h42el:

kat-the-dog-trainer:

timelords-moose:

kat-the-dog-trainer:

Reasons why your dog pulls on their leash:

✔ they are excited

✔ they are faster than you

✔ they have far stronger senses than you and the world is super stimulating

They are NOT being:

❌ stubborn

❌ malicious

❌ “dominating”

Things you can do to enforce leash etiquette:

✔ utilise treats and life rewards

✔ tire your dog out prior to their walk by playing tug, fetch, etc.

✔ utilise mini-commands (sit at road, “this way”, etc)

✔ freeze or U-turn when your dog pulls

Rather than:

❌ choke chains/prong collars

❌ yelling/shouting

❌ yanking the leash

❌ “dragging” the dog (collar grabs, pushing down their butt to sit, pinning them between your legs, etc.)

We all want good leash etiquette, but there is no good reason to actively punish your dog for being excited about an exciting environment. Your own impatience and frustration (with a dog who is still learning) is not an excuse.

Choke chains are fine when used appropriately. They are meant to simulate when an alpha nips at the neck to keep their packmates in line. A quick, short jerk of the chain on a dog trained to understand the meaning is perfectly fine and doesn’t hurt the animal at all.

When using a choke chain, it should not be ACTUALLY choking the animal. It should lay slack around the neck until a small tug is necessary to get the animal in line.

A pronged chain is ONLY appropriate on an animal that has extremely thick fur or skin that a choke chain is ineffective on due to being unable to penetrate the fur for the animal to receive the appropriate message.

For more information please talk to your vet or a PROFESSIONAL dog trainer who has the appropriate certification. The key to leash training is teaching the dog that it’s more fun to be next to you instead of pulling out front.

Not all training methods work for every animal, just as humans all learn differently. Not all dogs respond to treats, some respond better to toys or affection. If you are not experienced in training, look for a breed that is more beginner friendly. Some breeds tend to be more stubborn or independent thinking, such as huskies and corgis.

I’d like to address a few thing in this comment:

The first is the “alpha” comment. The alpha dominance system has been repeatedly, scientifically, quantifiably debunked. Dominance DOES exist in isolated resource protection scenarios but not as a rigid social hierarchy. The original captive-wolf study has been picked to pieces, the author of The Wolf (which popularised the theory) has been trying to get his own book off the shelves, and wolf/dog social systems are far better understood by modern behavioural science these days. So we can immediately dismiss this comment.

Choke chains are a positive punishment training method. We apply something the dog dislikes in response to an undesirable behaviour.

I will never say to you or my clients that choke chains don’t work; they do, when used correctly. Hell, I used one for years. They result in a dog who walks beside you because they fear the repercussions, not because they actively choose to. They also offer instant gratification for a frustrated owner.

But the physiological and behavioural risks are tremendous. Physiologically, we can deal with anything from minor sprains, to esophogeal and tracheal damage, to neurological issues. Because you are applying force and pressure to the neck, of all places.

But the behavioural implications are potentially worse. Aside from the fact that choke chain usage almost always results in reliance (i.e. the dog won’t walk nicely without it), let’s deal with the common scenario of a dog who walks on a choke chain, spots another dog, and pulls to say hello. The choke chain corrects the behaviour. The dog quickly learns that other dogs = pain/discomfort, which increases reactivity to other dogs.

There is a reason why punishment techniques have a strong relationship to increased anxiety in dogs.

Any responsible trainer will tell you that check chains were, at one point, understood to be the default training method for leash etiquette. But the overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary means that we must move on.

Yes, dogs learn in different ways but I have never in my life met a dog that does not respond to positive reinforcement training. Nor a chicken, horse, lorikeet, cockatoo, macaw, cat, betta fish, possum – or any other animal I’ve ever trained. I’d personally much rather have a dog who works for me because they want to than because they’re afraid of the consequences.

Perhaps that’s better illustrated in the fact that in all your “different learning methods” examples you described positive reinforcement rewards.

I’d like to wrap up this rebuttal with one of your own quotes:

“The key to leash training is teaching the dog that it’s more fun to be next to you instead of pulling out front.”

Oh, and as for this point:

“For more information please talk to … a PROFESSIONAL dog trainer”

Mate, I am one.

You can train bugs with positive reinforcement and enough patience. Bugs.