LEARNING .... "NOT TO PULL"
for DOGS.... and their OWNERS!
There are no "magic" cures or fixes to stop dogs pulling their owners, there are however, a number of devices that can be used to help manage this pulling problem like the body harnesses and many various types of head collar. These collars on their own do not get rid of the dog's pulling behaviour but rather allow the owner to manage the pulling problem.
These devices only inhibit, at best, the pulling behaviour happening when they are used, invariably when they are removed the dog still wants to pull... and so the pulling behaviour quickly returns.
To change the behaviour you must first address the source of the problem and the reinforcement for the pulling behaviour..... and that is usually what's at the other end of the lead... the owner :) Yes! You!, (the dog's owner)... have not only trained your dog to pull, but also consistently rewarded the pulling behaviour.
Your dog's lead has become the 'stimulus' for this pulling behaviour, in other words, your dog now equates the lead with pulling... ( lead = pull ), changing this association is the first step in training walking on a loose lead.
At home, ask your dog to "sit" and then put the lead on your dog, if the dog moves and pulls... take off the lead and go watch TV for five minutes, (ignoring your dog), repeat till when putting on the lead your dog remains stationary (not pulling) reward your dog. Repeat, but give a 'cue' for this behaviour, use "Lets Go" as you attach the lead and your dog remains stationary, again reward your dog. Next progress to opening the door, as soon as the dog pulls close door, take off the lead, go sit and watch TV, yes you guessed it! .... for five minutes.... repeat the lesson as needed .... (dogs have a short term memory of less than five minutes).
Repeat till you can put the lead on your dog and open the door without the lead going tight. Progress in this manner till you can go for a walk on a loose lead. You can see the learning process for your dog... "pull and you go nowhere!".
Try tying your dog to a tree, and you will discover a simple and basic truth!
"Dogs don't pull trees because trees don't move"
"Dogs 'do' pull people because people 'do' move"
To increase your dog's rate of learning it is useful to give your dog information on exactly which behaviour is rewarding.. i.e. that of keeping the "lead loose". If this behaviour of having a loose lead is 'communicated' to your dog as rewarding, you will have your dog walking on a loose lead very quickly.... you can do this with the use of a conditioned reinforcer (or clicker) to 'capture' the exact behaviour of a "loose" lead.
By pairing a sound ("click") or word ("yes") with a primary or unconditioned reinforcer (food) you create a "conditioner reinforcer" to mark a behaviour (or event). You do this by first giving the sound or word and then following it with a reward.. soon that sound will 'predict' the reward through the process of Classical Conditioning (see Pavlov and his dogs). Make sure you always follow this sound or word with a reward.
Now when your dog pulls the lead you stop and just hold the lead, do not pull back, just hold..... at the instant the lead goes loose (as it must) give the 'conditioned reinforcer' ."Yes!" to communicate to your dog "which" behaviour earned the reward..... reward your dog. It is useful to always re-start the exercise from a stable position like Sit, and use a 'cue' for walking on a loose lead "lets go!".
The lead should only be used as a safety device, it is not a training tool. You must also keep the lead loose! This is very important.... If you pull the lead then you are turning back into that 'cycle' of "training your dog to pull"... This happens through a process known as the opposition reflex... which is exactly how this problem was trained in the first place!.
"Hold the lead, never pull it!"
You pull the lead, your dog pulls back, (opposition reflex) you release the pull so your dog moves forward... the forward motion (progressing on the walk) now reinforces the pulling behaviour, and so the behaviour of pulling increases ad infinitum. So now we can add another line:
"Dogs only pull their owners because the owners pulled first"
Happy training, and loose leads!...
Robert Loftus
İRLoftus1999