 |  |  |
When it comes to pulling on the leash, a war wages in the product market. Harnesses exist for the face, front legs, back legs, and core of the dog, not to mention the myriad of collars for sale, proclaiming their ability to stop pulling. My biggest issue with most of these products is that they are band-aids. What do I mean by band-aid? I mean a quick cover up. I mean that they don't solve the underlying issue, and they only serve to limit the damaging tension between the body of the dog and the arm of the human.
We all see examples of dogs that are pulling with all their might while of the walk. Many owners put up with the behavior, but why? The dog is straining against you, why would you want your walk to be a competition of strength? The walk should be a harmonious partnership, not an exercise in conflict. Neither you nor your dog should feel frustrated or sore because of a short walk around the neighborhood.
So what should be done? If harnesses and other go-to's are just band-aids, and pulling on the leash shouldn't be encouraged, what are dog owners supposed to do? When a dog is poorly behaved on leash, they need leadership. Proper leadership creates a far better leash walking experience than a harness ever will.
It all starts at the front door. Does your walk begin with an excited animal jumping around and creating chaos? Then wait... wait until your animal is not barking, not jumping, not whining, or doing any other demanding behavior to channel their excitement. As you wait your dog is cataloging your new behavior and trying to figure out what you want, so if you time it correctly you will be communicating to your pup that you are happy to take them on a walk, so long as they can do it calmly. Often, I will wait until the dog has voluntarily sat down, has stopped wagging its tail, and is watching me. This takes time, all new lessons do. Don't forget to be patient, and don't worry about giving commands.
The next step is to leave the house, this too should be a calm practice on your terms. Who goes out the door first? This may seem like a minor detail to you, but in the mind of your dog it is significant, if they begin the walk ahead of you they are leading you, which creates a cycle of you being the one who needs to be told where to go and what to do.
So you've waited an inordinate amount of time for your dog to be calm before clipping on the leash, waited some more for post- leashclick excitement, and then carefully maneuvered out the door/gate; its a good, albeit foreign, start. Beyond this point the same principles remain, you give what your dog wants when your dog is calm and paying attention to you. Do not reward excitement by caving to it. If your pup begins to pull, stop. if your dog rushes toward a certain spot, turn around and go the other way. These may feel like games of willpower for now, but before long you will have a much more pleasant balance with your pup.
Don't settle for a stressful walk. You don't need to. Both you and your dog will have a better time if it is an activity you do together with teamwork and relaxation.
We all see examples of dogs that are pulling with all their might while of the walk. Many owners put up with the behavior, but why? The dog is straining against you, why would you want your walk to be a competition of strength? The walk should be a harmonious partnership, not an exercise in conflict. Neither you nor your dog should feel frustrated or sore because of a short walk around the neighborhood.
So what should be done? If harnesses and other go-to's are just band-aids, and pulling on the leash shouldn't be encouraged, what are dog owners supposed to do? When a dog is poorly behaved on leash, they need leadership. Proper leadership creates a far better leash walking experience than a harness ever will.
It all starts at the front door. Does your walk begin with an excited animal jumping around and creating chaos? Then wait... wait until your animal is not barking, not jumping, not whining, or doing any other demanding behavior to channel their excitement. As you wait your dog is cataloging your new behavior and trying to figure out what you want, so if you time it correctly you will be communicating to your pup that you are happy to take them on a walk, so long as they can do it calmly. Often, I will wait until the dog has voluntarily sat down, has stopped wagging its tail, and is watching me. This takes time, all new lessons do. Don't forget to be patient, and don't worry about giving commands.
The next step is to leave the house, this too should be a calm practice on your terms. Who goes out the door first? This may seem like a minor detail to you, but in the mind of your dog it is significant, if they begin the walk ahead of you they are leading you, which creates a cycle of you being the one who needs to be told where to go and what to do.
So you've waited an inordinate amount of time for your dog to be calm before clipping on the leash, waited some more for post- leashclick excitement, and then carefully maneuvered out the door/gate; its a good, albeit foreign, start. Beyond this point the same principles remain, you give what your dog wants when your dog is calm and paying attention to you. Do not reward excitement by caving to it. If your pup begins to pull, stop. if your dog rushes toward a certain spot, turn around and go the other way. These may feel like games of willpower for now, but before long you will have a much more pleasant balance with your pup.
Don't settle for a stressful walk. You don't need to. Both you and your dog will have a better time if it is an activity you do together with teamwork and relaxation.
NOTE:
When it comes to harnesses and collars, all trainers have their own product they choose as the best. Personally, i prefer a nice lightweight leash, and that's it. Gentle leaders have worked well for me as a communication tool in the past, so if I had to pick that is where I would probably put my support. The idea is to have to use less pressure to communicate, and gentle leaders do this by targeting a weaker area of the dog.
Harnesses make very little sense to me... harnesses are what we put on animals to distribute impact and encourage pulling (i.e. carriage horses, sled dogs, etc.). They put the straps around the most muscular part of the dog. Same with very thick collars, in the end it all means that the tension is spread over a larger area of the animal. Anything that goes over the low part of the neck or the chest is pitting your arms against the strongest part of the dogs body. This simply does not seem near as effective to me as a normal leash placed higher up on the neck.
When it comes to harnesses and collars, all trainers have their own product they choose as the best. Personally, i prefer a nice lightweight leash, and that's it. Gentle leaders have worked well for me as a communication tool in the past, so if I had to pick that is where I would probably put my support. The idea is to have to use less pressure to communicate, and gentle leaders do this by targeting a weaker area of the dog.
Harnesses make very little sense to me... harnesses are what we put on animals to distribute impact and encourage pulling (i.e. carriage horses, sled dogs, etc.). They put the straps around the most muscular part of the dog. Same with very thick collars, in the end it all means that the tension is spread over a larger area of the animal. Anything that goes over the low part of the neck or the chest is pitting your arms against the strongest part of the dogs body. This simply does not seem near as effective to me as a normal leash placed higher up on the neck.
  |  |
