Something New.... (Loose Leash Walking)

Something New...

Leash walking is one of the most intense behaviours to get out of a dog.  Why?  If you think about it, there is so many other more interesting things to do.  So, what do we do?  We either train the heck out of them, or if you're a bit lazy like most of us are (including me), there are things we can use to reduce the pulling.

Harnesses and head halters are a wonderful addition in the last few years.   Although many are touted as  "No-Pull" with the right other motivation SQUIRREL! your dog can easily CAT! pull you along if it really DEAD FISH! wants to.  I would term them pull reducing harnesses.  The harnesses I am talking about are ones that attach at the front of the chest to use their own forward momentum against them.  As a scientist, I liken it like a fulcrum; depending on where it is, the more effect it will have.  It works against a natural reflex as well.

Get someone to pull you by the arm, quickly, and without any warning (no 1...2....3!).  Your natural instinct will be to pull BACK against this (the same with a shove).  Sensible/Sensation, Easy Walk and Freedom harnesses are the common these days for anti-pull harnesses.  They work the same way because you can attach them at the front (the Freedom harness has an additional attachment at the back) and this acts as the fulcrum.  Ideally these are used in conjunction with training, but for some, all they use is these for a long long time without training... once back on the collars though, they will likely start pulling again.  Nose halters and Gentle leaders will be the same.

Halters and Gentle Leaders are designed more to control the head (gently, not with a rough hand - snapping heads around can cause damage to the dog, which might lead to other problems).   I don't recommend these as much as harnesses because if the dog loves to walk nicely and then SUDDENLY charge, the same head snap can happen.  But for a dog that is all over the map (street) and is a bit less focused to specific things, these work well; it also allows you to get reactive dogs off of whatever stimulus triggers their reactivity.  Training is helpful here too, but many don't bother.

Training is intensive and takes time, but is well worth it.  The main concept in teaching a dog not to pull is to play "Red Light, Green Light" (Ian Dunbar).  Every time the dog starts to go forward to pull, you stop, and wait for them to focus back on you or (better still) to come back to your side.  For chronic pullers, this means a lot of stopping and waiting, but once the dog starts to understand what you want, it becomes a lot easier.  Patience is a supreme virtue when it comes to Loose Leash Walking, but it is well worth it.