Synergy Veterinary Behavior

Leash Walking Woes (Part 4)

Tips from a trainer!

▪ Premack Principle is your friend!
Animals are more likely to engage in less preferred activities if they get to do a more preferred activity as a reward. Example: If a dog's preferred activity is sniffing on walks, use that as a reward for walking with you, or without tension on the leash.

▪ Practice daily training games, first at home and in your yard, that build a HUGE amount of value in your dog’s proximity to you.

▪ A traditional “heel” shouldn’t be a default for walks. Dogs should learn not to pull and to heel on cue, but walks are also for THEIR enjoyment. That means LET THEM SNIFF, explore, and do things they enjoy (within reason and when safe). "Heel" is useful for passing people and things, but shouldn't be the constant expectation.

Of course, we have plenty more to say, but we have to move on to other posts at some point 😉

Leash Walking Woes (Part 3) 🐕 🚶

Setting Expectations (for the human!)

▶ Many dogs have TONS of practice pulling on the leash. Breaking this habit is a challenge because of their history rehearsing the pulling behavior.
▶ Most dogs have a natural gait that is faster than ours.
▶ It is common for dogs to pull against or resist pressure felt on the leash. If we keep the leash constantly tight, how can they learn we DON'T want them to pull?
▶ The environment can be much more interesting and overwhelming than it is for us.
▶ The BEST practice for loose-leash walking skills will start before the dog even has a leash on!

🐶 In many cases, teaching loose-leash walking to a dog is a long-term goal. We need to teach them skills that make them want to stay near us, call away from things in the environment, walk by other people, dogs, etc. None of that happens overnight! Especially if we are also addressing reactivity. Quick-fixes like aversive tools/methods do not teach the dog what we want from them, and the risks of fallout are not worth it.

Leash Walking Woes (Part 1) 🐕🚶‍♂️

Teaching loose-leash skills to a dog will differ depending on the dog, their learning history, and their motivation for pulling.

Some of the most common pieces of advice given online for leash-pulling are "Stop and wait for them to look at you before treating and continuing" and "Turn around and walk the other way when they hit the end of the leash, then repeat".

Not to say these methods are never effective, but they can often build frustration for both the dog and the human walking them.

This can be especially true for high-energy dogs, high-arousal dogs, and dogs with low frustration thresholds.

📣 Waiting for your dog to make a mistake, then trying to correct it, doesn't make learning any easier. It's like trying to teach a drowning person how to swim!

Dog reactivity at a glance 🧐

🐶 Reactivity is when a dog becomes overly aroused by seemingly normal stimuli or situations. This can be directed at people, other pets, critters, vehicles, etc.! You may see behaviors like barking, lunging, growling, spinning, and more.

In most cases, reactivity stems from fear, frustration, or excitement. It can also be a mix of conflicting emotions.

⭐️ What do we do?
Reactivity work should generally focus on desensitization and counter-conditioning. Management and teaching relaxation and self-regulation will be helpful. Medications can play their role if a dog's well-being is struggling due to their heightened levels of stress, or if they're not responding well to initial behavior modification.

Understanding a dog's thresholds is important for reactivity work to be effective. If a dog is constantly over-threshold, they will not be able to learn and create positive associations with the trigger(s). At Synergy, we like to utilize Lili Chin's infographic from Grisha Stewart's BAT 2.0 book to break things down. Stay in the green and blue!