feeding on the same side that your dog is walking, instead of reaching across your body, will help them stay in that position on that side.