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. If you use force and do not employ self discipline yourself your dog will not respect you. Psychological control consisting of self-restraint and self awareness, is a very powerful tool that when applied properly becomes a powerful, respectful method of directing your dog. Read more about that here and here. 

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 ergonomic - no pressure points and secure.

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.

Now Get Ready for Your Walk... 

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 quick tug, immediately release the tension on the leash - keep the leash loose in your hand, no tension (loose-leash in hand)  and move forward;

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

Six - Once you get your dog moving, if your dog bucks or digs in just repeat the quick little tug, immediately release all tension on the leash and move 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) your look becomes a conduit for expression of the though ' are you really going to listen to me? Are you really going to follow me? Such thoughts are not conducive to eliciting a follow response from your dog and provides an opening for an argument with your dog.

Seven - Remember that your dog has ‘gotten away’ with having ‘his way’ for some time, so your patience (persistence, determination and will) must be greater than that of 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, persistent and respectfully directive. Once he sees that you are determined to direct in this firm but fair and consistent manner he/she 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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For information about my holistic behavioral services, visit my holistic behavioral services page.

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🌎 USA | Canada | UK | Europe | Australia | New Zealand | Asia | South and Central America | Africa | UAE

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To set-up your holistic behavioral session get in-touch via email, go to my contact me page. 

 

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Article and graphics by Karen Rosenfeld.