|
"My
dog won't stop pulling on the leash," is one of the most common
complaints heard by dog trainers.
It is also the most visible sign of a deficiency in a dog's training.
Leash pulling has more to do with understanding than actual training.
Social
animals share a Button - actually many buttons, on their metaphorical
control panel. With leash pulling it is the same button that is
pushed when two people get into a shoving match. The natural tendency
is to push back.
Horse trainers refer to this button as "Into Pressure."
This button has clear evolutionary ties. The better the creature
was at going into pressure, the better it was at getting the last
grain of food, or more of the meat from the kill before the masses
arrived.
The animals that went into pressure best spread more of their genes
by being the individuals most suitable to reproduce.
Try this experiment:
Have your dog sit between your legs, facing away from you, put pressure
with a fingertip, on the dog's left shoulder. His head will swing
to that side - coming Into Pressure.
Now, ask yourself; "Where is the pressure on my dog when he
is pulling on the leash?"
Identifying the problem is half way to solving it.
The solution starts with us. The dog is just going into pressure.
We are the guilty ones. The species that over the past few hundred
years have decided that dogs must be controlled by the neck!
We can start curing ourselves is by learning to communicate with
dogs in a way that they can understand. Begin by fitting your dog
with an old-fashioned buckle type collar, attached to an eight or
ten foot lead and go for a walk.
The difference this time will be, that you won't, can't
and don't allow pressure to come into the leash. If it does,
pull the pressure out of the leash so that your hand can return
to its relaxed position with no pressure in the leash. Repeat as
necessary, IMMEDIATELY when you feel pressure coming into the leash.
If
there is pressure in the leash, you are confusing your pup and prolonging
the problem. You don't have to Jerk the leash, just pull and release.
Or be as steady as a post if the dog makes to run off, let it hit
the end of the leash and then have a chuckle with the dog as it
picks itself up saying, "What the hell was that?"
You can answer: "I don't know but I bet if you stick close
to me, that mean ol' leash won't be able to do that to you."
This is the other trick to this behavior modification: DO NOT let
the dog associate the "Leash-pull" with you. You want
the dog to think the pull comes from this magical leash - because
"he" [the dog] failed to keep close enough to you.
Avoid talking to the dog at those times when he has just been pulled
back. Give him your most innocent smile and keep on walking.Your
job is to keep pressure out of the leash and to switch hands when
necessary, because under this Leash Law, the dog has free roam in
a 360-degree circumference around you - providing there is no pressure
in the leash.
Condition
yourself to pull tension out of the leash at the first sign of it,
whether the dog is beside you, behind you or out in front. Make
a pact with yourself, "There is no time when tension is allowed
in the leash. Under no circumstance."
Try and make it fun…he'll start to get the idea and when that
starts to happen, try to trick him into pulling, by slowing down
or speeding up, taking quick turns or fast stops. Praise the dog
for playing the game with you - but not so much that you take his
mind off of his job!
Dogs,
like people, have a comfort zone. Some like to be close, others
a bit more distant. While "out for a walk" be sentient
of these feelings and respect them - within reason. Just as we don't
enjoy someone always being in our space, dogs can be much the same
way and respond better once we are in-tune with their natural way
of being.
As with any training or behavior modification you endeavor, begin
in a controlled, sterile environment and then slowly add distractions.
Be positive and firm and have fun!
Work
a little, Play a little, Laugh a lot.
The
dog's way is a good way.
Gary Jackson
|
