Why Do Dogs Pull on Leashes?
Do dogs pull on leashes because they’re anxious or stressed? Sometimes, yes. Fear, anxiety, or stress can absolutely play a role. But even anxious dogs pull because they’ve learned to. Attaching a leash often triggers a specific behavior chain – one they’ve practiced over and over again.
Think about it: dogs who yank forward on a leash look like they’re straining hard. The pressure on their necks must be uncomfortable. Some dogs even move awkwardly because of the equipment, yet they keep pulling. Why?
Your dog pulls because pulling works.
That behavior gets them something they want. It might take them to a new smell, an exciting sound, a moving squirrel. It might just feel thrilling to surge ahead, to anticipate what’s coming next. The moment of “Woo-hoo! I’m free!’ – even it it’s a little wild – can be powerfully reinforcing.
Once we figure out what reward the dog gets from pulling, we can teach a better way for him to get it. A way that works with the leash, not against it.
What Reinforces Leash-pulling?
Pulling might give a dog access to movement, novelty, and stimulation. The leash tightens, and the dog surges forward. Maybe they catch a whiff of a rabbit trail. Maybe they just feel the buzz of motion.
Even if the dog feels anxious, pulling may relieve that stress. A scared dog might pull to escape a noise or to create distance from a trigger. In either case, pulling serves a purpose. It may help them cope, and it must be helping them get what they want.
Training Helps Dogs Cope and Learn
Here’s the good news: training changes all of this.
When we teach leash-walking skills through positive reinforcement, we do more than just stop the pulling. We give the dog a new pattern to follow; a task; a rhythm; something predictable and calming. Training helps the dog have a little control over the situation, and that helps reduce stress.
But we must teach those skills intentionally. A dog doesn’t magically know how to walk calmly next to a person, just like a child doesn’t magically know how to read. Dogs need guidance. They need a plan. They need to learn their role as a leash-walking partner.
Are We Accidentally Reinforcing the Wrong Thing?
Sometimes, handlers actually reward pulling without meaning to. Imagine this: the dog pulls, the handler hurries to catch up (so the leash isn’t tight any more), and before you know it, both of them are rushing forward. The dog pulls, the human follows. That’s teamwork, but not the kind we want.
Dogs are brilliant learners. If something works, they repeat it. It’s our job to notice what we’re teaching them, intentionally or not.
Love Doesn’t Replace Training
I adore dogs. I’ve loved them deeply since I was a child. But no amount of love ever taught my childhood dog, Maggie, to perform heroic, Lassie-like rescues. Maggie never rescued anyone from a well, even though she had a whole family who loved her dearly.
As an adult, I studied animal behavior. I learned how training really works. And you know what? Teaching is not only fun, it’s enriching, for both the human and the dog. When we build behaviors with care, we create something amazing together.
Love matters, but it’s not the method. It’s the motivation behind the method.
We Train Ourselves All the Time
Think about learning to bake a cake. You didn’t just “love” the idea of cake and suddenly know how to make one. You started with a simple recipe. You followed steps. You learned which reinforcers kept you going – maybe the smell of vanilla, or the reward of licking the spoon or bowl, or the moment you pulled a perfect cake from the oven.
You learned one skill at a time: measuring, stirring, pouring, operating a mixer. You built those behaviors into a routine. That’s how humans learn. Dogs learn like this, too.
My mom loved me, but she also taught me how to perform the process to bake a cake. She helped me find the joy in the work of doing so. That kept me coming back to the kitchen.
Dogs Learn the Same Way
Dogs don’t learn to walk on a leash – or to potty in the right place – just because we love them. They learn because we show them what to do. We guide them, reinforce the behaviors we like, and repeat until the behaviors grow into the finished product we want.
Love can inspire training, but it doesn’t do the training. The plan does. The structure of the training program does.
I can train even dogs I’ve just met. We don’t need to bond deeply before training can occur. Understanding and respect for the learner are required, but we don’t have to have an intimate relationship.
Good Teaching Follows a Plan
We use programs to teach just about everything. Kids follow a curriculum in school. Adults watch tutorials on YouTube. Teachers, coaches, and instructors all rely on systems to teach or train. The magic (which is not really magic, just learning) happens in the process.
Dog training works the same way. We follow behavior science principles. We assess what the dog already knows, build on that, reinforce progress, and stay consistent. It’s not mysterious, it’s methodical.
Every learner is different, but the foundation of a plan, a program, stays the same: clear steps, timely reinforcement, and trust in the process.
Training is Teaching
Real teaching starts where the learner is. It builds skills, one piece at a time, using rewards that actually matter to the individual. That’s how we bake cakes, build healthy habits, and teach dogs to walk politely on leashes.
Training results in dogs who exhibit the behaviors we want simply as part of who they are – they perform them routinely and fluently, almost without thinking. Love is why we train, not a replacement for training.
