Part II: It’s a Trick!
Last month, I covered the basics of why dogs tend to pull on leash. In a nutshell:
• They are hard-wired to be environmental explorers
• They are driven to collect detailed information about their surroundings
• They move differently - faster, less linearly - than their humans
• Restraint can elicit resistance
• Pulling has become a successful strategy
• They have no idea what to do instead
Above all:
From their perspective, there’s no good reason to stay close and not pull.
We are presumptuous to expect our dogs to automatically understand the foreign concept of “LLW” (loose leash walking), and it is unfair to place the blame on them for not knowing how.
The Trick
It’s time we looked at LLW as a trick that needs to be trained, a high-level skill requiring lots of practice to perfect. It is one of the most difficult tricks to teach because we desire duration, consistency, and reliability in many environments ripe with attractions far beyond the reaches of the leash. LLW is a skill that doesn’t exist in a dog’s repertoire of normal behaviors, like sit or down.
What to do
Here are just a few of the many excellent games to play to help teach LLW. The essential common features of any LLW game includes:
• Copious, frequent, and generous rewards for position (remember, LLW is not a normal thing for a dog to do)
• Pulling must not be successful (if your pup starts to pull, turn and invite her to follow you in a different direction and REWARD her)
• It’s seen as a GAME for your dog. And for you, too!
Note: you can find more info and video examples of some of these games on my website, www.dianalogan.com. There’s a search field at the top left corner of each page.
The leash is not a handle; it is a safety line. It’s used too often as a handle in an attempt to control a dog’s movement. Doing this adds tension, which feeds more resistance and is completely counterproductive to our goals. Pups quickly learn to pull harder and can even become desensitized to the tension. Most importantly, the resulting tension on a pup’s throat can cause serious injury.
What DO we want? Typically, we’d like a pup to:
1. Be in “the zone”. You can decide what this means for you and your pup.
2. Look up/reorient to us when we change direction (eye contact)
3. Follow our movements (a form of chase)
4. Have fun - remember, this is a complex TRICK.
If we want the above, we have to pay for it. A lot.
“Walk ‘n’ Dine,” game, no leash
Start inside, low distractions
Instead of feeding meals, put your pup’s food in your treat bag, invite her to your side, and feed her individual pieces as you walk around your house. Use hallways, walls, furniture, etc. to help “sandwich” your pup close to you. Stop and “fast feed” frequently. This means you will feed one treat after another after another after another in rapid succession. This strategy helps “magnetize” your pup to being next to you. If she’s paid generously there, she’ll like being there and may even start to offer being there. When you move and she makes even the smallest effort to be with you, pay her. Occasionally toss a treat behind her and see if she enthusiastically rejoins you at your side to play again.
A variation on this is to place a treat on the floor at heel position (“Up Down Game”) the moment your pup looks up at you. Then you take a few steps, wait for your pup to follow and look up, and repeat.
The progression to this game will be to add more distance between treats.
Mechanics Count!
You might think that giving your pup a treat is plain and simple, but it’s not. Feed your pup with the hand closest to her, with your palm facing her. This technique will help her maintain position. Experiment with variations on this and you’ll see what happens - her derriere will swivel out of position.
Location
Your pup will gravitate to the places and positions where she’s been reinforced. Be consistent and generous. A tug-happy pooch will be thrilled to earn a game of tug for hitting that heel position!
Pay, don’t Lure
It’s easy to lure our dogs to where we’d like them to go, and this is a perfectly good technique in a pinch. To be successful at a skill, though, a dog needs to offer the behavior.
Not ready for Prime Time yet!
Be patient. You are just planting the seeds with these games and your pup won’t be able to perform in the real world quite yet. Make use of a front-clip anti-pull harness for when you need to get to Point B. Don’t forget to reward generously. Your
pup is in perpetual training.
Next Month:
Another great LLW tool: Long Lines to the Rescue!
Happy Training!
Diana Logan, CPDT-KA Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge-Assessed
Pet Connection Dog Training, North Yarmouth, Maine
www.dianalogan.com | 207-252-9352