Facts are facts: Loose-lead walking requires a dog to suppress natural behaviors. We don't usually like to use straight-up suppression to get "compliance," which is why I teach ways to help the dog channel their natural drives into alternative behaviors. This is by far the best way to help intensely driven dogs become manageable on walks.
Here are some foundational concepts to consider…
- Firstly, have we fulfilled the dogs need for exercise and breed-specific enrichment?
- Secondly, have you provided proper motivation for the dog to adjust their natural speed and gait to match your own?
- Finally, we are asking the dog to disengage from the environment in order to walk nicely, and this requires displacement behaviors so the dog doesn't get emotionally stressed by the restraint of the leash.
It's actually a really complicated exercise when you break it down like this.
There is no quick fix for loose-lead walking, especially if the dog is more mature and has already practiced pulling on the lead for an extended period of time.
If you need help with your dog, please let me know!
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