Why your dog pulls on the lead

If your dog pulls on the lead, you are not alone. It’s a very common problem that many people experience.  Your dog walks should be the best bit of the day, both for you and for your dog, but when your dog is pulling on the lead, it can be stressful, frustrating and sometimes even dangerous if your dog is particularly strong.

Sometimes people think that their dog is just being stubborn by pulling, or deciding not to listen to them.  But the truth is that there are many reasons why dogs pull on the lead, and it is not because they are being stubborn or just deciding not to listen.  In fact, most dogs are simply doing what makes sense to them based on their past experiences.

So here’s a snapshot of some of the reasons your dog might be pulling: 

Reason 1: Your dog is pulling because it works for them (they are reinforced) 

Dogs repeat behaviours that get them what they want. This is a fundamental part of how they learn.  If your dog pulls towards another dog, a smell, an open space or anything they want to get to, and they get there when they pull, well then the pulling has been reinforced. It has worked for them.

Even if you are trying to stop it by pulling back, saying “no”, or holding them tight, if they still reach the thing they were aiming for, and they are learning that pulling gets them where they want to go.  Over time, this becomes their default way of walking.

Reason 2: The environment is super interesting to a dog

When you step outside, your dog enters a world full of smells, movement, sounds, and opportunities. It is incredibly stimulating.  If we’re honest, most dogs haven’t been taught that staying close to us or checking in is rewarding enough to compete with all of that.

So they follow their nose, their eyes, and get lost in their own world and the lead and their connection to you is forgotten about.  This isn’t stubbornness, it just means that we haven’t found a way to reinforce them in a way that competes with all of the environmental stimuli.  

Reason 3: They are emotional beings 

Pulling isn’t always about excitement. For many dogs, it is linked to how they are feeling.  Some common emotional drivers include:

• Excitement – rushing towards something they enjoy

• Frustration – wanting to get somewhere faster or reach another dog

• Anxiety or uncertainty – trying to create distance from something that worries them (traffic is a big one here)

  Two dogs can both be pulling, but for completely different reasons. Understanding this is key, because it changes how we approach the training.

Reason 4: Walking on a lead isn’t natural for a dog

It’s easy to forget that dogs are not born understanding how to walk on a lead or even what a lead is!  Also throw into the mix that they have double the amount of legs that we have and you can see how this might be tricky for them.

From their perspective, they are attached to a human, restricted in their movement, and expected to match our pace and direction. That’s a lot to figure out.  Loose lead walking is a skill. And like any skill, it needs to be taught clearly and practised consistently.

It’s not about being in charge or being the top dog

A lot of traditional advice focuses on control, correcting the dog, keeping them in heel position, or stopping them from sniffing.  Unfortunately some ‘trainers’ also encourage you to use equipment that is likely to cause your dog pain and sometimes injury (choke chains, shock collars, prong collars etc).  This doesn’t teach your dog anything other than sometimes you cause them to be in pain when you are out walking.  If we want a dog to walk nicely on the lead, we need to teach them:

• Where we want them to be

• How to move with us

• And why it’s worth their while

  So where do we start?

Before we even start on the actual loose lead walking training, we need to ensure our dogs are communicating really well with us.

In the next blog in this series, we’ll look at the foundations you need to have in place to set your dog up for a successful walk.  We will look at building eye contact, engagement, and communication so your dog starts choosing you, even when the environment is full of distractions and wildly interesting things.

If you’d like help with your dog’s lead walking, I run training walks in Havering, and the next one happens to be on loose lead walking.  If you would like to join, you can book here.   I also do one-to-one sessions in Romford, Essex and surrounding areas. Feel free to get in touch or keep an eye out for upcoming events.

Christine