I often have people asking me what type of tool should they purchase to help stop their dog pulling on walks, and my answer is never entirely clear cut! You will mostly hear me land on a front clip harness…my favourite being the Freedom Harness…and there are of course other humane options (as opposed to choke chain or prong collar) such as head halters like Gentle Leader and Halti brands.
I usually answer front clip harness because harnesses take significant less time to condition your dog to then a head halter does…and there is no physical risk if the dog does a lunge for any reason as there would be with a head halter. By and by, my preference for a walking tool is a front clip harness.
If your dog constantly pulls on the leash, something absolutely needs to be done to address this – even with a humane flat buckle collar, tremendous damage can be done to your dogs throat/trachea and often this damage is irreversible. However, when asked “what tool should I buy to help with my dogs pulling”, my answer “front clip harness” is not the end of the conversation. I recommend the harness to help alleviate the pressure from the dogs neck, not as a tool to train your dog with.
The answer to reduce pulling lies strictly in training loose leash walking skills. Period. Will putting a head halter on your dog, or a harness, prevent them from pulling? In *most* cases, YES it will, because when they pull it becomes uncomfortable or their body is redirected slightly and they learn to avoid this discomfort by not pulling. I say *most* cases because there are some very dedicated pullers out there who will learn to pull through any tool.
With a walking tool, your dog is physically prevented from pulling due to the tool that is on him, he is not actually learning or changing his mindset. He is simply avoiding the discomfort and succumbing to the fact that he can’t go. Ask anyone who decides to walk without the head halter one day…the dog will revert back to pulling really quickly.
But my major concern with preventing something physically and not mentally, is that they still WANT to pull. The desire is still there, but something is physically blocking them from getting it. Many dogs will begin to develop some form of frustration, or even anxiety which may manifest in a multitude of different ways. They may even develop an aversion to the tool itself (have you ever seen a dog try to avoid a harness or halter? They lower their body with ears down, even turn their head away).
At the end of the day – we have not solved the problem. And the problem is not that the dog pulls…the problem is that he has not learned to stay close to you. He is not purposely doing something wrong, or trying to be leader! He is simply being a dog and trying to go do dog things.
Why do dog pull to begin with??
Here are some common reasons:
1. We don’t walk as fast as they would like. Dogs seem to be very comfortable moving at a trot, and the bigger the dog…the bigger the steps!
2. The smells over there are VERY alluring…dogs can pick up a small interesting scent very easily, and if it’s a novel odour they are more driven to go explore it. After all, smelling things is how a dog explores their world!
3. Pulling has been reinforced. What? You may be asking “how?” How has it been reinforced?? It got him to where he wanted to go didn’t it? Think of that cute little puppy that you hooked on the leash for the first time and then YOU followed HIM around as he sniffed and explored! Pulling is reinforced when it gets them to where they want to go. A reinforced behaviour is likely to repeat in the future.
4. Finally…and to me this is the most essential one…they just haven’t learned what is expected of them! We put a leash on a dog and we assume they understand it means “stay by me”. But do they know that? NOPE! They are going along…doing their own thing…and then all of a sudden BAM…hit the end of the leash.
The goal to teaching loose leash walking is to reinforce the dog for being near you, for teaching them that it is better and more rewarding to be near you, and not wandering off all over the place.
Leash corrections don’t work, ask anyone who uses them and I am confident they will tell you that they have to repeat them each walk. Often times the motivation of getting where they want far outweigh the leash correction. The dog will respond to the correction for a little bit of time, but eventually they head off again.
In short; loose leash walking begins at home, in the house, off leash. It begins by reinforcing your dog for looking at you, orienting their attention to you. Then as you begin to walk around you will reinforce them for catching up to you. Then you increase your expectations and reinforce them as they stay by you, zigzagging all over the house.
Then you move it all outside and start from square one again.
Once that is mastered you add in the leash, and do the exact same.
Finally you begin to increase distraction by moving to the front lawn/driveway. Slowly, bit by bit you begin to walk further away from the house.
A high rate of reinforcement is absolutely necessary. This can be slowed down at a later time but it is essential to get things going and establish the behaviour you want.
Working at this daily, you can yield results in a matter of a couple weeks. It truly is not a lengthy process. Each dog does learn at a different rate and its important to note that dogs who do experience anxiety or fearfulness to anything in the outside world may struggle with this until their fear is addressed first.
Some common mistakes when training loose leash walking includes:
– too low a rate of reinforcement…remember, this can be reduced once the behaviour is established. It will not last forever. But it will yield tremendous results!
– pushing through distractions too fast
– allowing the dog to practice the pulling behaviour in between training sessions. You may need to drain your dogs energy in the backyard and through mental games while this training is going on. If pulling is permitted, then there is a lack of consistency and it’s much harder for the dog to learn.
– reinforcing the incorrect behaviours. You get what you reinforce, and if you reinforce the dog looking over his shoulder at you, then you will establish that behaviour. If you reinforce the dog returning to your side from up front, then that is the behaviour you will establish. Be sure only reinforce for STAYING at your side, not drifting away and then returning…then you have a ping pong dog!
Finally, allow your dog the opportunity to stop and sniff. They love to sniff. Sniffing is AMAZING to them. Give them mental breaks frequently with a cue like “all done” or “go play” so they can move away from your side a bit and sniff…or pee!!
Walks should be enjoyable for everyone involved! They are relaxing and bonding and great for physical and mental health. Happy walking everyone!
Carrie Castaldi ~ Positive Paw Dog Training ~
289-926-9627 ~ positivepawdogtraining@gmail.com
Positive Paw Dog Training 