Let's talk about loose leash walking! 😄
Not surprisingly, many pet guardians struggle to manage their dog on lead, you are not alone if you find this! Pulling is reinforcing! Which means it obtains desirable results for the dog. They get places faster, they can sniff more ground, they can take in more of their environment at a faster pace than walking nicely beside you. Dogs also naturally walk at a faster pace than us, so it's also quite difficult for them to walk at a pace we ask them to on a nice leisurely stroll.
When we are asking our dogs to walk calmly, we are effectively removing the fun, but yet, we are not. The fun is not entirely taken away unless you are using a tool to simply stop pulling. So if you're using a head collar, a check chain, a slip lead, a prong collar or a non-pull harness, please kindly dispose of these in the bin. You no longer need them because you are about to learn how to stop lead pulling in easy to follow steps that don't involve causing something your dog is actively trying to avoid!
When using a punishment or no pull device, you are adding something the dog dislikes and wants to avoid. This is often pain or some sort of discomfort that is bothering the dog enough that he doesn't tolerate it enough to continue pulling. This is considered an aversive and we do not advocate that here.
How does stopping my dog from pulling take away the fun?
The fun is in the environment, when aversive tools are used to halt a dog performing that behaviour, the stop enjoying the environment around them, they stop doing what they would otherwise be doing if they weren't avoiding pain or discomfort. They stop enjoying the walk. Yes, it becomes more enjoyable for you, you no longer have to yank your arm back in the socket after a 10 minute pull around the block! Yet, it's very boring and maybe a bit scary for the dog.
How about we meet in the middle?
Your dog gets to enjoy the walk and so do you! No negative tools, no stress for either of you, just compromise and learning.
Start by conditioning your dog to wearing a harness and not just any harness, one that will not restrict shoulder movement. The perfect fit harness is a good choice. It's important to use a well fitted harness and ensure your dog enjoys wearing it (which is why we condition). We want to teach the dog new behaviours for sustained change. We do not want to see immediate behaviour change due to the influence of a device that is rubbing or digging in, or because the dog is emotionally responding to the device because we didn't prepare them for wearing it.
If the dog 'freezes' and does not move around freely or comfortably, they are not enjoying wearing the harness, remove and take slower steps at conditioning, only moving forward when the dog gives consent.
Start with easy, manageable steps
Begin in familiar surroundings, at home, in the sitting room, kitchen, back garden. This is to allow your dog to learn without being distracted by all that is on offer on walks. A calm, non distracted, motivated dog learns a lot quicker than one that is focused on anything else but you.
Tools you will need
Food
Clicker
Good fitted harness that the dog now has a positive association with
A lead
Positive and encouraging attitude
Coming Soon!
Our free Loose Leash Walking guide!
Comments