Would letting my dog walk in front of me be like letting him assume leadership?

I have a dog that gets nervous about his surrounding on walks, and I'd like to let him know that walks are not that much of a big deal.

Over and over, I correct him for getting about one pace ahead of me. It makes walks really frustrating, I guess for both of us.

Treats? Toys? Praises? Ignored. As much as he'd kill for them when in the house or my backyard, they're totally uninteresting for him on the street. He wants to see what's moving on the horizon, mark any bush he encounters, or smell that crap on the ground.

My dog is a JRT, and needs these walks basically as much as he needs to eat. But having to constantly say "No" and crank the leash is very disheartening.

When I say "No", he generally instantly comes back to heel position. Great? Not really... because 3seconds later he's still inches ahead.

I just want to enjoy a walk with my dog. Saying "No" every 3 paces is getting old. Is it disrespect? Pack structure problem? He does so fine in my backyard, although my recall is still not perfect. And he obviously knows he'll get cranked after a "No" because he generally corrects his position instantly.

What if I just tethered the leash to my belt and let him sniff around as I was walking down the street, to allow him to get more comfortable with the activity? Would he take the opportunity to assume he's running the show? I would of course correct pulling, but allow him to roam around me as long as the leash remains slack.

only after they learn to heal properly then you can release them to go sniff or whatever. I let mine do what ever but when I see a another person I put them into a heal, subtle way of telling your fellow pedestrian that you have your dog under control

I would try to preempt his wandering.
Get to know his attention span, and release him from the heel before he breaks on his own.

Let him wander for a few minutes, call him back to heel. Have him heel until you see he is close to his breaking point, and release him.

There is nothing wrong with letting a dog walk in front, on a loose lead, so long as you are LETTING him, rather than him taking charge.
Alternating between the two states will help him learn to hold the heel longer and build his attention span.

Usually I am not too concerned if Hans gets out in front of me a little, as long as the leash is loose. But if he starts to pull I have this little drill I do with him.

I turn to my right, quickly, saying "heel", and pop the leash. Walk a few feet, then repeat. After a few repetitions of this he stays close enough to me so that the leash pop isn't a pop anymore, because there is too much slack in it. That usually takes care of the problem for the rest of the walk.

when my puppy heels, he is touching my leg with his shoulder. is that how you suggest to walk with the dog (mine also like to wander..left then right then forward, circle around me, etc... it's pretty annoying but walking for a long time with him heeling would seem troublesome...

i guess i'm asking if he's heeling too close to me

Touching you?

Yeah, he's heeling a little too close.

My dog (4 yrs old, golden/chow mix, had him for 2 months now) is very similar to Francis', but he walks in front ALL the time and pulls the leash. I have been doing the prong collar and have been working on HEAL at home (he doesn't know the command yet) but right now I can't get him to slow down. I say SLOW as suggested in Ed's DVD and he slows (without me even popping the leash anymore) but only for a second (not even a few seconds, just ONE). Then he is back to pulling (although he does pull a lot more without the prong).

I've tried to do the circling, stopping, walking backwards exercises when outside but I must be doing something wrong because as soon as we start walking straight again, he is pulling. I also tried high value treats for him to walk beside me but he ignores them when we are outside (makes me a little worried that I won't be able to teach him to heal outside at all). I think he sometimes gets anxious when we stop. He whines a little when we stop and calms down when I pet him.

What am I doing wrong?

Don't pet when he whines- it's a reward for anxious behavior. You don't want that to become ingrained in his personality.

Try heeling in the hallway of the house.

Somewhere (arggh!) there is a video of Cindy and Rush working on foundation heeling.

You have to literally take it ONE step at a time.

Francis, do you do any activities before you go for a walk? Fetch or any other play to poop him out a little bit before the walk? This is just an idea, since I know that JRT are very energetic little things, and maybe doing something before the walk might help.

You could work on heeling in your house or yard, and if you or your dog starts to get frustrated then just take a break from it. No dog (and no person I know) learns well while frustrated

I wouldn't worry about him thinking that he's the pack leader on walks, IF that's the ONLY time he shows "leadership" (walking in front of you).

Maybe walking at a faster pace with him would stop his need to push forward into the lead or if you have a bike, take a bike ride and have a longer leash on him and that way he'll get to go at a faster pace.

This is just a little brainstorming here, JMO.

I let mine walk in front of me for time frames and than call them to heel when I feel like it or when an approaching person(s)or dog is coming. Than they are released by my command to do whatever.

I second the thought on the playing or some activities to tire out those JRT. Tons of energy for sure.