Mike, I've also got four dogs and agree that when marshalling a pack of that size for a walk or car ride, order is mandatory. Ha!

My preference is just to wait out any dog that's not paying attention or is hyped up and acting goofy. So when it's time to go out, (or eat, open the gate, exit the van, etc.) I say "sit." Then I wait. Three of mine will usually comply quickly. It's the Cardigan Corgi that's in her own world. All of us wait for her to collect herself, realize that there's a pause in the action..."oh? are you waiting on me?" and then she sits. Then I release and we all go on our way.

I have waited as much as a minute for her--and sometimes it seems like it's a battle of wills. Clearly this only works if you know that the command and routine are understood by the dogs. But I've decided it's better for me to require her to comply by saying nothing after the one command--and making everyone wait on her--than to keep repeating the command. At least it feels like a little victory when the stinker finally sits!

It really is a relief to know that mine is not the only one who goes nutty about the leash.

Once the walk is underway he will re-focus and acts more like a dog and less like a pogo stick with teeth. he will sit, down, wait and give paw, as well as politely ignoring other dogs, even loose ones as long as they don't charge us. He is just happy to be out and about.

It's the getting ready to go on a walk that is the issue. He used to go nuts when he saw me put my hat or boots on as well but as winter has progressed he has realized I wear those for things besides walking so he has mellowed.

Thankfully the other two are quite mild mannered and sit nicely to have their collars or leash put on.

Nico does tend to prance around like she thinks she is pretty when she gets the collar on, but not the leash oddly enough. She is easy enough to calm down though and her most excited is equal to Yote at his calmest.

Danke's new thing is spazzing out when I come home and she is outside with my husband.

She leaps up against the sliding glass door at about eye-level, and paws rapidly as she falls.

It's like she wants to break the glass, and if that doesn't work, then she'll dig her way through to me.

Goofy dog.

One thing I have not seen suggested is to take the command out of the picture for now. What do you do when you begin/began a clicker session? Do you start out with a cue to let the dog know it is time to think? ("Do you want to train?" or "It's time to train" etc.)

I am teaching the word "calm" to my 5.5 month old pup using SATS. Energy is a key here. If you are frustrated, even if you are standing still, not talking, etc., you are still essentially feeding an excited dog more energy.

I would take the door or the regular place of leashing out of the picture, too. Go where you normally train other things. I think desensitization to the leash is also a good idea. My pup doesn't care about leashes or collars because I'm pretty much always putting them on or taking them off. He always has a lead or line or tab on, or a harness and at least two collars now, just getting used to having them on, having them put on, etc.

Start a traing session like a regular clicker session, don't give him a command just hold the leash in your hand like it isn't even there. Wait for him to give you some calm behavior then click/mark and reward, staying calm. After a few times of giving you an opportunity to click for calm, put the leash on and drop it. As soon as he is calm again, click/mark, reward calmly. Take the leash off, wait for calm again. The action of having the leash and attaching it to his collar should be reasons to be calm, sources for reward when he is calm.

I would then begin to slowly, calmly stroke him along the neck/back and kind of whisper "Calm. You are being calm. Calm." Remaining soothing, and only while he is still calm. Best if you do this with only him and no other critters to distract you.

I am teaching Cuda behavior awareness this way by putting a word to what is going on. Telling him I am petting him when I am petting him, scratching him when I am scratching him, not only marking and rewarding calm but putting a word to that state of energy in the way outlined above, without making it a command.

I would stop using the command of sit or down because then it becomes a battle of OB and goes directly back upon his training. It becomes a battle of wills and a struggle for him to obey and control himself because he is told while being excited because his reward is right in front of his face, versus learning it as a separate exercise, being calm to gain the reward and desensitizing him to the presence of the leash.

 Quote: jennifer lee

Well we needed to go for a walk, which means the leash needed to actually go on.

I think this is where I've run into problems...trying to train this when we have to go out and not as an exercise all by itself. I have to be projecting some kind of vibe...frustration, anticipation, anxiety, a "We gotta go" attitude...to my dog that is totally absent from the other training that we do.

I'm smacking myself in the head that I didn't pay enough attention to training this like I did to training other things.

Jennifer,
Question....(of course lol!)
I might totally be missing something here but
While working on all of those desensitizing exercises and baby steps which will take some time to get operational, what do I do in the meantime when it is time to go for a walk.

I don't want to skip his walks for any amount of time because it is the only thing that keeps him manageable.

Generally it is after a walk that we do training because he is calm and has most of the willies out.

When I am teaching new things we tend to do it in bathroom, LOL it is a small room with zero distractions, so I will do the leash work in there for a while.

Jennifer, take him for a walk after a session working specifically with the leash. After he is calm for a bit with the leash actually on, just sort of nonchallantly go on with it and walk.

Sometimes even just putting the leash on in a room where there is no association with a walk, like the bathroom for instance, can help break down the series of events that trigger excitement. You don't have to skip the walk, just don't go out that door until he is calm with the leash on.

Ok thanks, I tend to over analyze and over think these things!