Loose-lead walking is one of the most important skills you can teach your dog.
I’m afraid there is no magical cure—it comes down to consistent training.
In this article, we will look at why dogs tend to drag their owners behind them. In part two, we will explore what you can do to teach your dog to walk without pulling.
First, we need to understand why pulling happens.
Your dog is simply doing what comes naturally.
Forget the myths. Pulling has nothing to do with your dog trying to dominate you or become the leader of the pack. They are not secretly planning to take control and make your life difficult.
Walking at a human pace doesn’t come naturally to most dogs.
Have you noticed how quickly dogs move when they aren’t attached to a lead? They are often much faster on four legs than we are on two.
When we attach a lead and expect a dog not to pull, we are asking them to move in a way they haven’t automatically learned.
They aren’t born knowing how to walk calmly beside us. Having their movement restricted can also be frustrating because it limits their ability to make choices and explore.
WHAT COMES NATURALLY
Dogs are often full of energy and excitement when they go for a walk.
Pulling gets them where they want to go more quickly.
What do you do when you want to reach something? You move towards it.
Dogs are no different—they are simply faster.
The outside world is exciting. There are new sights and fascinating scents to investigate.
When a dog pulls towards something and we allow them to reach it, pulling works.
The dog learns, “Ah, that’s how I get where I want to go.”
Every time pulling produces a rewarding outcome, the behaviour becomes more likely to happen again.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Some trainers teach people to “be a tree” and stop moving the moment the dog begins to pull.
This approach may work for some dogs, but simply stopping is not always enough—particularly when the dog has a long history of pulling successfully.
Avoid choke chains, prong collars, electric shock collars, leash corrections and other methods designed to stop pulling through pain, fear or force.
Don’t jerk, yank or choke your dog while walking.
These methods can cause pain or injury, increase frustration and damage the trusting relationship between you and your dog.
Most importantly, punishment does not clearly teach your dog the behaviour you want them to perform instead.
HOW DO I TEACH MY DOG NOT TO PULL?
That is what we will cover in the next article.
For now, remember that consistency matters.
Try to prevent your dog from repeatedly practising and being rewarded for pulling. Nobody will achieve this perfectly on every walk, but the more often pulling gets your dog where they want to go, the stronger the behaviour may become.
The reward for pulling can be significant.
Your dog may reach an interesting tree, greet another dog, investigate a person or follow a fascinating scent.
Remember that every walk provides learning opportunities.
In the next article, we will explore techniques you can use to teach loose-lead walking.
It takes time and patience, and there are no instant shortcuts. The good news is that dogs can learn to walk calmly on a loose lead.
If you need help with your dog pulling on the lead, please book a Training and Behaviour consultation with us.
We would be more than happy to help.
Dogaholics Dog Training and Behaviour Services
