We have all seen it: a dog walking down
the street at the end of his leash, coughing and gagging because his collar is
putting pressure on his throat. It isn’t fun for the owner or the dog! So how
do we prevent or even correct this scenario? We encourage loose leash walking!
Walking on a loose leash is actually not
a natural behavior for a dog. There are so many sights and smells outside. Dogs
just want to go as fast as they can to take it all in! And we humans only have
two legs to keep up with our four-legged friends! In order to get our dogs to
walk on a loose leash, we need to teach them two things. First, that pulling on
the leash does not reward them with forward movement. And second, that staying
close to our side is more rewarding than pulling forward.
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| A loose leash makes for enjoyable walks for everyone! |
Do Not Reward the Pulling
It is important to remember that walks
are very reinforcing for dogs. Forward movement (in other words, the chance to
keep taking in new smells) is rewarding. When a dog pulls on the leash, and he
is allowed to continue walking forward, he is getting rewarded for
pulling! Instead, we need to teach our
dogs that they do not get too move
forward when they pull on the leash. There are two positive ways to do this.
The first way is to simply stop moving when the leash gets tight. Don’t move
forward until the leash relaxes. The second way is to turn around whenever the
dog pulls. To avoid yanking the dog around, use a happy tone of voice and a cue
(like “let’s go”) to get them to turn with you. Walk a few feet in the opposite
direction, then turn around and continue on your walk. Repeat the process as
needed. This may seem silly at first, but after a few turns your dog will start
to learn that tension on the leash means that you do not move forward.
You can also play a game to reward loose
leash walking. Put your dog on a leash and place a treat at the end of a long
hallway. Make sure your dog sees it. Then walk to the other side of the
hallway. Now walk towards the treat. Stop moving whenever the leash gets tight
and wait until it relaxes. When it does, use a cue that means you are going to
move forward (like “let’s go”) and continue walking forward. Repeat this
process until you get to the end of the hallway. Make sure to add a cue (like
“get it”) that means it is okay to get the treat right before you walk up to it.
Understanding the Opposition Reflex
Dogs have something called an opposition
reflex. Put simply, this reflex causes the dog to push against pressure. So
when a dog is pulling on a leash, he will naturally continue to pull on that
leash as long as there is pressure on his throat. You can “reset” this
opposition reflex by either turning or by stopping. You can also prevent the
reflex from being triggered by walking your dog on a no-pull harness.
Choosing the Right Equipment
The equipment you choose to walk your dog
on matters! Retractable leashes almost always have tension, so it is difficult
to teach a dog to walk on a loose leash (all of the methods stated previously
require that the leash is relaxed before the dog gets rewarded with forward
movement). A 6-4 foot nylon leash is recommended. “H-style” harnesses (the kind
that form an H on the dog’s back and clip on the back) trigger the opposition
reflex. When the dog pulls, the harness puts pressure on the dog’s chest,
causing it to push forward. Typical flat collars also trigger the opposition
reflex because they put pressure on the dog’s throat when they pull forward. Both flat collars and H-style harnesses are fine to use once your dog has learned loose leash walking.
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| In this photo, Rana is wearing an H-style harness. |
No-pull harnesses like Easy Walks and Wonder Walkers work against the opposition
reflex. When the dog pulls, the leash actually turns the body to the side,
instead of putting pressure on the dog’s chest or neck. Head collars (such as
Gentle Leaders) work in a similar way, except they turn the head instead of the
chest. You do have to take care to avoid yanking your dog around on a head
collar, as this can be painful on their neck (think of whiplash in a car. It
can hurt when your neck moves suddenly in a different direction)!
Prong/ pinch collars, shock collars, and
choke collars may be tempting to use because they can provide “immediate”
results. However, these tools are very painful for your dog! Many people
advertise how prong collars are not painful and state that they disperse
pressure evenly around the neck. However, studies have shown that prong collars
actually increase the pressure on the
neck! An 80 lb dog pulling on a standard flat collar exerts about 5lbs per
square inch (psi) on their neck, but that same dog on a prong collar exerts
over 550 psi on their neck per prong
(Steinker & Tudge, 2012)! This can cause damage to the trachea, esophagus,
eyes, and soft tissues of the neck. Prong collars “work” because they are
painful. In contrast, loose leash training and no-pull harnesses are painless
solutions that allow everyone (human and canine) to enjoy their walks!
Walking at Your Side is Awesome (and Your Dog Should Know it)!
One of the ways to encourage loose leash
walking is to train your dog that walking by your side is more rewarding than pulling
forward. To do this, keep a handful of tasty treats in your pocket or a
training bag. Start your walk by showing your dog that you have these treats.
Put a treat in your hand and hold it down at your side. When your dog comes to
your side, give him the treat and give him lots of praise! Then continue on
your walk. Whenever your dog walks by your side, give him a treat and lots of
praise. When he begins to show this behavior consistently, add a cue (such as
“with me”). Start by using this cue when he goes to your side. Use the cue
before you give him the treat. Eventually, your dog will associate the cue with
walking by your side.
References
Steinker, A & Tudge,
N. (2012). Choke and prong collars: Health concerns call for equipment change
in dog training. The Pet Professional Guild, Barks From The Guild, Autumn
2012. Retrieved from: http://ppgworldservices.com/2014/03/01/choke-and-prong-collars-health-concerns-call-for-equipment-change-in-dog-training/
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