Does your dog’s leash pulling drive you crazy?
Are you tired of hearing sarcastic comments of “who’s walking who”.
Maybe you enviously watch your neighbor walk past your house with their dog walking along by its side on a loose leash.
Before you got your dog, you probably dreamed, of peaceful, walks around the neighborhood with your dog. You dreamed of stress free outings with your dog but thats not what you got.
Your not alone, the percentage of dogs who pull on leash is quite high. Leash pulling is a common struggle for so many dog lovers.
Why Its Hard
The reason this is so hard, is because there are so many seductive distraction calling to your dog. And these are things your dog values greatly. It is determined to checking out the:
- The half eaten hotdog someone dropped on the sidewalk
- Any upright surface another dogs has marked
- The tree a squirrel just ran up
- It might just be the idea of what comes next (fun at the park)
- Chasing the cat that had the audacity to dash in front of you
They are calling to your dog like a Siren singing on the rocky coast. And you and your leash are preventing your dog from experience the joys of them.
Or it might be, the distractions are things your dog is worried about and wants to be as as away as possible from…
- Another dog walking towards you
- A huge, loud truck that drove past
- Innocent leaves blowing in the wind
- The person, who looks a little different maybe they are carrying a rake over their shoulder.
Either way, the result is your dog is pulling on the leash, and your not enjoying your walk.
Having your dog on leash is necessary for safety but it does limit your dog’s natural movement. And that limitation of movement can create frustration because the things your dog wants to interact with are not immediately accessible. Or it might escalating fear because your dog can not move away.
Prevalent misconceptions about loose leash walking
Its easy to assume your dog should instantly be able to walk on a loose leash.
But the truth is walking on loose leash is a learned skill. It is an unnatural behavior for them. As a matter of fact, their natural opposition reflex, causes them to pulling and strain hard of the leash.
But No Worries because even if you have a dog that has pulled you off your feet, is a breed that was bred to pull, is older and been pulling all its life, your dog can learn new leash walking skills.
If your dog tends to get scared and pulls back away from you, you can help them concur those fears to address that leash pulling.
Once you understand what creates leash pulling on lead, you’re one step closer to transforming it into that loose lead walking dream.
Reshape your dog’s brain and reshape your dog perspective of leash walking
At The Well-Mannered Dog we train concepts to re-shaping your dog’s brain and Solve your leash walking struggles. This has a much broader effect than just working on the behavior of “don’t pull on leash”.
The concepts address the bigger picture skills your dog lacks and the side effect is other struggles such as not coming when called, reactivity etc also benefit from your trainings.
So it doesn’t just transform the leash walking, it takes it further and transforms other struggles as well.
The big question is, what skills are they lacking? Which skills (concepts) do you need to teach or boost up?
Once your dog has those new skills your leash walking will transform into that dream. Additionally, the process of teaching it will be fun and fulfilling and you can accomplish this with these 3 simple concepts.
Concept 1 - Proximity
Proximity is your dog’s love of hanging out close to you. Dogs who pull on leash think the value is away from you.
Dog who value value being close don’t pull. This creates the picture you want for loose lead walking and amazing freedom for off leash walks as well.
Value for proximity can completely change your dog’s lead walking to one of No More Pulling. And it can be taught, with your dog’s meals.
Game 1 - Hunt Down Proximity
This game shows your dog that hanging out with you is the best thing ever!
1 Have your dog beside you and feed it 5-10 pieces of high value food (anything better than kibble)
2. Throw one piece of kibble a little distance away from you and let your dog get that food.
3. When your dog comes back to you, help it get beside you and reward that choice 5-10 pieces of high value food.
4. Repeat! Repeat! Repeat! Throw 1 piece of low value food out but when they come back to you, feed them lots of small high value pieces of food beside you. This clearly shows them where the value is.
5. Once that is easy your house, in it in your yard and then grow it in systematically more difficult environments - it needs to be harder but still doable.
Concept 2 - Disengagement
Disengagement is a super powerful concept move away from things of interest. And the list of things your dog finds valuable seem endless so it results in a huge variety of doggie misbehaviors.
Your goal is your dog sees the distraction, thinks “that’s None of My Business” and walks away on a loose leash as if it is beneath them.
This is a hugely important concept that needs to be taught before we can even think about working on leash walking skills.
Game 2 - Its None Of your Business
This foundation game grows your dog’s ability to disengage from distractions while showing your dog there is more value in moving away from things they find interesting or worrying than to check it out.
Choose a doable distraction. Start easy, it might be a neutral object or a toy.
- Toss one piece of food towards the distraction. Let your dog get that piece of food.
- The moment your dog turns back towards you to see if you’ve go more, start moving away so they are likely to follow you. When they catch up, feed 5-10 pieces of food.
- This teaches your dog moving away is the best deal!
- The more repetitions you do, the faster your dog will disengage from the distraction, so repeat, repeat, repeat. If they’re struggle, make the distraction less exciting.
5. When that is easy, you can try systematically more challenging distractions until you can play it with real life distractions in the neighborhood.
Concept 3 - Calmness
Yes, you dog needs a degree of calmness to successfully walk on a loose leash.
Overstimulated or excited dog less capacity to walk calmly on leash.
Dog who are excited before even going out the door are thinking about all the fun that in not yet in sight. Their brain is already down the street at the park, instead of walking calmly beside you.
Hyper vigilant dog, are anticipating all the scary or worrisome things they may encounter on a walk and just as likely to pull on leash.
Calm dogs make better choices. You can help your dog be way more calm by teaming up novel things in the environment with calm, positive reward. And that will hugely affect leash pulling
Game 3 - Anti Climax Game
Our Anti Climax game boosts your dog’s optimism, disengagement and calmness!
As you play Anti Climax you are acknowledging that novel things, distractions are happening.
You use a calm word to tell your dog that you are aware of the distraction and follow it by calmly delivering a tasty food reward.
But here’s the thing, you first need to establish this word at home without distractions.
1. Say your word (“Niiiiice”) then calmly read for your yummy food and delivered it to your dog. Repeat until your dog hears that magic word and turns to you expecting that yummy food. is going to follow. So it is word first, THEN put the food in your hand.
2. Once your dog understands your word means food is coming, you can pair the word with distractions. Begin with easy distractions, nothing your dog is worried by. Spot the distraction, say your word and follow up with some calmly delivered food.
3. Then, take the game on the road grow novel events with a positive outcomes of food. Show your dog calm responses to distractions is the very best option!
Remember - No matter how bad your dog’s leash walking is, there is hope! Even your dog can learn the skills to walk beautifully on leash.
Download your free Loose Leash Walking game plan for our top games and strategies to eliminate pulling on lead and transform walks with your dog.
Help! My dog's leash pulling is driving me Crazy!
What your dog really needs to learn for successful leash walking.
Does your dog’s leash pulling drive you crazy?
Are you tired of hearing sarcastic comments of “who’s walking who”.
Maybe you enviously watch your neighbor walk past your house with their dog walking along by its side on a loose leash.
Before you got your dog, you probably dreamed, of peaceful, walks around the neighborhood with your dog. You dreamed of stress free outings with your dog but thats not what you got.
Your not alone, the percentage of dogs who pull on leash is quite high. Leash pulling is a common struggle for so many dog lovers.
Why Its Hard
The reason this is so hard, is because there are so many seductive distraction calling to your dog. And these are things your dog values greatly. It is determined to checking out the:
- The half eaten hotdog someone dropped on the sidewalk
- Any upright surface another dogs has marked
- The tree a squirrel just ran up
- It might just be the idea of what comes next (fun at the park)
- Chasing the cat that had the audacity to dash in front of you
They are calling to your dog like a Siren singing on the rocky coast. And you and your leash are preventing your dog from experience the joys of them.
Or it might be, the distractions are things your dog is worried about and wants to be as as away as possible from…
- Another dog walking towards you
- A huge, loud truck that drove past
- Innocent leaves blowing in the wind
- The person, who looks a little different maybe they are carrying a rake over their shoulder.
Either way, the result is your dog is pulling on the leash, and your not enjoying your walk.
Having your dog on leash is necessary for safety but it does limit your dog’s natural movement. And that limitation of movement can create frustration because the things your dog wants to interact with are not immediately accessible. Or it might escalating fear because your dog can not move away.
Prevalent misconceptions about loose leash walking
Its easy to assume your dog should instantly be able to walk on a loose leash.
But the truth is walking on loose leash is a learned skill. It is an unnatural behavior for them. As a matter of fact, their natural opposition reflex, causes them to pulling and strain hard of the leash.
But No Worries because even if you have a dog that has pulled you off your feet, is a breed that was bred to pull, is older and been pulling all its life, your dog can learn new leash walking skills.
If your dog tends to get scared and pulls back away from you, you can help them concur those fears to address that leash pulling.
Once you understand what creates leash pulling on lead, you’re one step closer to transforming it into that loose lead walking dream.
Reshape your dog’s brain and reshape your dog perspective of leash walking
At The Well-Mannered Dog we train concepts to re-shaping your dog’s brain and Solve your leash walking struggles. This has a much broader effect than just working on the behavior of “don’t pull on leash”.
The concepts address the bigger picture skills your dog lacks and the side effect is other struggles such as not coming when called, reactivity etc also benefit from your trainings.
So it doesn’t just transform the leash walking, it takes it further and transforms other struggles as well.
The big question is, what skills are they lacking? Which skills (concepts) do you need to teach or boost up?
Once your dog has those new skills your leash walking will transform into that dream. Additionally, the process of teaching it will be fun and fulfilling and you can accomplish this with these 3 simple concepts.
Concept 1 - Proximity
Proximity is your dog’s love of hanging out close to you. Dogs who pull on leash think the value is away from you.
Dog who value value being close don’t pull. This creates the picture you want for loose lead walking and amazing freedom for off leash walks as well.
Value for proximity can completely change your dog’s lead walking to one of No More Pulling. And it can be taught, with your dog’s meals.
Game 1 - Hunt Down Proximity
This game shows your dog that hanging out with you is the best thing ever!
1 Have your dog beside you and feed it 5-10 pieces of high value food (anything better than kibble)
2. Throw one piece of kibble a little distance away from you and let your dog get that food.
3. When your dog comes back to you, help it get beside you and reward that choice 5-10 pieces of high value food.
4. Repeat! Repeat! Repeat! Throw 1 piece of low value food out but when they come back to you, feed them lots of small high value pieces of food beside you. This clearly shows them where the value is.
5. Once that is easy your house, in it in your yard and then grow it in systematically more difficult environments - it needs to be harder but still doable.
Concept 2 - Disengagement
Disengagement is a super powerful concept move away from things of interest. And the list of things your dog finds valuable seem endless so it results in a huge variety of doggie misbehaviors.
Your goal is your dog sees the distraction, thinks “that’s None of My Business” and walks away on a loose leash as if it is beneath them.
This is a hugely important concept that needs to be taught before we can even think about working on leash walking skills.
Game 2 - Its None Of your Business
This foundation game grows your dog’s ability to disengage from distractions while showing your dog there is more value in moving away from things they find interesting or worrying than to check it out.
Choose a doable distraction. Start easy, it might be a neutral object or a toy.
- Toss one piece of food towards the distraction. Let your dog get that piece of food.
- The moment your dog turns back towards you to see if you’ve go more, start moving away so they are likely to follow you. When they catch up, feed 5-10 pieces of food.
- This teaches your dog moving away is the best deal!
- The more repetitions you do, the faster your dog will disengage from the distraction, so repeat, repeat, repeat. If they’re struggle, make the distraction less exciting.
5. When that is easy, you can try systematically more challenging distractions until you can play it with real life distractions in the neighborhood.
Concept 3 - Calmness
Yes, you dog needs a degree of calmness to successfully walk on a loose leash.
Overstimulated or excited dog less capacity to walk calmly on leash.
Dog who are excited before even going out the door are thinking about all the fun that in not yet in sight. Their brain is already down the street at the park, instead of walking calmly beside you.
Hyper vigilant dog, are anticipating all the scary or worrisome things they may encounter on a walk and just as likely to pull on leash.
Calm dogs make better choices. You can help your dog be way more calm by teaming up novel things in the environment with calm, positive reward. And that will hugely affect leash pulling
Game 3 - Anti Climax Game
Our Anti Climax game boosts your dog’s optimism, disengagement and calmness!
As you play Anti Climax you are acknowledging that novel things, distractions are happening.
You use a calm word to tell your dog that you are aware of the distraction and follow it by calmly delivering a tasty food reward.
But here’s the thing, you first need to establish this word at home without distractions.
1. Say your word (“Niiiiice”) then calmly read for your yummy food and delivered it to your dog. Repeat until your dog hears that magic word and turns to you expecting that yummy food. is going to follow. So it is word first, THEN put the food in your hand.
2. Once your dog understands your word means food is coming, you can pair the word with distractions. Begin with easy distractions, nothing your dog is worried by. Spot the distraction, say your word and follow up with some calmly delivered food.
3. Then, take the game on the road grow novel events with a positive outcomes of food. Show your dog calm responses to distractions is the very best option!
Remember - No matter how bad your dog’s leash walking is, there is hope! Even your dog can learn the skills to walk beautifully on leash.
Download your free Loose Leash Walking game plan for our top games and strategies to eliminate pulling on lead and transform walks with your dog.
Comments
Head Trainer Debbie Schaefer was one of Oregons first certified dog trainers and is responsible for the high-quality classes, workshops, and events offered at The Well-Mannered Dog. In addition to running The Well-Mannered Dog, she teaches group and online courses that focus on Companion Dog Skills of Manners, Lifeskills, and Changing emotions.