{"id":26,"date":"2019-05-06T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cdblogdev.frontrowdigital.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/06\/when-it-comes-to-walks-the-struggle-is-real\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T01:02:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T01:02:45","slug":"leash-training-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/training-and-behavior\/leash-training-tips","title":{"rendered":"WHEN IT COMES TO WALKS, THE STRUGGLE IS REAL."},"content":{"rendered":"

Find out how the right leash and collar can help with leash-tugging.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wondering why you and your best friend can\u2019t seem to ever agree which way to walk? Well, you\u2019re not alone. Lots of people are dealing with leash-tugging, and it\u2019s leading to\u00a0<\/span>injurie<\/u>s<\/a>. And hey, it\u2019s not just humans getting hurt. All that pulling is terrible for your dog\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>neck<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first thing to understand is that your dog isn\u2019t being a jerk. They have what\u2019s called an\u00a0<\/span>opposition reflex<\/u><\/a>\u2014that means when you pull on their leash to redirect them, their body automatically pulls back. And if you pull the leash harder, they\u2019ll simply stop walking and dig their heels in. That means all that leash-pulling isn\u2019t doing any good, and it could really hurt your dog\u2019s throat or even collapse their trachea if they\u2019re on the small side.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the answer? First of all, you definitely need to work on\u00a0<\/span>loose leash training<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span><\/u>where you\u2019ll learn to reward your dog for walking only when the leash is slack. That said, the right collar and leash combo will make a huge difference.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with collars. The number one concern is protecting your dog\u2019s throat and neck. Fit is really important to prevent injury\u2014You should be able to place two fingers underneath the collar to make sure it\u2019s not too tight.\u00a0 Next make sure it\u2019s also not so loose so that your dog is able to pull a\u00a0<\/span>Houdini<\/u><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and slide out of it.<\/p>\n

As for types, there\u2019s actually a lot more out there than your\u00a0<\/span>basic collar<\/u><\/a>. If your dog pulls a little but not that much, a back clip harness<\/a> is the way to go. It\u2019s great for smaller breeds who really don\u2019t need any force directly on the neck. But if your dog is a strong leash-puller, try a front clip harness. When your dog tugs, the front attachment pulls to the side to stop them.\u00a0If you find you need even more control, a\u00a0<\/span>Martingale collar\u00a0<\/span>is another option.\u00a0 The functionality is such that it is made up of two loops\u2014one that stays loose and another that tightens a bit (without hurting your dog) to correct them when they pull on the leash.\u00a0 It is also useful for dogs that pull out of their collars. Another option is a\u00a0<\/span>head collar<\/u><\/a>, which goes behind the ears and around the muzzle to minimize head-pulling. One thing to note: all of three of these need to be fit properly and used carefully (feel free to ask us for help in store). And one thing to always avoid? Choke, pinch or shock collars. Not cool and not necessary.<\/p>\n

Next, let\u2019s talk leashes<\/a>. It\u2019s important to make sure you\u2019re not walking your German Shepherd on a Boston Terrier leash\u2014big dogs need wide leashes with big clips and vice versa for smaller ones. Also, you\u2019ll obviously want something strong. Look for a nylon or leather leash with a stainless steel or brass clip. And be sure to avoid anything beyond a super basic, sturdy leash. Until your canine friend has learned to chill out on the tugging, this is not the time to experiment with non-traditional options like slip leads and\u00a0 hands-free leashes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Any cat walkers<\/a> out there?\u00a0<\/span>We see you<\/u><\/a>, and we salute you. Just remember, while cats should wear breakaway collars around the house (they come apart when pressure is added, such as when kitties are performing a death-defying feat), they should always wear harnesses on walks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wondering why you and your best friend can\u2019t seem to ever agree which way to walk? Well, you\u2019re not alone. Lots of people are dealing with leash-tugging, and it\u2019s leading to..<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[6,7],"class_list":["post-26","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-training-and-behavior","tag-dog","tag-walks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227,"href":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26\/revisions\/227"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chuckanddons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}