Is it just us that are amazed by dogs that aren’t trained to walk well on lead?
I know a lot use harnesses these days, which really are designed to help pull, this doesnt help either.
I’m sure most dogs could be trained to walk well on a leader if the effort was put in.
My experience of dog-owners in general over many decades, not just from pet-sitting, is that most expect or believe the dog will just figure out what the human wants and then get frustrated when they don’t. This seems especially true when they have what they consider a ‘smart’ breed of dog.
They either don’t believe training is needed or don’t want to spend the time or money on it when the return can be well worth it. So much good and free content available to help you do it yourself now as well.
I’m aware that a lot of these puppy class training sessions are to teach both dog and owner but you’re right, plenty online advice if people want to take it…but they don’t. Nothing better than having well trained dogs, safer for the owner and the dog. Everyone infact.
Often the problem is training the human more than the dog. Some of us aren’t that easily trainable, unfortunately, LOL.
You can teach an old person new tricks 
in the same way you can teach old dogs new tricks
Yes, unfortunately, some people aren’t that trainable, no matter their age.
Among the key elements of training a pet are human consistency and a level of humane firmness. Many people lack such. It’s not a lack of technique or knowledge in various cases — it’s a lack of will, LOL.
You also see this in how people raise kids, teach, coach and manage. That’s why it tends to come down to the human, with rare exceptions for the pets. That’s also why you’ll see pets behave differently with different humans.
You have to want to do it, and most people frankly can’t be bothered to put the work in. You get out what you put in, whether dogs or children.
Tactics also don’t always work with pets uniformly. Like a trainer offered us info that seemed illogical and I was able to train my rescue in a different way. Not everyone can problem solve the same ways. Some people blindly follow guidance even in situations that make no sense, for example.
You also can train or coach or raise kids the same ways and get different results. And for some humans, maybe they just don’t care much if their dog doesn’t walk well on a lead.
I agree 100% with your last sentence. Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons we are considering not renewing
You could always sit pets other than dogs. Your choice, of course.
My expectations with THS aren’t for lead trained dogs. I think that’s unrealistic when you observe in the wild even casually — few people have lead trained dogs, so why would many or most dogs on THS be lead trained? Knowing that, I pick sits with dogs I can control size wise. I don’t sit large dogs, for example.
I’m well experienced with highly reactive dogs, so I know how to set them up for success — including how to limit them being triggered and how to calm them if they do get triggered. That means sitting such small or midsize dogs doesn’t faze me.
I also figure that pets vary widely in personality. I enjoy figuring out different ones, as when I manage or coach humans for work.
Maybe we expect too much, thanks for your input
One can often see it in sitters’ feedback, maybe between the lines.
My present dog is perfect on the leash, both in the park and in city streets, keeping by my foot. The only time she pulled was when she saw a squirrel. And even that was not nearly as hard as what I had expected from what the HO had told me.