Does your dog walk in front of you?

Honestly, I don't worry at all about how Chase walks, so long as he's not pulling and the leash is nice and loose.  When I want him to heel, I simply shorten his leash and he automatically falls into step beside me (the only place that he can walk and keep the leash nice and loose).
 
The truth is that I've never really taught my dog to heel properly.  That is, he probably wouldn't heel without a collar and leash on unless I had treats.  I know that it isn't too late, and I'll probably teach him someday, but for now we're both quite happy with the way things are.  I spent the first year of Chase's life super concerned about keeping him from being dominant and training him properly.  I've now realized that I'm quite satisfied with my dog the way he is.  Any training that I do now is for fun and challenge, not to mold him into the dog that I want him to be.  As long as he's polite, well-mannered, and pays attention to me, that's ok with me!

 I think that the dog walking in front is all right. However, when it comes to doorways, gates, etc. always have the dog wait and let you go through first, then tell them it's ok to go. That is, if you haven't taught this already []

Sometimes they do and sometimes they do not. It depends on if I want them too walk relaxed, or if I want then too stand by my side for portection and also for there safety as well...
 
 

When you're walking your dog, does your dog walk infront of you?

See, I don't care about who goes through the door first, who goes through the gate first, etc, so long as it's not a mad dash that gets me knocked on my keister!  My dogs know "wait" and they will wait until I release them, but I often let them out the gate  before I exit it, simply because they are gonna bolt up the hill to where we play fetch and I don't especially want to get trampled by three gsds trying to get to the fetch hill first.  But, this is off leash.  For us to take a proper leash walk, we have to load into the van and go into town....and then the rules are different.
 
The only place I'm a real stickler about who gets to go first is on the stairs and that's for my own safety.
 
So long as my dogs do what I ask when I ask, I don't see any reason to play the "I'm Alpha" game on walks. Walks are for their pleasure.

If I'm wrong, someone tell me... but don't the alpha wolves only really lead when hunting? And, isn't the beta wolves that are obsessed with their position in the pack? So, if we obsess with being "alpha" aren't we in turn behaving like a beta?
 
 
I allow Maddi to walk on a leash that is anywhere from 15-50ft, depending on the area. I honestly get more upset when she becomes an achor(locks leg, won't move so she can sniff and I can't pull her along) than when she's ahead of me pulling. She's not keen on obedience unless I've go something tasty (she's turn down liver treats before just to keep walking) or I play the "if you don't stop pulling or anchoring you're going to sit next to me for five minutes and not move" card several times. Honestly, Maddi displays a lot of the so-called dominance behaviors... but, since I stopped worrying about them... she's behaved better.

I think Puma has a good point about wolves in the wild. I think obsessing about where the dog walks is needless. IF the dog is a behavior problem, it could help in establishing his place in the pack, not so much as in his placement (the lead) but just the fact that he must heed your commands. I think if you have a dog with behavioral issues and you trained him that he MUST walk in front, it'd probably have the same result!

My dogs walk behind, in front of, anywhere they want to while walking. They're off leash and they know they have to stay within a certain perimeter. In fact, they make sure they keep me in eye shot, 'cause they don't want to lose the pack. I have NO problems with my dogs behavior and it's because I established the hierarchy early, not because of where I let them walk.

For my dogs, walking in front of me is not so much the issue as pulling on the leash. If I am only walking one or two of the dogs on leash I expect them to walk nicely in the general vicinity of beside me, not pull, and they are allowed to sniff and wander some (unless I've specifically told them to heel). When I walk all four on leashes they all four walk out in front of me (believe it or not its LESS chaotic that way). I'm not sure its as much of a dominance thing as it is a manners thing. If there were other things in combination with this one thing I can see how one could relate it to a dominance issue, but not in and of itself.

I have ONE boy who is a royal pain with the others on lead.  TWO not a problem, but if it's two PLUS Shadow, I absolutely have to keep everyone in a strick heel because if anyone is half a step in front of him he's vocal about it and that drives me NUTS.  ANY of the others I can take 3 or 4 at a time, but when Shadow is in the mix it turns into a pack and drives me out of my mind....what little is left of the poor thing![8D]  Interestingly tho, off lead, or on drag lines he'll walk just fine with everyone else.

In the beginning I was having a problem because JJ was always walking behind me.  Then slowly she walked in front and I don't see it as a problem.  Even though she's ahead of me, she always stop, look back at me and won't walk until I walk.

The walk is for Max - so sometimes he's in front, sometimes to the side and sometimes he's lagging a little behind.  He likes to sniff and explore all the bushes and trees and poles. That's OK with me, as long as he isn't trying to drag me anywhere. []

Eevee heels beside me unless I release her from the heel and let her walk in front of me. And as for the alpha thing I think it just depends on the dog.

Marley walks at my side. I give him permission to smell sometimes. If I let him walk in front...he pulls. For some reason at my side he doesn't. It's good though, because my husband is in a wheelchair, and he cannot walk in front of the wheelchair (he has to be directly beside it). So, I think the consistency is good for him. Anyway, after reading this...I think it depends on the dog/handler. BUT sometimes on walks I see handlers who do not have control of their dog!

If something scares Blue or if it's something he isn't so sure about he comes back to me or he looks at me to make sure it's ok or to seek comfort from. I'm still the alpha in this pack.