How To Stop My Dog From Pulling On The Leash
Being towed down the sidewalk while your dog barrels along wherever they want is not many people’s idea of fun. Dogs that pull on their leash are enough to make owners start trembling when it is time to walk the dog. The problem can be so bad that owners refuse to walk their dogs anymore. Dogs pulling on their leash can cause accidents, harming the owner, other people, or dogs and themselves. The important question is how to prevent your dog pulling on the leash.
When a dog pulls on the leash, you can stop or turn in the other direction, preventing the dog from pulling forward on the lead. The dog learns to watch the owner and follow body language and cues. Training should always be completed using non-harmful methods that encourage the dog to learn.
Teaching your dog to walk with a slack lead makes walking your dog and veterinary visits much easier and more enjoyable. To achieve this, you must communicate in a way your dog understands.
Principles To Stop Your Dog Pulling On The Leash
Most people do not understand how to train their dogs. They approach training as they would with a person. This mistake is understandable as although dogs have lived with people for centuries, few people think about life from a dog’s perspective.
Dog owners need some help learning how to train their dogs. The K9 Training Institute offers an excellent course. Their course is headed up by Dr. Alexa Diaz, who has trained service dogs for over twenty years.
She explains that there are three principles underlying successful dog training.
Operant Conditioning In Dog Training
A human psychologist, B.F Skinner, first developed the theory of operant conditioning. He used it to explain what makes people and animals learn. Dog trainers have taken the principles of operant conditioning and used them to train dogs effectively.
Operant conditioning has four pillars that are used in behavioral training.
Positive reinforcement adds a positive reward in response to desirable behavior.
The terms positive and negative are used differently in operant conditioning. Positive is used to indicate the addition of something to a situation. Negative refers to removing something from the situation.
Dr. Diaz explains how the principles of operant conditioning are used in dog training in the free K9 Institute Training workshop. She emphasizes that training using operant conditioning principles is done kindly without causing harm to the dog.
Dog owners often resort to bribing their dogs using treats as they do not understand how positive reinforcement works. This practice can be detrimental to learning and may reinforce the wrong behavior.
Dr. Diaz explains how the principles of operant conditioning are used in dog training in the free K9 Institute Training workshop. She emphasizes that training using operant conditioning principles is done kindly without causing harm to the dog.
The free workshop is co-hosted by Dr. Diaz and Eric Presnall from Animal Planet’s series “Who Let The Dogs Out?”
Body Language Is Best For Dog Training
Dogs do not speak words, and although they can learn to understand some words, this is not how they communicate. Dogs, like most animals, communicate using body language as their primary method.
Dogs use your posture, gaze direction, movements, and facial expression to try and understand what you are saying. They use vocalization as a secondary means of communication.
Dr. Diaz stresses that when training your dog, you should use body language as your primary means of communication and use words minimally. Research done by Tufts University backs up her explanations of how dogs communicate using body language.
Give Your Dog A Job
Dog breeds were originally bred with a purpose. They herded sheep or cattle, guarded the farm, or even pulled a wagon. Very few dogs have jobs in the modern world, and their keen intelligence and energy are left unchallenged.
Dogs are quick to find their own way to keep themselves busy, but owners do not usually appreciate these attempts. They might include altering the garden’s landscape, removing the ugly couch in your house, or charging off on an exploratory mission when on the end of a leash.
Dogs need to be taught what their jobs are by their owners. The owner needs to teach the dog that his job is to walk calmly with a slack leash.
Dr. Diaz explains that this is incompatible behavior training. A dog cannot pull on a leash if his job is to walk calmly.
The K9 Training Institute uses these three principles to correct a dog that pulls on a leash.
Why Do Dogs Pull On a Leash?
Walking on a lead is not a natural behavior for dogs. They are not used to the confinement and restrictions imposed by a leash. Much like young children must learn how to sit at a school desk, dogs must learn the boundaries and rules of leash walking.
Dogs are naturally excited about getting attention from their owners. The dog is overjoyed with the attention when you clip on a leash.
Going outside the home is exciting, and there are many new smells and experiences. Humans have six million scent receptors, whereas dogs have more than a hundred million. Leaving the property is an olfactory wonderland for dogs, and they become excited by it.
Dogs move faster than people. They usually have more energy to engage with the world and are eager to start exploring. They do not think they are going for a leisurely walk, which is how most owners approach dog walking.
Young dogs are especially energetic, and this is often when leash training breaks down. The young dog pulls hard because of all his energy, and the owners give up walking the dog because of it.
Many times, the owner unconsciously encourages the dog to pull on the leash. When the owner runs after the dog, he is encouraged to go faster as his owner is joining the chase.
When the owner shouts, “Bonzo, no!” the dog hears vocal encouragement and continues pulling. The dog thinks his owner is cheering him on to greater feats.
Some dogs only pull when they see another dog. This may be because your dog wants to play, is aggressive, or is overly excited by the presence of a strange dog.
Birds or small animals may trigger dogs with strong hunt drives. They will lunge at the end of the leash as they try to chase the duck, pigeon, or squirrel they just spotted.
Start Leash Walking The Right Way
It is common for owners to talk to their dogs in a high-pitched or excited tone while preparing for a walk. They know their dogs enjoy walking, and they ramp up the excitement before they even leave home.
The dog responds to this by jumping and being unmanageable while the collar or harness is being put on. His adrenalin starts pumping, and he is raring to get out on the walk.
The more excited he becomes, the more adrenalin is released, with the dog entering a high state of arousal. If this pattern is habitual, the dog becomes an adrenal addict, and the trigger is clipping on the leash.
It is critical to start preparations for the walk calmly. The dog must stay relaxed while the harness, collar, and leash are fitted.
If your dog has already acquired the habit of becoming excitable once a collar or leash is brought out, you need to work on desensitizing him. This is done by breaking the pattern of what happens with the preparation for a walk.
Start by getting the collar, harness, or leash out. If the dog shows excitability, put the equipment away or put it on the table and walk away. Wait until the dog has calmed down, and then try again. Repeat this procedure until you can calmly fit the harness or collar and clip on the leash.
Stop Your Dog From Rushing Through The Door
Most dogs that pull on a leash are also door rushers. They are so eager to get through the door that they bowl over anyone in the way.
Once your dog can have the equipment for a walk calmly fitted, you can progress to the next step. Pick up the lead and walk towards the door. If your dog tries to rush to the door, you must change the expected routine. You can do this in several ways:
You will need to repeat this many times until your dog approaches the door calmly. It is vital to be aware of your body language while doing this training.
Avoid speaking to your dog or patting your dog until he gives the desired behavior. Pet and praise the dog when he calms and sits down, ensuring you keep the energy levels low.
Play With Your Dog Before Leash Walking
Some dogs have excessive energy and struggle to calm down even with the described training. Consider giving these dogs a mental stimulation toy to tire them out before walking.
The dog may also benefit from a physical game of fetch or tug before walking on the leash. Allow the dog ten to fifteen minutes to calm down and then prepare for the walk, ensuring the dog remains calm.
Although most people aim to exercise their dogs by walking them, the exercise may need to take second place while leash training is occurring.
A word of caution must be given on the kind of exercise used before leash training. Some dogs are obsessive about certain activities. For example, border collies are known for fixating on playing fetch with a ball.
If your dog gets obsessed and over-excited with a certain game, do not use this before leash training. These dogs have brains that get into a high state of arousal while playing the game they are obsessed with. This is counterproductive to calming them down for leash training.
It is better to use a mentally stimulating game or do trick training that requires brain work to use up some of their energy. Mentally challenging activities tire out the dog without increasing physical excitement or adrenalin levels.
The American Kennel Club recommends that all dogs have mental stimulation and physical exercise. The mental stimulation can include scent games such as hide and seek with their favorite person or puzzle toys.
How To Correct A Dog That Pulls On A Leash
Dr. Diaz shows how to apply the three principles underlying dog training to correct leash pulling in the free workshop. She shows viewers how to stop their dogs from pulling on the leash without using treats, as many other trainers do.
She recommends the owner chooses one of two approaches when a dog pulls on the leash. As the dog pulls, you implement negative discouragement by:
These techniques prevent the dog from going in the direction he wants. The owner’s body language tells the dog, “I am not going with you – I want you to stop or stay with me.”
If the dog continues to pull on the lead while the owner stops or walks the other way, there will be pressure on the leash. When the dog returns to the owner’s side or stops pulling, the pressure on the lead decreases. This fits into the negative reinforcement section of operant conditioning.
Dogs understand this communication much better than an owner shouting while panting and bounding after the dog. Through effective communication, the dog can learn that his job is to walk calmly when on the leash.
It will take patience and repetition for the dog to learn this new way of walking on a leash. Owners sometimes feel they are spending more time switching directions than actually walking anywhere when they use this technique.
Persisting in applying the techniques will pay off as the dog learns that the walk is more enjoyable when he is calm and walks with a slack leash.
As the dog learns to take his attention from the imaginary rabbit he is pursuing down the road, he will focus on his owner. The dog and owner become partners in the walk, both aware of each other, with the dog adjusting to the owner’s direction.
A dog focused on his owner will be less likely to react to other dogs, birds, and squirrels.
Keep The Dog’s Interest While Waking On A Leash
The owner should try to walk briskly, change direction often and be interesting to keep the dog’s attention. Some trainers call this a ‘Follow Me’ or ‘Watch Me’ game.
When the dog is focused on the owner, he stops pulling on the leash. Owners that walk slowly and predictably will struggle more to keep their dog’s attention. It is good for the owner and the dog’s health to walk vigorously.
The owner can also take some favorite toys with them on the walk. Ask the dog to sit and toss the toy to the dog so that he can catch it. Some dogs enjoy carrying their toy with them while they walk. This falls into the positive reinforcement portion of operant conditioning.
Choose Appropriate Equipment To Stop Pulling
A soft collar may be used for leash training. Dogs that pull violently can damage arteries, vertebrae, and the thyroid gland in their necks. A soft collar will cause less damage than a choke, pronged, or hard collar.
Although a soft collar is the best of the collars, a harness often works more effectively and is safer. Harnesses should have a front chest ring for a leash attachment and a second ring for another leash on the back.
Dogs’ center of gravity is in their chests. Attaching a leash to a chest ring allows the owner to control the dog better by turning them in the direction of the owner if needed. There is no pressure on the neck structures and no chance of damaging vital structures.
A back clip can be used for a second leash, giving the dog extra tactile feedback. Two leash attachments improve the owner’s control.
Some owners of large or giant breed dogs struggle to hold their dogs when they pull. The owner simply does not have the strength. Using a double leash harness is essential with such powerful breeds.
Small dogs with short legs may trip over a front leash attachment. With these dog breeds, a back leash attachment is best.
Conclusion
Dogs pulling on their leashes is one of the biggest problems preventing owners from walking their dogs or managing them on veterinarian visits. The problem can be corrected by training using the K9 Training Institute methods. Remember to watch their free workshop on correcting this problem.
