Mental states vary and so should your training strategies
Dogs have varying mental states just like humans. Some states are more obedient than others. Some will be synchronized with you while others will grind against your expectations. This is coupled with the fact that humans have inconsistent mental states and when you don’t align you may react negatively. As a result, I realized that rigidly structuring our walks was a bad strategy despite the logic of consistent training.
These fluctuations imply that it may be more important to be aware of the present situation and learn to accurately assess them versus setting strict ground rules. You need to be flexible and dynamic and ask yourself basic observational questions. What specifically is causing my frustration? Am I feeling impatient and overreacting? Are they obeying commands or ignoring them? Consciously recognize your answers to build an accurate observational model of the current situation. From there you can start to experiment with different strategies to see how well they work and eventually internalize them so they become automatic. The goal is to build a wide array of understanding and strategies that you can employ in different situations to optimize successful behavior and maintain a positive relationship with your dog.
For example, if you’re feeling patient, allow them to explore freely and at their own pace. If you’re in a rush and need more obedience, require eye contact and start training as you walk around the neighborhood. This will engage their mind and create a different atmosphere than a normal walk. If they’re lunging at other dogs and people, stop walking, and make the experience about quietly sitting to the side while others pass. Forget about walking and just let their mind be engaged while you work on training. “Walks” don’t necessarily have to be about destinations and exercise, they can be about training and socialization in localized areas. I also like to spontaneously grab their attention and give commands to ensure they never go too long without some obedience training. At a minimum, it should always be a fading memory and not something they’ve completely forgotten. Or maybe you’re both in a playful mood and the walk should be about a personal connection that’s filled with excitement and happiness. There’s a million options and the more sensitive you get at detecting your own and your dog’s emotions the more you will see what’s possible. Life is incredibly complex and most people never stray far from the surface level, but, if you’re an adventurer, you can explore its infinite subtleties.
Note: I put this under the Consistency category because it’s an important realization that despite the benefits and logic of consistency it’s not always the best strategy. There are potential counter arguments to being consistent with your dog. Not necessarily by being random as the other side of this category implies, but by being “inconsistent” or planning for inconsistencies.