There are several LEASH TRICKS that I teach all dogs. Mostly this is to ease my own frustration; I am lazy about leashes. I want the dog to think about and work at keeping the leash out of trouble.
These are my TOP LEASH-SKILL ANNOYANCES.
- Stepping over the leash...
- Winding around the wrong side of a pole...
- Cutting from side to side & stalling to sniff...
I'm not unreasonable, I realize that it is normal dog behavior. In fact, I expected that most green dogs will do these things. This doesn't mean that you can't change their behavior. Before you expect your dog to change their behavior, you must put some time into teaching them new behaviors. These new behaviors will eventually replace the old behaviors.
MY FIRST & FAVORITE Leash Trick, "FIX-IT!"
I use FIX-IT in situations where dogs step over the leash. Puppies do this a lot and get the leash stuck in their paw-pit. Once its stuck under their leg, they tend to either stall or have a temper tantrum and chew at the leash. This is understandable, but it can lead to a chain of attention-seeking behaviors that later become a problem.
I prefer teaching FIX-IT on my terms. By this I mean that a start off each walk deliberately placing the leash under one paw and then practice the FIX-IT with lots of help and rewards. Then if the leash gets stuck on the walk, we practice again.
How To Teach "FIX-IT"
WHAT YOU NEED:
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A 5-6' leather or nylon leash.
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15-20 pieces of a yummy treat such as cheese, chicken, or soft dog treats.
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A flat surface.
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A clicker (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Clip a 5-6' leash on your pups FLAT BUCKLE/CLIP COLLAR.
- Allow the leash to drag on the ground so that your pup steps over it (avoid handling your pups paws!)
- Gently lift the leash. Your pups paw should be relaxed and you should be able to raise and lower the paw several times.
- If the leash gets stuck in the armpit, you are using too much tension; give your leash more slack.
- If your puppy chews the leash, you are using too much tension; give your leash more slack.
- If your pup does any lifting of the paw on her own, Praise (or, click) & Feed (regardless of where the leash is).
- Continue to gentle lift and lower the leash which will raise your dogs paw. Do this slowly.
- Praise (click) & Feed all attempts by the pup to lift their own leg.
- As soon as the leash is unstuck, JACKPOT* (toss 5-10 treats) to your dog.
- Continue this for 5-10 minutes at the beginning of all walks for about 1-week.
- You will soon notice that your pup quickly and easily raises her paw when the leash gets stuck.
- When you are certain that your pup "knows" what he is doing, then you can say, "FIX-IT"
- When you add the command, only Praise & Treat the dog if you use the command. Occasionally omit the command, wait for your dog to fix the leash and then move on without Praising & Treating --this will motivate your dog to do it faster when you say "FIX-IT."
*Jackpot your dog, even if you think it was an accident that the leash become untuck. In the beginning your dog does not need to have intentionally done the job.
Unless you plan on competing with your dog in obedience training, you do NOT need a formal HEEL.
HEEL -A position in obedience training where the dog holds his/her position at the left leg on the handler with the dogs nose roughly at the same plane as the handlers outside pant seam. This position is maintained by the dog regardless of if or how the handler moves (forward, backward, turning, stopping).
I am amazed by the number of clients who seem to feel that they MUST forcefully hold their dog on a tight, short leash while walking. This is NOT needed.
If fact, it tends to cause problems for the handler and the dog. A tight leash can actually cause a dog to behave aggressively.
It is always better to walk a dog on a loose leash. Training the dog to keep the leash loose is the first and most important step towards enjoying a walk with your dog.
TEACHING LOOSE-LEASH WALKING -kindergarden level
1. Choose a collar or harness that does not pull on a dog's neck or back.
Most flat-collars are good for keeping tags on your dog, but they are not good for walking dogs on leash.
Pinch and Prong-collars are designed to hurt the dog for making mistakes (pulling), but hurting the dog can have serious side-effects such as increased aggression. There are many reasons that these collars should never be used, but the best reason is that you can accomplish the same goal faster and more effectively without them.
Back-clipping harnesses are a great way to reduce pressure on a dogs neck and throat, but they help a dog pull and are useless for teaching a dog to walk nicely on leash.
****There are two great options for helping your dog walk nicely (no pulling on leash). Front-clipping harnesses are becoming very popular and dogs tend to adjust to them quickly. These are fantastic walking harnesses and they do not hurt the dog. Another option is to use a head-collar.
For more on these devices, CLICK HERE.
2. Set time aside for training.
Hold your dog's leash in your right hand. If your dog is on your left this will mean that the leash crosses in front of your body -this is OK.
Hold some tasty treats in your left hand near your dogs nose.
Keep your dog interested in the treats, but do not let your dog eat them.
If your dog jumps for the treats or tries to nibble your hand. Pull your hand away and put it behind your back.
If your dog has all 4 paws on the ground and is walking nicely next to you, PRAISE your dog THEN give them one of the treats from your hand.
Can Old Dogs Learn New Tricks?
I am often asked, "Is it too late to train my dog?"
99.9% of the time the answer is "NO, It is never too late to work on training!"
While I am only too happy to make exceptions for dogs who are physically limited (blindness, deafness, incontinence, etc...) I am generally NOT inclined to excuse bad behavior on the basis of age.
This is not to say that old HABITS won't be more difficult to change.
But, for the most part: Training a dog, is training a dog.
There are 3 basic parts.
1) Establishing a GOAL.
2) Breaking your goal into SMALL STEPS that your dog can achieve.
3) Providing encouragement, support and REINFORCING SUCCESS.
However, it can be difficult to focus on training new behaviors when you are busy dealing with the results of older, more annoying behaviors.
A common mistake is to put energy into the wrong end of the behavior equation. My clients are often too focused on "the best way to punish their dogs bad behavior." In their zest for finding the perfect punisher (squirt, pinch, roll, choke, pin, rub, shock, squeeze) the miss the point completely.
I read that I should ...
Somebody told me to ...
I heard that dogs need ...
I was thinking I would try ...
My neighbor used a ...
Focusing on "what to do when your dog messes up" is a terrible plan! Imagine if airline safety focussed 90% of their energy on what to do when the planes crash.
This is not to say that I don't punish bad behavior. The only way to reduce any behavior is to punish it, but punishments are tricky to do well. Most dog owners dole out punishments that are late or too harsh. Or, they don't even punish the dog they just nag it or say something and follow that with no consequences.
When punishments are done badly they ruin relationships and dogs. If you want to successfully teach a dog to DO something BETTER, you must REWARD the things they are doing RIGHT. Sometimes your dog will need help getting there.
Goals help you form a reasonable plan.
Try picturing "Your Perfectly Behaved Dog."
What is she doing?
Here is example:
When my family is eating I would like my dog to lie on her bed quietly. This is a GOAL!
"I don't want my dog to beg." is NOT a goal, it is an unreasonable request for an animal that evolved as a scavenger.
When guests come over, I want my dog to sit in the hallway while I answer the door. This is ALSO A GOAL.
"I'm sick of my dog jumping on people." is NOT a goal, it is a complaint.
In short, your older dog CAN learn new tricks, but you might have to spend some extra time helping them get things right. Remember just KNOWING better is not enough. Your older dog will have a long history of doing things their way. Be patient, set reasonable goals, help them get it right and MOST IMPORTANTLY --REWARD, REWARD, REWARD. In fact, even if you feel like you did most of the work, you MUST still reward your dog. This will give them incentive to try it your way again.
Is leash aggression the owners fault?
When dogs fight with other dogs on leash is the owners lack of confidence the problem?
Hardly! Owners can and should NOT be blamed for being nervous when handling their leash-reactive dogs.
It goes without saying that if you have seen your dog bark, lunge, or snap at another dog when on leash that you will anticipate more bad behavior. The anticipated unpleasantness makes most people nervous.
Still, my clients are often astonished that the dogs behave better when I am handling the leash.
When I am called to consult with a client whose dog routinely behaves badly on leash towards other dogs, a common question is: Have they (the owners) been transmitting their fears down the leash to their dogs? From this my clients often surmise that it must be my calm, confident demeanor that gives me the edge when handling feisty dogs. I would argue otherwise for several reasons.
Reason #1 When meeting new clients and handling a new dog for the first time I am absolutely NOT CALM.
I am always nervous when meeting new clients and handling new dogs. I might hide my fears and doubts well from my clients, but I am sure that if you were to put me to the test you would find that my heart rate is elevated, my mouth is dry and I my hands are sweaty.
Reason #2 It is more scientific to rule out other, simpler explanations first.
The answer to how well a dog can detect and to what degree they react to fear has not been sufficiently studied. however, the mechanism responsible for self-preservation called Fight or Flight is very well understood and is the key to helping many of my clients navigate on-leash encounters between their dogs and other dogs.
Reason #3 I have a very good success rate with teaching my clients new skills that improve the situation despite their nervousness at trying something new and their fears that they won't do well and/or that their dog is beyond help.
Imagine if you were taking tennis lessons and your instructor simply coached you by saying, "You need to swing with more power and accuracy." While this may be true, it won't help you KNOW HOW TO DO THESE THINGS!
A good instructor/coach/teacher is always able to break things down into specific tasks that a student can practice in order to obtain better results in overall performance. Telling someone that they are doing poorly or that they need to be, or do things better is NOT an educational technique.
My personal results with the aforementioned bad-coaching technique was a frustration-induced, "more powerful" but drastically, LESS accurate swing.
So what is the CONNECTION between the LEASH & AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR?
All animals have an innate protective response. When you are afraid (really, really afraid) your The is commonly referred to as the Fight or Flight Response.
Reactions include:
FREEZE -victims that we would describe as shocked, stunned, catatonic (this may precede other actions).
FLIGHT -a way of creating distance between you and a real or perceived threat.
FIGHT -another way of creating distance (turn the tables and get the scary thing to back off or run away).
The trick is to KEEP THE LEASH REALLY LOOSE & to KEEP MOVING FORWARD at a quickened pace so that your dog does not feel stuck or trapped. This is hard to do when you own body is anticipating a bad encounter, so my clients with badly behaved dogs all tend to slow down and hold their dogs back. This is a recipe for disaster. The slow pace and tension causes the dog to lunge forward aggressively.
Keeping the leash loose is easier said then done when there is a history of things going badly, so here are some hints. Carry your dogs favorite toy or better yet, walk your dog when she is hungry and hold some cheese or some yummy meat in front of her nose as you pass by dogs. Using your best goofy voice and moving quickly helps too. Also, be sure not to punish or correct (jerk the leash) your dog for relapses.
Remember you can't punish away fear!
So fix the fear, and the barking and lunging will disappear.
This is an email question from a DogTime Blog reader. It is about a Labrador named Lucy who suddenly became aggressive to her owner during training classes.
The owner stated that Lucy does well with heel, sit & down stay, leave-it unless there is a distraction such as a ball. "Lucy... ignores the other toy distractions and only fixates on the balls. Naturally, she struggles with maintaining her focus on me and my commands during this exercise, but we do have moments of success. She will leave it, but still maintains a fixated focus and trembles with excitement."
But Trouble is brewing...
In the email Lucy's owner reported: "This week in training Lucy was so agitated during this exercise that she snapped at me 3 times when I corrected her and snapped at other dogs in class. It is like the training, though having some positive affect, is actually bringing out the worse in my dog."
Lucy's owner is alarmed because, "In her two years, Lucy has never, ever snapped at anyone or any other dog during play or on walks. I have expressed this concern with the trainer, and her feeling is that this behavior was just in there waiting to come out. I am just not sure about that explanation and thought I would share my story with someone else."
I asked Marianne to share more with me about how she is teaching Lucy to LEAVE-IT.
Marianne reported: "We are using a standard slip chain choke collar. I snap and release the collar to correct. On the snap, I say "uh uh" (hard to spell that!), then give the command. For example, to have her ignore a ball or toy, I tell her to "leave it. If she goes for it, I snap and release the collar, say "uh, uh" and repeat "leave it".
"When she reacts correctly, I give verbal praise in a softer, higher tone of voice, such as "good leave it" or "good heel". Frequently, during our training, I stroke her and give her positive verbal feedback...no treats until the end of class."
There are several problems with the way that Marianne is being instructed to teach her dog. I will summarize my concerns and the errors in the training below.
However, I want to be VERY CLEAR about TWO THINGS.
1. Marianne did nothing wrong. She enrolled her dog training class with someone whom she was told was an expert. Dog training is still an unregulated field. Many of us, myself included are looking forward to the day when all trainers will need to be certified and/or licensed. As it is now, anyone can call themselves a trainer. There are a few Certifications Programs in the U.S.
2. The following is NOT MY OPINION. Training is a SCIENCE. This means that there are rules. While I have my own personal standards for "humane training" I am not at this moment referring to HOW you get the job done. I am instead referring to HOW ANIMALS LEARN. A good trainer should have a solid basis in understanding Operant & Classical Conditioning regardless of whether they give out cookies, collar corrections, or both. Without these fundamentals skills they are not prepared to train a dog. Would you go to a doctor that you overheard saying: "Veins, Arteries, whatever; they both do blood stuff!" I didn't think so.
So What Is Going On With Lucy? Is she turning aggressive?
For starters, Lucy's aggression was a trained response. It was unintentional, but it was taught. Specifically Lucy was taught to HATE seeing Tennis balls in class. Lucy was being asked to perform a task that she could not do, and because she was not given any guidance on the correct response (look away from the ball) her training looked like this.
Tennis Balls Appear In Class -------> Lucy is subjected to a barrage of jerks, snaps and chokes.
Punishment is a crude tool and has the potential for causing aggression. In this case, Lucy began to associate the tennis ball distraction with pain. All animals like to avoid pain and at some point will either choose to fight back or flee. As Lucy was on-leash fleeing was not an option.
An even more astonishing is that Lucy was never shown WHAT TO DO. When I want a dog to perform a Leave-it, I like to focus on what that looks like when the dogs gets it right (look away, sit, look at handler). There are countless ways to get something wrong, and generally only a few correct responses. Focussing on the correct response is not just nicer for the dog, but gives faster and eliminates the side-effects (ruined relationship, fearful dog, aggression) of aversive punishments.
What I would have done to train Lucy.
Bounce a Distraction-ball until Lucy notices the ball.
Have Lucy's owner give the Command (say, "Leave-it") the moment Lucy notices the distraction-ball.
Stop bouncing the Distraction-ball (kindergarten level) & Give Lucy a moment to respond on her own, by looking away.
Help Lucy get it right a few times (look away from the ball) by having the handler produce a Hint (squeaky tennis ball).
Praise Lucy at the exact moment that she looks away from the original distraction-ball (even if she is just listening to the hint).
Reward Lucy with something she really, really wanted A BALL!
Repeat this until Lucy looks away from the original Distraction-ball on her own BEFORE the Hint & reward Lucy with both balls and end the lesson. Review later and continue to raise the expectations until the hint is no longer needed and the reward is expected to be random.
