Should Your Doberman Walk in Front of You? Rethinking an Outdated Dog Walking Rule
Dog training philosophies have evolved significantly over the years, with a growing emphasis on understanding our canine companions' natural behaviors and needs. One such area of evolution concerns the belief that dogs should never walk in front of their owners. This concept, widely accepted in the past, is increasingly seen as antiquated and potentially something that works against a dog's natural instincts and physical health. In this article, we will delve into why this idea is outdated, the possible problems associated with, for example, heeling, and explore healthier approaches to walking our furry Doberman friends.
The Myth of Leadership on the Leash
Traditionally, it was believed that allowing a dog to walk ahead could lead to behavioral issues, with the dog assuming a dominant role in the “pack.” This belief stems from a misunderstanding of wolf pack dynamics, which were once thought to involve strict hierarchies controlled by dominant leaders.
As descendants of wolves, dogs are often thought to exhibit similar behaviors, but the assumption that walking ahead creates a dominance issue is a misapplication of outdated wolf studies. According to Dr. Patricia McConnell, an animal behaviorist and zoologist, the idea of dominance in dogs, including dominance expressed through walking behaviors, is vastly overemphasized and misinterpreted. Instead of being strictly governed by dominance, modern ethology suggests that wolf packs operate more like families, with roles that fluctuate. While parents may sometimes exert dominance, they do so within the limits of parenting, such as when they need to allocate food between offspring during food scarcity. Along similar lines, research has shown shown oxytocin-mediated positive feedback loops between dogs and humans when they gaze at each other, comparable to the mutual gaze/oxytocin loop known from human mother-infant bonding. What this means is that there is no alpha who consistently needs to assert their position; there are parents who parent when they need to protect their offspring. As such, arguably, there is, except for a few specific situations where you need to protect them, no need to make your dog walk right next to you because your dog is not challenging you for a non-existing alpha spot. Instead, research suggests they see you as something close to a parent they trust to protect them from harm, and, as in any functional family, they are willing to do the same for you.
The Physical Toll of Constant Heeling
A traditional heel position, where the dog walks closely beside or slightly behind the handler, can be particularly challenging, especially for puppies. Veterinarians and canine physical therapists point out that forcing a dog to walk in a strict heel position constantly does not allow them to move naturally. This can lead to physical strain. A 2023 veterinary biomechanics study found that heelwork differs significantly from normal walking, especially because the dog walks close to the handler while lifting and rotating the head toward them. The researchers found changes in vertical ground reaction forces, paw pressure distribution, and center of pressure during heelwork, and noted that these changes may reflect altered joint movement, muscle activation, and joint forces.
Veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker, also explains that puppies, whose joints and bones are still developing, are at risk of joint damage and developmental issues if subjected to prolonged periods of unnatural walking patterns. Research on canine gait supports the concern that pace matters: one study found that dogs paced more often under lead-controlled conditions than off leash, and the authors noted that leash walking at speeds too fast for a comfortable walk but too slow for a comfortable trot may encourage dogs into a pacing gait. An older puppy locomotion study also found that enforced pacing during early development produced time-dependent gait alterations after the restraint was removed, with longer restraint linked to more persistent pacing. Veterinary mobility research offers an incomplete but useful comparison. In dogs, sustained changes in gait can shift stress to other parts of the body and contribute to more complex musculoskeletal problems over time. While leash-induced pacing begins for a different reason than pain-related compensation, the broader point is the same: altered movement patterns may not just be cosmetic when they are repeated often enough, especially when the change starts in a still developing puppy.
Furthermore, the heel position may suppress a dog's instinct to explore and interact with their environment through sniffing and roaming, activities that are crucial for their mental and emotional well-being. A study comparing nosework with heelwork found that dogs in the nosework group approached ambiguous food-bowl locations more optimistically, a result the researchers interpreted as a sign that scent-based activity may support emotional welfare.. Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist specializing in dogs, notes that sniffing allows dogs to understand their world.
Restricting this important “world reading” behavior can lead to frustration, which animal-welfare research describes more precisely as behavioral restriction. When animals are prevented from performing motivated natural behaviors, it can frustrate specific motivations and contribute to boredom, stress, and abnormal repetitive behaviors. While questionnaire-based research offers only limited insight, some research indicates that when a dog recognizes that they cannot achieve a goal, the dog may show redirected behaviors, including biting objects. They may also exhibit displacement activities, such as sniffing, scratching, yawning, and lip licking. In that context, leash biting may not always be playful mischief that you simply want to train out of the dog; it may also be a stress signal that appears when we restrict one of the dog’s most important ways of making sense of the world.
A Balanced Approach to Walking Your Doberman
Rather than adhering to strict rules about positioning during walks, you, as a Doberman guardian, should consider a balanced approach that allows your dog some freedom to explore while still maintaining control. Research on dog walks supports that middle ground: in an observational study of dogs in public spaces, researchers observed dogs on and off leash to assess behaviors that could contribute to pathogen transmission, including dog-to-dog interactions and sniffing urine or feces. While the result of dogs sniffing and interacting more off leash highlights the possibility of increased transmission risk, it also shows that giving dogs opportunities to sniff while on leash can support what they would choose to do off leash without losing the control needed to prevent, for example, unsafe dog interactions or contact with excrement. Guardians can be achieve this balance through the use of a longer leash, giving the dog more space to roam and sniff while still keeping it safe and under control. If a longer leash is not feasible, letting the dog sniff, following their lead also off the beaten path is another option.
Training should focus on recall and attention commands rather than strict positional obedience. UC Davis Veterinary Medicine suggests that recall training helps keep dogs safe and under control, and the process starts with teaching the dog their name, making eye contact when prompted, and then practicing recall in increasingly distracting environments. Recall and paying attention to you, even when something else is competing for their attention, makes it less often necessary to keep your Doberman on a short leash. It provides them with the freedom to sniff and interact with the world as part of their natural instincts and daily enrichment. Techniques such as "loose leash walking" teach your dog to walk without pulling on the leash and it gives them a sense of freedom while still following your cues.
When you teach your dog walking on a loose leash, modern dog training techniques often emphasize positive reinforcement rather than aversive methods. UC Davis suggests rewarding your dog when the leash is relaxed, using praise or treats because this reinforces the desired behavior of maintaining a loose leash. Moreover, research in dogs with recall challenges did not find that training with an E-collar is more efficient or creates less disobedience than positive reinforcement, an outcome also documented when experienced trainers operated the E-collar. The authors stated that, “in many ways, training with positive reinforcement was found to be more effective at addressing the target behavior as well as general obedience training. This method of training also poses fewer risks to dog welfare and quality of the human-dog relationship.” Another canine study found that aversive-based methods were associated with poorer welfare indicators compared with reward-based training, effects that sometimes lasted well beyond the training session. In short, rewards-based training encourages your dog to walk cooperatively by making the experience pleasurable and shared, rather than a controlled chore forced through submission.
As our understanding of canine behavior continues to grow, it becomes clear that old-school training methods may not only be ineffective but also potentially harmful. A dog wanting to walk ahead of you is not a sign of behavioral issues and letting them is a way to cater to their natural instincts and needs. By adopting a more informed approach to walking our dogs, we promote not only their physical health but also their mental and emotional well-being. This fosters a deeper bond between our Dobermans and us based on mutual respect and understanding rather than rigid control.
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Article last updated: 2026, June
