Underlying Causes of Leash Pulling

Intro 

You might think the most obvious answer is because your dog hasn’t learned the skill of walking on a leash.

Yes, your dog needs to learn leash walking skills as they don’t come pre-programmed for this (which many of my clients feel should be the case). But even when they do learn this necessary life skill it’s important to understand that there can be other underlying conditions that make it seem like our dogs suddenly forgot how to walk on a leash.

If you follow a lot of trainers on social media you’ll see many of these causes left out because their content is only designed to hold your attention for 30-60 seconds. 

Important Notes

• Actual leash walking skills: When I mention leash walking skills I’m not talking about “heeling”. I don’t teach it and none of my clients have ever asked for it. They just want to enjoy the walk with their dog.
• Harnesses: They don’t cause pulling. Period. End of story. If your dog doesn’t have the skills they’ll pull, zig zag, forge ahead, ignore our cues, etc regardless of if they have a collar or harness. There are good and bad harnesses. Good harnesses like the Balance Harness don’t restrict your dog from walking naturally.  
• Aversives/Corrections/Punishment: A prong collar or ecollar (shock collar, not elizabethan collar) only teaches your dog how to avoid the discomfort that comes from these devices.  The underlying cause of the behavior is still there. 
• The dog decides what is aversive: Correct. But unlike the prong and shock collar – standard collars, even martingales, and harnesses were not designed to specifically cause discomfort. 
• Gentle Leaders: I taught one dog to wear one years ago, she seemed fine with it but I was also very green so maybe she hated it. I don’t really like them and won’t be covering them and whether or not they contribute or discourage pulling here. 

• This is going to be two parts. It’s not content for 60 second attention span social media but I also don’t expect you to read a novel on your computer.
  • 3/18 Edit – I’m still working on the second part!

Underlying Conditions That Cause Leash Pulling

Your Leash, it’s too short

In my opinion, based on my experiences since I started as a dog trainer, the number one reason you feel your dog is pulling: Your leash is too short. 

The majority of us have been told to use six foot long leashes. But for most walks this is far too short. Yes, some places have ordinances that your dog must be on a six foot leash ( personally I think these laws were created by people that don’t know any better and probably think dogs should act like you see on the dog whisperer). I’m not advocating for ignoring those ordinances, but I’ve never been stopped and I would think law enforcement has more important things to do than fine you for too long of a leash unless you are doing something like letting your dog run around a farmers market on a 20 foot long leash tripping everyone. Be a smart and responsible dog guardian!

I recommend a leash 8 to 10 feet long for neighborhood walks. When in congested areas you can easily take in some slack as needed. 

When out on trails or at parks where it is safe to give your dog all the length of the leash, use 15-30 feet long leashes. Again, be responsible. If you see someone ahead on the trail, call your dog or go to them taking up the slack as you go. Just like you don’t want strange dogs or people coming up to your dog, don’t allow your dog to run up to someone just because they are on a longer leash. 

You can technically achieve this with retractable leashes but I have a few issues with them. You can’t easily take up the slack. What if the locking mechanism malfunctions (I’ve seen that happen a lot)? If you accidentally drop it and your dog runs off now they have the handle bouncing loudly behind them that they can’t escape. And personally I think these types of leashes will actually teach your dog to pull harder. They get to the end of the leash, tension, they pull, you release more slack. 

Why do you need a longer leash? 

• Your dog has four legs and walks faster than you.
• Even dogs that walk at a slower pace are still usually moving faster than us. Why do you think they walk in front of us? It’s not because they are trying to be a leader!
  • It wasn’t until about the last year or two of our Abby’s life that she actually started trailing behind us while walking. 

• The longer leash will make it easier for your dog to walk naturally. I’ve noticed less “pulling” and dogs walking more calmly when given an extra few feet of leash. And, when there is that spot under the bush they want to check out they can do so without pulling you with them or unnecessary tension on the leash.

• A longer leash will also give your dog the ability to easily move away from a trigger. One of the causes of leash reactivity is because your dog can’t get away due to being restricted by a short leash. Just having the ability to freely move behind you on their own (or on a cue from you) can possibly lessen the intensity of any reaction they might have. 

Longer leashes will give your dog more opportunity to be a dog while still staying safe. Have you tried letting your dog swim while you stand on the shore with them connected to a 6 foot leash? How did that work out? What about rolling in the grass? I bet it’s not much fun for them when they are restricted by a six foot leash and get yanked back mid roll. Sure you can drop the leash for either activity but when it’s time to get moving we are still dealing with the same problem: a leash that is too short.

I’m also a believer that your dog can’t be expected to behave perfectly and 100% reliable in every and any environment 100% of the time. Maybe their recall isn’t great. Maybe they still have a high prey drive you are working on. They still deserve the opportunity to go to the park, go for a hike, or go for a swim without constantly being restrained.