Why your dog still pulls on leash

 

 

There are few things more upsetting for a dog owner than their dog pulling them around. Do you agree? I’m sure you do. I’ve never met anybody who would say to me that the best part of their day is when their dog drags them around the streets after work. And unless you own a husky and are actively involved in canicross or sledding, I’m guessing walking your pulling dog is very low on your favourite past times list.

 

But still, look around, and you’ll see lots of dogs that pull so hard their little paws barely touch the ground. We call it “pavement swimming” btw. And the funny noises coming from them? Yep, they are choking.

 

So, since nobody aims to teach their pet dog to pull, what is the reason so many dogs do it? Well, there are a few actually. I’ll list them in no particular order as they are all equally guilty.

 

1. Dogs move at different speeds than humans. Their walking gait is usually much slower than ours, and their trot is faster.

So when you teach the dog to walk at your side, you force the dog to unnatural gait, called pacing, which is something between a walk and trot. Pacing is uncomfortable for longer periods of time, so the dog will try to break into trot from time to time, which is the most natural way of moving for him.

But this means that he is now moving a bit faster than you, so he starts pulling. And you try to slow him down. It takes a while for a dog to learn to trot at a slower pace, next to you, but some dogs never learn that anyway. It depends on the lenght of their legs and backs.

Small dogs can trot at your walking pace, with their short legs, so they may be easier to teach.

Larger dogs can actually walk at fast pace, but it can still be slower than you like, and you may be inclined to speed them up. But once they start trotting, you’ll be sorry to be at the end of that leash.

The solution: be aware and adjust your speed, as it’s much easier for us to do it, than for them.

 

2. It’s very hard, bordering on impossible, for a person to keep up the training for the entire walk. Of course your walks may be shorter than mine, but even 20 minutes seems an eternity when you have to constantly pay attention and make sure your dog does not pull.

It take tremendous mental focus. And that regardless of how you’re teaching your dog. Your patience may run thin, and it’s easy for friction, corrections and hurt egos to surface. Not worth it.

 

3. Inconsistency. On your part of course. Closely related to the previous one. When you get mentally tired, your brain starts whispering to you that it’s OK if you let your dog pull that one time, you’ll make up for it tomorrow, once you get some rest.

Or: it was just two steps he dragged me into those bushes, surely two steps don’t matter...

Unfortunately your dog pays very close attention to those blips, and takes notes. So next time he’ll try to pull again, just to see if you’re tired and distracted, and he can get where he wants, faster. If you allow for those blips, you must be aware that your training will go slower.

 

4. Equipment that you use may contribute to your dog’s pulling. You know that I always recommend harnesses, but there are many different ones on the market. What suits me and my dog, may be not suitable for your dog.

The lenght of your leash matters as well, but there is nor hard rule here. Some dogs walk better on shorter leash, others on longer. Personally I prefer longer leads, but if my dog was a dedicated puller, I would probably make my leash shorter while teaching him.

Finally we have head halters. Although very controversial, they are useful if your dog is really bad on leash, he’s large and strong and you just need to take him out. I’d say use one, find a style that fits your dog well, and go with it. The goal is always to stop using it eventually, but don’t worry about it too much.

 

5. Now, I left this one for last, as it’s crucial for your success, or failure. Arousal!

Which simply means the activation of your dog’s brain. How high he is. How excited, how worried, how scared, how happy. All these are states of arousal and they are visible as behaviours. Because arousal influences your dog’s responses to what he sees, hears, smells, and touches.

Low arousal brings calmness, relaxed sniffing, slow movement, better learning ability, and, for us - slower pace. High arousal is linked with tense body, quick movement, sharp and exagerated reactions to everything, inability to learn, and fast pace. In the extreme, a super high arousal can cause sticky movement or even total freezing, but it’s not relevant to walking on leash.

So when your dog, for whatever reason, gets very excited or worried, he will automatically start pulling on leash. Which causes you to do something you normally do, to stop it, slow him down, and have some control. But he can’t slow down because his brain is now releasing all these stress hormones that make his body move faster. And since he can’t move faster, he gets frustrated and this brings more arousal.

A worried dog may simply try to get away from the situation you’re in. That is true for all these dogs that are pretty good on lead, but sometimes they pull, and you may not realise why. My Chester was like that. If I took him to the town, he always pulled to get away. He didn’t like the town, the noises, buildings, people. He would stop pulling once we entered more open spaces.

A dog who always goes out to play and run free, will get excited the moment you get your leash out, and will pull to the park, where you’ll unclip the leash and play with him. The expectation and arousal of all the fun, will creep back into your pre-walk routine, and he will start getting high already at home.

A dog who is overstimulated by smells and movement of animals will have the same response. The thought of going will send him into a frenzy, which will manifest in pulling.

All these examples will be hard to work with, but may have nothing to do with the actual lead walking skills. And remember, high arousal does not help with learning, so you need to first address this issue before you attempt the loose leash walking training.

 

So, such a simple exercise like leash walking, and so many things to consider. No wonder pulling on leash is number one training struggle for so many dog owners. If you're one of them, there are ways I can help you, so you and your dog can have this relaxing walk you've always dreamt of.