Why Does My Dog Pull on the Leash?

What is the number one reason that dogs pull on the leash? PULLING WORKS!!! How Frustrating for us! If we teach dogs that we will follow as they pull, then yes they will use this behaviour to get what they want in life.

Dogs may pull on the leash when they are excited and happy. They genuinely want to go see or greet or go sniff. We also see pulling when dogs are anxious and worried, they may want to quickly see or sniff the thing to end the suspense, assess the danger, or maybe want to pull away from it. Often dogs are overstimulated, they can no longer think about options, and the instinct to go see takes over. This also includes dogs that are reactive to other dogs, people, cars, skateboarding children, or have a very strong prey drive and the need to go after the bunny, cat, squirrel etc takes over completely!

The result is a dog that knows one thing:

It works!!! Pull, and you get to go where you want AND, your people follow!

Pulling and getting what they want is a very functional relationship for your dog.

Now, don't get me wrong some dogs are more sensitive and they don't like leash pressure so they don't pull much or ever, but most are more than happy to pull to get to see a friend or eat the tasty thing on the ground or to go sniff what they want.

Are we failing our dogs? Is it too late to fix this?

Your dog does not magically come preprogrammed to not pull on the leash.

it is NEVER too late to train polite leash walking skills, but this is certainly a skill that is easier to learn before it becomes a problem. Can you imagine their frustration about learning to walk on a leash? They are busy doing happy dog things and exploring and suddenly they are brought up short by the leash.

Remember dogs are great problem solvers! Ok so let's try pulling towards what I want. Hey, that worked! Just like that, they have learned how to pull to get what they want.

How do we fix it?

What not to do:

• Do not let the dog pull you around. If this is something that gets them what they want they are more likely to repeat this action. Remember, if they can't focus on you, you probably need to do some training in a less stimulating environment first. You are asking too much.

• Do not scold, punish, poke or yank the dog around. This only achieves causing you and your dog frustration. Using aversives may appear to solve the problem but in the end, it is not doing much for your dog's desire to walk nicely on leash. Rather, it will very quickly destroy your relationship and diminish your dog's joy. Dogs may even become aggressive or fearful, as there is a chance they will associate the discomfort and possible pain with seeing the dog, human, car, cat etc.

• Being sporadic with the rewards will potentially make the situation worse, after all, if your boss did not pay you well, would you still want to do the job?

• Do not work train for too long when first learning. Two minutes training intervals are best for success.

• Don't use a flexi leash where dogs have to put pressure on the leash to pull the leash out, thus teaching them to pull through resistance.

Simple and effective steps to stop unwanted pulling:

• Set aside time for your dog to go sniff and explore on a long line or off leash if appropriate. This allows your dog more freedom of movement and will greatly reduce leash frustration for both parties.

• We MUST meet our dog's natural needs to run, play, explore, socialize, eliminate, chase toys or food tosses, sniff to their heart's content and maybe play with their friends, sniff the bushes, and just be a dog!

• Remember, humans walk to get from A to B. Dogs walk with us because we make them. Make sure we take the time to let them enjoy what they want on the walk too! You can get much more cooperation if you both are getting something you like out of your adventure! The more chance to sniff the more your dog will enjoy the walk! Sniffing is what dogs do! It is soothing and calming for them, so let them enjoy their walk!

• Don't take your dog out for controlled walking when they are bursting at the seams with energy (play a little bit first).

• Reward handsomely for great choices!

• Play leash walking games to make good leash skills fun for your dog!

• Reward not only with food, but play and a chance to explore!

• The more you reward with an opportunity to go see and explore, the more your dog will look to you for these opportunities!

• Reward all check-ins! Reward them with a treat at first so they understand the connection, but frequently the reward can be to "go see".

• Keep sessions short and sweet!

• Know your dog's limitations and abilities, a bunny running in front of your dog's nose will not likely be something they can resist at first.

• Find a reward that your dog cares about and use it as an incentive for walking close to you without pulling. High-value treats, toys, or real-life rewards!

• Use proper gear (Blue-9 Balance harness works well with one or two leashes) and know how to apply it without causing your dog discomfort. Dogs that pull should not be walked on a collar as this can be dangerous and damaging to their neck. The gear is not there to control the dog, we need to train them. The gear is the emergency backup.

• If your dog pulls ( leash is tight = pulling!!!) STOP going forward. If they are calmly standing allow them to look. If they are stuck for more than 10 seconds or escalating invite your dog to change direction or come away to do something else.

• Do talk to your dog and communicate to ensure they know what you like by marking rewarding great choices.

• Manage or prevent unwanted behaviour when possible. If not help them stop the rehearsal by interrupting the unwanted behaviour and inviting them away from the problem.

• Grow the skills, one step at a time ( literally!)

• Practice where you are likely to succeed (lower distractions) at first. Build up gradually to more challenging environments.

• Practice as you mean to go on!

Remember, your dog was not born to walk on a leash. This is a skill they need to learn, like anything else some dogs are faster to catch on than others. Not every dog loves leash walks, but we can help make it more pleasant for them by training and making sure to meet their needs and give them the freedom to explore when appropriate.

If you need help Best Paw Forward & DAWG offer Leash Walking Skills classes to show you how to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash, not because we make them, but because they will want to!

If you found these tips helpful, let us know!

Why won't my dog come when called?

Why do some dogs believe that Recall is in essence a punishment and refuse or are slow to come when called ????

Most times we tend to call the dog when we want their "fun" to end. No more sniffing, playing, exploring, and having to come to you. They have to give up all of that and what do they get in exchange?

Tips to make your recall better!

Reward with what they really want. A single treat? Really? Do you think that is magically going to make your dog want to come each and every time? Think again! You need to reward them with what they really want in life! It's not all food either! Playtime with another dog, real fun play with you, a chance to jump in a puddle, chase a squirrel or bunny there are so many things your dog may be WAY more interested in than that plain dry boring biscuit you give him. We need to SPICE it up! Better treats, ball, frisbee, tail teaser wand, and above all: INTERACTION WITH YOU. The sky should be the limit when it comes to rewarding the fantastic response of coming when called!

Did you train for it? Start in an environment with little to no distractions. Teach your dog what your recall cue is and what they will be rewarded for Looking at YOU!!!. Then build up. Remember you start at level 1 at home, in the kitchen with a dog that would do anything for the reward. Then level 2 maybe the living room. Now can you do it without a treat or toy on you? Can you reach for the reward AFTER your dog looks at you? That is a reward instead of a lure, BRAVO! Can you call from one room to another?

There are several parts to the recall:

1. Your cue. What is your cue? A Whistle, word, their name? Make it a new fun and exciting sound if your dog HARDLY EVER responds to their current name or recall word. "Spaghetti" or "Chocolate" are good and fun words to start fresh with.

2. Pair the new cue with the reward, 10 times first, with a lot of fun and praise before trying it at a small distance.

3. Get a positive response, When your dog orients towards you, say YES or GOOD at that moment!

4. Bring out your reward and let your dog volunteer to come to you to claim it.

5. Let the dog come within touching distance (proximity) in order to eat the treat or play with you, or better yet, make a combo reward of food, play and praise from time to time!

6. Next step: to be able to secure the dog by reaching for the harness, or collar, or ask for a voluntary "leash up" reward big time, AGAIN!!

7. Release to go back to play or sniff with a cue like "Free", "All Done" or "Go Sniff" then repeat the recall again. This way your dog learns that the fun is not over each time you call.

Practice on a long line to prevent failure in the training stages, Make it way more fun to come to you than it is to stay away!

Special note: recalling the dog is not always the best solution. For example, if the dog ran across the road calling it back across may not be safe! In that case, think about using an emergency down. You may want a verbal and hand signal to increase the chances of success.

If you have made changes and are still struggling with your recall, remember, your dog is only doing what we have taught them to know and will always do what suits them best! If NOT coming to you when called makes the fun last a bit longer, then your dog may well decide that it is worth it! Scolding or punishing once you have your dog close to you after a failed recall, will NOT help you to make it better, if anything, it will be less likely your dog will want to come to you at all next time!

Best Paw Forward / DAWG expert staff is here to help you. We offer classes and mini-seminars for Recall Rescue training to help even the most independent dog WANT to come to you!

Bestpaw.ca 250-729-3900 bestpawdogtraining@gmail.com

Why does my dog jump on people?

As dog lovers and owners, we understand how frustrating it is when your furry friend jumps up on people and you just want it to STOP!

So, how can you best help your dog?

1. Learn to understand what the function of the behaviour is, it is usually driven by an emotional need

2. Find ways to prevent the rehearsal of unwanted behaviour, some suggestions are below!

3. Train your dog to do an alternate behaviour, we will tell you how!

Several common reasons for dogs to jump up: seeking social interaction, greeting, excitement, seeking engagement from a person, jumping up towards something they want like a toy or treat, or even asking for help when they are worried and need comforting. You will also see pawing actions that follow similar needs.

Dogs are social animals and jumping up on people is a natural way for them to greet and interact. When you are connecting with your dog, all the sounds and interaction stem from connecting with your face/eyes! Jumping up is the closest they can get to a face-to-face greeting as they would do with other members of their species.

Jumping up behaviour is a form of communication and it has a purpose.

We often see small dogs that jump incessantly. Sometimes it is that they are asking for help and to be comforted when they are worried or overwhelmed by what is happening around them. But they are not the only ones to jump, big dogs jump up too!

This is not to say that you should continue to have your dog jump all over you, after all, it is not usually very enjoyable and can hurt! We can certainly teach our jumping beans a different way to communicate with us what they need.

Ideas:

1. For fear response jumping: teach your dog to come sit between your knees instead of jumping up. This way they can have lots of close contact and protection to feel safe.

2. For excited response jumping: Teach your dog to sit or settle on their bed or a lead at a distance from the person to earn access to greeting people.

3. Rewarding or distracting opposite to the direction your dog is about to go. You know they want to jump up towards the person, so roll a treat down and away behind them to counter the action before they have a chance to rehearse the jumping.

4. Sprinkling a few treats on the floor can help them calm down from the initial excitement of you or other people coming in before they have a direct interaction with people. You can continue to add treats until the dog is calmer.

5. Management examples: putting the dog on a leash so it can't reach the person to jump on, or putting them behind a barrier like a baby gate.

Management will prevent the rehearsal of the dog jumping up, It does not teach a replacement skill! Make sure you focus on both management to prevent rehearsing unwanted behaviours and training to replace them with better choices.

Extinguishing the behaviour

There are other things we can do, like ignoring the dog when it jumps up. This process is called extinction. This means a behaviour that used to get them the attention, will no longer work. Of course, this is usually something they have done hundreds of times and we often respond in some way (pushing the dog off, telling them to stop, letting out an explosion of breath etc), which is getting that dog the attention or interaction it is looking for. If you respond sometimes, your dog will just get more frustrated when you don't respond and try even harder to get your attention. This is not just frustrating for the dog, but for you as well. Training is a much more effective and less frustrating way than ignoring, and it will get you faster results.

How effective is scolding or punishing to reduce jumping up on people?

Remember we mentioned dogs are often looking for attention? For dogs, all attention is good attention, even if you are upset, they still got your full and undivided attention, and the cycle continues!

If you were to use physical force and push the dog, it is likely the dog will come back for more or, at worst, the dog will become afraid of you and your relationship will suffer.

Provide your dog with plenty of exercise, mental stimulation, and socialization to help reduce their excitement and anxiety levels. Regular training and obedience classes can be so incredibly beneficial to help your furry friend become a well-behaved and polite member of society.

It is OK for your dog to jump up, but make sure it is by YOUR INVITATION so you can have a hug and enjoy your dog greeting you with enthusiasm and make sure you and your dog have a way of greeting that meets both of your needs!

If jumping on people is a behaviour that is causing trouble in your life, contact our Best Paw Forward / DAWG Certified Professional Dog Trainers to get help!

bestpaw.ca 250-729-3900 bestpawdogtraining@gmail.com