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How to Train Loose Leash Walking

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Why is my dog pulling on the leash?

There are several reasons why your dog could be pulling on the leash, but here are a few common reasons:

  1. Dogs oppose restraint. When the collar tightens as your dog pulls, your dog naturally pulls harder. The opposition restraint reflex was a great way to survive in the wild, but unfortunately, it doesn’t carry over to life with humans.
  2. It’s unnatural. Humans walk, while dogs prefer to trot. Humans want to get from point A to point B, while dogs want to chase and sniff.
  3. Random variable reinforcement. By allowing your dog to randomly pull on the leash to sniff or chase, the behavior is randomly being reinforced.

[Read more…] about How to Train Loose Leash Walking

To the Man That Didn’t Leash His Dog

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DepositPhotos | membio
DepositPhotos | membio

Yes, you.

The man with the toddler in tow and the happy lab running twenty feet ahead of him.

I saw you from the other end of the street. I saw your dog wasn’t on leash. I saw your lack of attention to your dog.

I crossed the street. You noticed me with my two giant dogs, but you didn’t bother to grab your dog.

Your dog noticed us. He sprinted at us full speed with his hackles raised.

My dogs growled. He didn’t stop.

They realized your dog was only interested in greeting them (and not harming me), so growling ceased and they wanted to play.

But you didn’t hear the growling.

You just shouted your dog’s name (which he didn’t respond to) and you tried to run to us with your toddler in tow. It took you 30 seconds to reach us.

Do you have any idea what could have happened in those 30 seconds?

You’re lucky my dogs are friendly.

Leash your dog.

5 Reasons I Leash My Dogs

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5 Reasons I Leash My Dogs - It's Dog or Nothing

Running into off-leash dogs can be infuriating. I used to get so huffy when I walked Kaeto and a dog would come bounding toward us. Just one incident could set us back months of training. The absolute worst was when people would yell “oh, my dog’s friendly”. What about my dog? What about me? I’m very lucky with Mauja and Atka because they have never shown any signs of leash reactivity, but there are more reasons for me to keep them on leash. [Read more…] about 5 Reasons I Leash My Dogs