Why Your Dog Pulls on the Leash

If you're frustrated this summer because you want to take long, leisurely walks with your dog on these nice sunny days, but your dog just wants to drag you down the street, maybe it's not all his fault. And no, it isn't all your fault either. Walking on a leash is just not a natural behavior for a dog.

We do need to remember that a walk on a leash is not even close to the way wolves and dogs move through their territory when they have the freedom to roam on their own. When we don't recognize that leash walking is not quite natural for the dog, we create problems for both us and our canine best friends.

For one thing, neither dogs nor wolves would naturally spend a lot of time moving as slowly as humans move when we walk. Dogs have so much energy and such a strong drive to get out and explore their world that our slow walking pace must seem almost painful to them.

This explains why all dogs have an inclination to move out in front when we take them for a walk. This movement is natural.

When a dog is allowed to run free without a leash, he will run far ahead of you, sniffing at everything that catches his attention.

When he gets a certain distance away he will then double back to check to make sure you're both still heading in the same direction. Since dogs prefer to go on their jaunts with their friends, he'll always try to keep reasonably close to you. (However, your dog's definition of "reasonably close" may not be the same as yours).

As soon as he checks back in, your dog will naturally run back out again. If you've ever walked through a field with a dog off leash, you know he travels at least three times as far as you do, and at least three times as fast. He cheerfully smells everything he can, and finds all sorts of wonderful things to see and chase. He's exploring his world, and he's excited about everything he learns.

This is what your dog really wants when you take him for a walk, but if you live in the city you can't let him be himself, because you must make compromises for his safety. We understand that, but our dogs don't.

The difference in the natural trekking speeds of humans and dogs is the reason why teaching a dog to heel takes patience, lots of time, and lots of understanding. Frankly, it just doesn't make any sense to a dog. There is no wolfy equivalent to walking at heel.Because it's natural for a dog to go faster, a dog that pulls ahead is not necessarily showing "dominance" or being obstinate, he's just showing you that he thinks you're going to slow. Since most of us can't go faster, and we can't let the dog off the leash, you and your dog have slightly different goals - so you need to explain the whole thing to him in a way that he can understand.

If he is confined to your side, nose near your left thigh, he has to ignore all of his instinctive desires. If this is what you want him to do, an obedience class in your town might help get you started, and a training harness might also help. However, if you don't mind if he goes in front and explores, as long as he doesn't pull, the training will be a lot easier.