We all know how annoying it is to go for a walk with our puppy and start to constantly tug on the leash, not only can he hurt us, but he can also hurt himself. If our dog pulls on the lead, it could be due to several factors, from fear of noise or other dogs to anxiety or excess excitement.
Knowing the reason for the jerks is important to be able to provide a solution, so we will explain everything you should know about why dogs pull a lot on the leash and how we can avoid it, explained step by step very simply, so few weeks, you can walk with your puppy happily.
Index of contents
- 1 Why does my dog pull the leash when walking?
- 1.1 My dog pulls on the leash when he sees another dog
- 1.2 My dog pulls on the leash for fear of noise or people
- 1.3 My dog tugs on the leash and constantly drowns
- 2 What can I do when my dog pulls the leash to stop it?
- 2.1 Special collars to avoid jerks
- 2.1.1 Conclusions
- 2.1 Special collars to avoid jerks
Why does my dog pull the leash when walking?
Even if you have tried everything and believe that your dog has no solution, let us advise you and follow our advice. You will see how in a few weeks walking with your dog will be a totally rewarding experience, without tugging.
The first thing we must do is observe our dog to know the reason why he pulls so much on the leash, some dogs do it out of fear and others out of excitement or anxiety. Locating the problem is very easy with these tips:
- Strap pulls out of fear: If your dog pulls on the leash when he sees other dogs or people, when he hears car or construction noises, or when he sees a foreign object on your usual path, your dog pulls the leash out of fear. You can also appreciate that he puts his tail between his legs, something very significant in the canine language indicating that you are afraid.
- Strap pulls due to anxiety or stress: If your dog starts pulling on the leash as soon as he leaves the house and during the whole walk he pulls constantly, your dog has anxiety or stress and what we should do is calm him to eliminate that anxiety.
We will explain in depth the steps to follow to solve these types of problems, remember that you must practice these tips daily, constantly, for them to take effect. Normally in two or three weeks we will be able to appreciate the results.
My dog pulls on the leash when he sees another dog
One of the most common cases of tugging on the leash is when a dog sees another dog with which he does not get along, or on the contrary, what gets along so well that he wants to go to all lengths to greet him, with his corresponding leash tug. .
Whether they get along well or badly, what we should do is stand to the side of the road and order our dog to sit down. We must remain together with the calm, until the other dog approaches or passes by.
Obviously, if you get along with the other dog, we should ask the owner of the other dog, even if he passes by, not to let his dog get close to ours. On the other hand, if they get along, when the other dog reaches our height we can let them sniff and greet each other, something essential in the socializing a dog.
We will do this exercise as many times as necessary, on a daily basis. With this our dog will calm down little by little and will stop tugging on the leash when he sees another dog.
My dog pulls on the leash for fear of noise or people
The first thing we should know is that dogs are capable of detecting our state of mind, if we are nervous our dog will know and think why is my human nervous? He will associate it with a possible danger and consequently, our dog will also be nervous. So staying calm at all times is essential.
If our dog pulls the leash out of fear, what we must do is help him to overcome that fear. Let’s imagine that you are afraid of the noise of the cars, if we go for a walk with him on a very busy street he will have a really bad time.
However, if we go down less busy streets it will be calmer. What we must do is look for streets with little car noise (but some pass), play with our dog and distract him (even if it is with food) so that he gets used to hearing noises. Little by little and as the days go by, we will be strolling through increasingly busy streets while we continue to distract you with games or food.
The trick is that your mind is not focused on noise, but on something else. This way you can get used to the noise and overcome your fear. This will end the strap pulls. Even when you play with it at home, you can put a video or mp3 where traffic noise is heard, put it down and go increasing the volume over the days.
My dog tugs on the leash and constantly drowns
If your dog is not afraid of other dogs or noise but does not stop pulling on the leash and even drowns from the force it does, what your dog has is anxiety or stress. Your dog may need to go out more frequently to relieve itself or may need to exercise to remove all excess energy.
Often the dogs with separation stress They develop anxiety as a habitual behavior, so that when they go outside they are constantly anxious and pulling on the leash. Something as uncomfortable for your dog as it is for you.
The best thing in these cases is to increase the number of daily outings, exercise with your dog so that it expends excess energy and, above all, treat anxiety with relaxation techniques.
- Don’t excite your dog Before going out for a walk with spirits or games, let him be totally calm before going out and when you go out, do it calmly and without alterations (nothing of “let’s go for a walk !! or the like).
- Keep Calm at all times, if you are nervous, you are in a hurry or you are anxious yourself, your dog will also be nervous and consequently will pull a lot on the leash.
- For when necessary If your dog is excessively excited and it is not because he is urinating or he needs to defecate … that is, it is not because you take him out once a day (something you should never do), try to calm him down. Have him sit down, lie down and hold still for a while until he relaxes.
What can I do when my dog pulls th
e leash to stop it?
The first thing is to locate the origin of the problem by following the previous steps, once the problem has been identified and putting a solution to it, the dog should stop pulling on the leash, but if not, here are some tips for you to put into practice.
When your dog pulls on the leash it changes direction, if you are walking on the sidewalk or on a path and it yanks you, it automatically changes direction and starts walking the other way. The dog will move to the front and jerk again, you must change direction as many times as necessary.
You can also practice the stop technique, when your dog pulls on the leash, stop dead and order him to come over to your side and sit down. Wait a minute and continue the walk, stop and order him to sit next to you as many times as he jerks.
Play zig zag to keep an eye on you, if you zig zag between trees, lampposts or benches your dog will be more aware of you so as not to get entangled, this way he will also stop jerking.
Special collars to avoid jerks
There are special collars and harnesses for dogs that give a lot of jerks, they are not the solution since we must work with the dog to solve that behavior but they are highly recommended because the jerks are looser, they will not do as much damage to the arm or shoulder .
There are special collars that hold part of the dog’s muzzle, so that when the dog pulls on the leash the collar itself makes it duck and brake. It is not a collar that hurts the dog, it is not a choke collar or anything similar, it is simply a collar that helps make your pulls less intense.
On the other hand, there are harnesses with the fastening in the front, in front of his chest, which when the dog pulls, fold a little by pressing on the dog’s shoulder and front paws. This type of harness also does not cause harm or pain to the dog and greatly softens its intensity.
Conclusions
Don’t despair because of your dog’s leash pulls, because your stress will be captured by your dog and he will become more tense and nervous. Be patient and put these tips into practice.
Do not use extendable leashes or collars that harm or choke your dog, a short leash and a good harness will be more than enough for training techniques.
If the situation is beyond you and you are unable to be patient to teach your dog, go to a handler and professional ethologist. I assure you that they will be able to help you with this problem, their experience and professionalism are very positive in educating your dog.