DOES YOUR PUPPY OR DOG REFUSE TO WALK ON A LEASH?

For a Puppy that has never walked on a leash before this is pretty normal behaviour…so don’t panic and don’t get frustrated! 

I mean, what would you do if some one put a collar around your neck and tried to tug you…uh huh, now you see, I’d dig my heels in and shut down too!

I have had to show client's that  their puppies could walk very nicely - after they had quit trying to walk them as the puppy refused to move!

Sometimes people inadvertently create this kind of ‘shut down’ in teenage and adult dogs too. Don’t worry it is fixable. How does this happen, well there are many reasons…here are a few…

One - On a past occasion your dog did not want to go out, he dug his heals in and refused to budge, you were surprised, maybe felt worried, anxious even frustrated. These feeling tell your dog that you are not in-control and may also have reinforced your dog’s anxiousness. Now if you gave in and did not walk him he learned that he could control you.

Two - something that your dog thinks of as unpleasant may have occurred during preparation for a walk or while you were out on a walk. He dug his heals in and refused to budge, you were surprised, maybe felt worried, anxious even frustrated. You pulled hard on his leash (you dug in too!) and in so doing reinforced his ‘shut down’. You did not know how to lead and unlock you dog’s psychological state so the pattern of behaviour was formed.

 
What’s the worst thing you can do in this situation - full out tug your dog…I guarantee your dog’s resistance will increase, especially if you are upset. I understand that you are attempting to lead, but if you are emotional you are leading by the wrong example. If you are upset your dog will start to associate the leash with stress and tension.

If you have stopped trying to walk your puppy or dog because its does the ‘flop’ or digs in and refuses to ‘budge’ I do have good news for you… 

Because dogs live in the moment it is easier to change a dog's 'bad habits' than it is a human's. Humans carry grudges, dogs do not, they form associations with places, things, animate and inanimate objects. Dogs are very forgiving and treat each day, each experience as a new beginning if you change how you approach the experience.

This is about training you - not your dog. If you communicate the right way your dog will follow. Dogs are patient and persistent. If they think that they do, or do not want to do something a dog will simply draw upon its strength of will to succeed. If you are not prepared to employ greater patience, persistence and will you will not prevail. 

SO, LET’S GET STARTED ON FIXING THE SITUATION

First of all you need to be aware of how dogs communicate and how you can unintentionally communicate the wrong message to your dog.

ONE - LEARN TO COMMUNICATE THE RIGHT MESSAGE…

When we think of something that makes us happy, unhappy, sad, angry, excited, etc. the thought translates to our body. We may tense our shoulders, clench our hand, narrow our eye, purse our mouth, change our breathing, sweating and so on. This is our physical reaction to our own thoughts...as translated to our bodies = body language.

Body language is a form of communication and your dog takes notice -instantaneously…our dogs are often aware of what we feel before we are.

This is just one reason why it is so important to learn to be aware of your own emotional state when you are communicating to and working with your dog. Please read this to understand more The Sensitivity of Dogs and Communication

TWO - UNDERSTAND WHAT LEADERSHIP REALLY IS…

Your dog requires coaching and mentoring not domination. Take a quick read of these two articles and then you are ready to get your dog motivated!

Leadership

How Dogs Assign Respect
 

THREE - MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING THE RIGHT GEAR

For really small breed dogs like my 1.6 kg /4 lb Pomeranian please do not use a collar. For Dogs over 3.2 kg / 8 lbs collars are safe, but for dogs smaller than that you risk injury or breakage of their neck! I would recommend using a harness rather than attaching a leash to a delicate dogs collar. A wrap style harness would be best as it is designed to be less intrusive while providing a secure and non-pressure inducing fit. If you want to see an example you can click here. This type of harness is available at many pet supply stores.

If you are clipping a leash to your dog’s collar, make sure the collar is correctly adjusted so it cannot slip off over your dog’s ears and head.

FOUR - FIX THE SHUT DOWN, FORWARD MOVEMENT, LETS GO!

Your confidence is everything to your dog. This is a psychological test of wills and has nothing to do with training your dog. It is a matter of training yourself - learning how to coach your dog through to success. You have to disengage your worry about what your dog will do and instead think about a positive outcome - engage working mode - calm assertive, directive confidence is key - no emotion. You have to be 100% committed to believing in yourself and your dog. Remember you do not want to engage in debate and argument with your dog. If you think you are going to have to fight with your dog over this - your dog can sense your lack of confidence and what you anticipate.

One - Don’t worry about whether your dog will refuse to move…think about the fact that it is normal to go for a walk - be confident, breath normally, relax, no tension;

Two - Now, clip the leash to your dog’s collar or harness;

Three - Immediately turn so you face forward in the direction you want to go, have the thought in your mind that you are ready to go for your walk;

Four -  With your dog beside or behind you, don’t look at your dog relax and look forward, give a little tug, immediately release the tension on the leash and move forward;

Five - If your dog stalls give another little tug, release tension and move forward with confidence - don’t look at your dog just tug and go.

Six - Once you get your dog moving, if it bucks or digs in just repeat the quick tug and movement forward without looking at your dog. Don’t worry, maintain your confidence, own your walk with a confident stride and look forward…do not look at your dog. When you look at your dog (in this situation) you are providing an opening for an argument, for debate, for interaction…you do not want interaction right now - you just want following.

Seven - Remember that your dog has ‘gotten away’ with having ‘his way’ for some time, so remember to be patient, have more persistence and will than your dog. Expect to have to reinforce a little until your dog goes through the experience of ‘testing’ you and seeing that you will be consistent and persistent. Once he sees this he will start to work with you.

Eight - Enjoy your confidence and normalize the experience for yourself and your dog.

Have a good walk! If you would like you can come for a walk with me too - trail walk  or  road walk  you choose!



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Whether you are experiencing dog behavior problems and would like assistance, or just want to bring your dog up to be a well-balanced canine -  I offer both a local and international service for people with one or multiple dogs. 

I work with all breeds - from small (i.e. Yorkie, Pomeranian, Chihuahua, etc.), medium breeds size (including Pit Bulls) and large breed dogs...

 

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Notes:

Please note - this article is for information purposes and is not a substitute for an in-person Session with me. When working with dogs I use many techniques - it is important to note that this article may touch on one or several techniques but not all. I select the technique that I use for a particular dog based on my observations of the dog and an intuitive, instinctive assessment of that dog's and its human's individual requirements. For example when I am working with a dog that is hyper sensitive and very physically reactive I will not use voice or touch. I use a lot of therapeutic touch on some dogs, others require the use of herding techniques and so on. Each and every technique must be combined with:

• an understanding of the real intelligence, sensitivity and capability of dogs;
• an understanding of how to read a dog's face and a dog's overall body language;
• an understanding of the full spectrum of ways that humans communicate and dogs communicate; 
• understanding and recognition of the individual that is each dog - no two dogs are the same...taking a 'cookie cutter' approach to techniques is not the way to work with a dog;
• a complete recognition and understanding of all the elements that feed a behaviour and create an issue:
•  the vast majority of people can only identify one or two elements...which vastly inhibits the ability to resolve behavior issues;
• behaviours do not exist in isolation - there are always many elements that feed a single behaviour, there all always multiple behaviours that create a behavioral issue;
• self-restraint and discipline on the part of the human who is directing the dog;
• sensitivity, awareness, intuition, instinct and timing on the part of the human who is directing the dog;
• to understand, connect with and adapt quickly and effectively to a dog's learning requirements you must be able to employ the same tools a dog uses - acute sensitivity, awareness, instinct, intuition and timing;
• kindness, endurance, consideration, patience, persistence, perspective, the ability and know how to let the past go, the ability to set realistic expectations at any one point in time;
• the creation of structure, rules, boundaries and limitations for each situation at the macro and micro level;
• understanding of all the elements that make up an instruction and direction to a dog...there are multiple steps involved in an instruction - not just one!
• absolute honesty - if you cannot be honest with yourself you will not be able to communicate clearly with a dog.

These are just some of the techniques that I teach my clients - it is a holistic, all-encompassing approach. If you are missing any one element of the above mentioned your success rate will be affected to one degree or another in implementing the techniques offered in the article presented above.