05/05/2020
To celebrate the launch of my new "labor of love", here's a little treat for you guys:
Chapter 1 – Why do dogs pull on the leash?
Dogs pull on the leash for many different reasons. Knowing what they are will help you pinpoint why your own dog constantly pulls, or in certain situations sometimes has pulling bursts.
Walking on a leash doesn’t come naturally to dogs
As far as we’re concerned, we should be able to put a collar or harness on our dog, attach a leash and he should walk next to us quite naturally. But the truth is that when dogs are free and on the move, they walk fast and slowly, go far or remain nearby, rapidly approach an object or animal that catches their attention, and so forth. That’s what comes naturally to them. Sticking to our side and pace is something they need to learn.
Accumulated energy
If a dog spends most of his owner’s working day alone at home with little to do, his energy is likely to accumulate, and he will most probably pull on the leash as soon as the door is opened. If this sounds familiar to you, my suggestion is to tire your dog before taking him for a walk.
Games of tug are great for tiring a dog because he uses his entire body to pull the toy.
You can also play fetch if your dog enjoys it. But if he’s the type that fetches the ball or toy but doesn’t drop it, rather toss 2 or more toys in opposite directions just to get him running. The purpose is to give him an outlet to burn off accumulated energy.
They’re in a hurry to get to where they want to go
This may sound obvious, but we often forget that most dogs want what they want ‘right now!’ unless we teach them to control their impulses.
So, if your dog wants to reach another dog or person ‘right now!’ or smell as many things as possible in the shortest amount of time or is in a hurry to get to that lamp post or tree, he will pull on the leash to gain immediate access to what he wants.
This has nothing to do with him trying to exert dominance over you, and everything to do with acting impulsively.
There are also times your dog may be walking calmly next to you but will suddenly have a pulling burst if a big distraction catches his attention.
Pulling has been reinforced
This may take you by surprise and beg the question “How am I reinforcing what I don’t want my dog to do?” Reinforcing, in this case, means unintentionally rewarding him for pulling.
Think of it this way – every time your dog pulls on the leash and you allow him to carry on walking, he’s being rewarded for pulling. Forward movement is the reward. This reward comes in different shapes:
a) If your dog is pulling slightly, you don’t really mind because you can handle a little tension on the leash – but in time, he’s likely to start pulling harder;
b) After taking half an hour to simply get to the next block due to stopping walking every time your dog pulls on the leash, your patience is running thin and you decide to allow him to pull;
c) You’re quite far from home, and suddenly realize you’re running out of time to get ready to go to work. So, you allow your dog to pull all the way home.
It’s true that one of the steps in leash training your dog is to stop walking the second he starts pulling, but this isn’t as carved in stone as you may think.
Training equipment as a cue for pulling
A cue is something that informs the dog to perform a certain behavior. Saying the word ‘heel’ is the cue for your dog to walk next to you. But cues aren’t limited to words. An object can be a cue. For example, when your dog sees the leash and starts jumping up and down in excitement, it means that the leash has become the cue for jumping.
Similarly, the collar your dog wears may become a cue for pulling.
Opposition reflex
Dogs also pull on the leash due to the opposition reflex. This is an instinctive reaction to push or pull in the opposite direction to which the body is being pushed or pulled. If I were to place my hand on your shoulder and start pushing you, you would most likely push back against it.
The same applies to your dog. If he is pulling forward, and you’re trying to stop him by pulling backward, he’s going to pull forward even more. This is a very common mistake people make without even realizing it. If your shoulder or any part of your arm hurts when you finish walking your dog, most probably you were pulling backward while he was pulling forward.
Frustration
Dogs may get frustrated during walks for a number of reasons: wanting to go somewhere they’re not allowed, wanting to walk faster than you and not being able to, the training method you chose isn’t adequate for your dog, they would much rather be free to go where they want than be attached to a leash.
Any one of these reasons is likely to result in the dog pulling on the leash. If your dog is easily frustrated it’s better to work with a professional dog trainer, as he will need to learn general self-control besides being leash trained.
Reactivity or leash aggression; dog-to-dog aggression
If your dog starts pulling really hard on the leash when he sees another animal or person, then barks and lunges at them when they get closer, he most probably has a reactivity or aggression problem.
In this case, leash training alone won’t help much because pulling on the leash is a sign of an underlying problem; not the problem itself.
This is a situation where professional help is essential.
Poor communication
Dogs also pull on the leash when they’re confused about what to do. In most cases, we are the ones who confuse them by communicating poorly or unclearly with them. Let me give you a few examples of poor and confusing communication:
a) Saying the “heel” cue and allowing the dog to pull, sometimes,
and correcting pulling other times;
b) Not saying the cue at all and expecting the dog to guess what to do;
c) Using different cues interchangeably, such as “heel”, “stop it”, “stop pulling!” when the dog pulls.
To communicate clearly with your dog, it’s important to have good timing, always say the same cue and never allow him to pull unless you say the release cue (more on that later in the book).
Fear
Fear can certainly contribute toward a dog pulling on the leash, either forward or backward. This is because he wants to get away from whatever is causing him fear as fast as possible.
A dog may pull towards home if he is afraid of being outdoors, or he may be scared of another dog, or he may be startled by a sound and pull in a random direction…
If your dog pulls on the leash because he’s scared, it’s better to resolve the fear issue first and then focus on leash training. Another option is to leash train in environments and situations where he feels safe and release him from training when faced with a fear inducing situation.
- Alexandra Santos -
