7 Reasons Why Leash-Pulling is BAD

Here are some very valid and (too often) potentially fatal reasons as to why it's not a great idea to let your dog choose to pull on the leash:

1. If your dog is pulling you next to traffic, especially if you're holding on to the end of his leash, it's very easy for him to get distracted and jump right into traffic. You'd be surprised at how many dogs attempt to do so, and sometimes it's the last thing they'll ever get to do...

2. Your dog can get kicked in the face for getting into someone else's space who doesn't care to have strange dogs approach them. This one experience could make your dog reactive to people on walks and that will require a whole approach to training to eliminate the reactivity. 

3. It's much easier for your dog to pick up trash and dangerous objects that could seriously injure him, like needles, poison (yes, people leave out poisoned food specifically to target dogs!), etc. 

4. Your dog can develop something called "barrier frustration", where he feels like he needs to lash out in aggression, especially when meeting other dogs and people. Your dog can be otherwise great with dogs and people, but this is an interesting and often unfortunate side effect of a taught leash. 

5. This should be common sense - constant pressure on the trachea is harmful to your dog!! Your dog can develop a sensitive trachea, start coughing from the pressure, and have literal scarring over the area underneath the skin.. This is especially dangerous for dogs prone to a "collapsing trachea" and long-necked doggos like sighthounds. 

6. YOU can get injured yourself (sprains, dislocations, falls, etc). We work with so many people who have been seriously hurt by their dogs pulling on the leash and that is not ok. 

7. Your dog may run away as soon as you let go of the leash. Do you trust your dog to stay by your side if you drop the leash? If not, get into training today!

If your dog is pulling you around on your walks, call us over to get that to STOP today and teach a nice, relaxed walk that BOTH you and your dog can enjoy!
ANY dog can be taught to walk nicely on a leash - we stand by that promise!

​Master Dog Training Tulsa - 206.802.5881