Should We Punish Pulling on the Lead?

A dog pulls on it's lead whilst walking

There are an increasing number of people being advised by friends, other trainers and social media videos to use punishment for lead pulling through some form of 'training' collar lately. As well as popping up on all our social media feeds, it's also been more often asked about in our one to one sessions and classes, so we thought we'd address this question and why we don't use these methods with our own training or our clients.

We will never recommend ANY method of training for ANY behavioural problem that involves intimidating, scaring, hurting or making your dog uncomfortable. First of all, it just isn't necessary. And second of all, it can have unintended consequences for both owner and dog.

A dog looks at it's owner whilst walking beside them with a loose lead trailing on the floor behind

A lot of people are understandably looking for a quick fix for problems like this. Pulling on the lead can be an embarrassing problem, especially if your dog is loud about it too. It can also be a painful one, whether just aches and pains from the strain of holding a tight lead or from falls. There are also many reasons why dogs pull, from frustration about not being able to reach things they want, not being able to walk slowly enough, reactivity and many more. Punishment is never the solution to any of these things, particularly because most of the time there can be extremely negative fallout from it.

Here's just one example: Let's say your dog is excited about other dogs (a common cause of pulling) and you buy an aversive collar of some type because someone said it would be a clear communication for your dog. You put the collar on, you head outside, your dog sees another dog and starts to pull towards it, you yank or do whatever the new collar instructions said to do. From your perspective, the communication seems clear right? Dog pulls, I make collar hurt. Dog should understand pulling = pain/discomfort.

Worried dog barks to keep others away

Now let's look at it from the dog's perspective. We go outside, dog sees another dog which is usually something exciting, but this time, looking at that other dog causes pain/discomfort in dog's neck. From now on, every time your dog sees another dog, they experience pain. Other dogs are no longer exciting... now they are a predictor of something unpleasant. Next time your dog goes out, maybe they'll decide they don't want other dogs to come near, in case it makes their neck hurt. Your dog might start barking or lunging at the other dog to scare it away. Now you have a bigger problem than you started with.

Still think that this uncomfortable new collar is 'clear communication' for your dog? We train on harnesses or flat collars for lead walking.

Most of the time, dogs that pull have never been shown or taught what it is they SHOULD be doing and have only been told what NOT to do. Sometimes, we deal with cases where owners have inadvertently taught their dog that pulling is necessary by moving with their dog when it pulls, thereby teaching the dog that in order to get anywhere, the lead must be tight. In these cases, the dog is constantly being rewarded for pulling. If they love going to the park, pull you along and then arrive at the park, their doggy brains think this is how you get to the park. We have to show them an alternative. If we only punish the negative behaviour and never teach the correct way, your dog is left confused and guessing.

A dog walks beside the owner

We educate your dog so they understand what it is you want them to do and when you want them to do it. We make sure your dog knows how to disengage from things that are worrying or exciting and focus on you instead. We show them that they don't need to pull to access the things they need on walks. We do this all with rewards such as food, toys or a chance to explore and sniff and play. This is what 'clear communication' looks like.

Don't let anyone tell you that you need to use shock, prong or choke collars to communicate with or control your dog.