When you start to get ready for your daily walk with your dog does he bounce all over the place, desperately crying for your attention to hurry up to get out of the door as soon as your shoes, coat and his lead appear? And do you have to wrestle with him just to attach his lead to his collar? You’ve both reached a stage of heightened anxiety in the house before you even venture out of the door, and you’re probably setting yourself up to fail right from the word go.
It’s not natural for a dog in the wild to go for a walk, it’s the owner who believes that their dog should go for a walk. Even though our dogs aren’t wild animals, they still have natural instincts. They instinctively need to know who is the provider and protector, who is the decision maker, who will keep them safe, and who will provide food.
When your dog is pulling on the lead, it’s in charge, at the front leading the way and keeping a vigilant look out for food and danger. When your dog is pulling on the lead neither of you can feel happy or relaxed. You need to be able to show your dog that walking close to you is a happy and safe place to be. This learning is best started at home, in an environment where there are no distractions or perceived dangers.
There is no need for harsh tugging of the lead, barking commands or shouting at the dog if it doesn’t get it right first time. You want your dog to do things of his own free will, to know that you’re the decision maker, leader of the pack and that walking close to you is the best place to be.
There are four occasions where a dog questions whether or not it is the main decision maker and one of these occasions is when you’re out on a walk.
If you require a one-to-one consultation to solve your dog’s pulling on the lead please use the Contact Me page of this web site.