What Is Leash Aggression?
February 12, 2017
Your dog may be well behaved when she’s off leash frolicking about in the dog park, but when she’s on leash it’s a whole different story. At the first sight of another dog, your beloved pet turns into a wild beast that’s hard to control. This is called leash aggression or leash reactivity and it’s important to nip it in the bud before it escalates and someone gets hurt.
Fear and Aggression
To understand aggression is to be aware of fear in your dog. Most aggressive behaviours are an act of fear as your dog feels threatened or challenged in some way. The aggression happens as a means to protect herself against the threat. So it’s your job to make her feel comfortable in this situation.
Overprotective Dogs
At the same time, your dog’s aggressive behaviour can also be an act of protecting his or her owner. Most dogs will get a little anxious when they’re on leash and someone they don’t know approaches them. It’s important to learn your dog’s cues and establish command words to use in situations like these. With consistent training, you can teach your dog new tricks.
Your Dog Needs Friends
It’s important to socialize your dog from an early age. Dogs are pack animals and love the company of other dogs. Dogs who haven’t been adequately socialized may not be as welcoming to other dogs. On the other hand, some dogs will crave the company of doggie pals to hang out with and this too can be a cause of leash aggression, as she desperately pulls and barks on the leash to get their attention.
What Are Your Dog’s Triggers?
Leash aggression is triggered by something like another dog. This is known as a trigger. Some dogs have more than one trigger. In order to work with them and get their leash aggression under control, you need to know what will trigger your dog.
Leash Aggression Stresses Me Out
If your dog has been exhibiting leash aggression for some time, chances are you’ve developed a certain level of anxiety yourself when it’s time to take her for a walk. This can also contribute to your dog’s own stress levels. Dogs are super tuned into what their owners are feeling and they use this as a gauge to interpret any given situation. So be aware of how stressed out you are and try to remain neutral.
Tight Leash Means Trouble
Our natural response to leash aggression is to tighten up on the leash and pull your dog in as close to you as possible. This will only heighten your dog’s response and ignite her reaction till she’s a snarling, barking, freaked-out ball of uncontrollable angst! When your dog feels threatened, restraining her is only going to increase her desire to get free and she’ll do anything to achieve this goal.
Counterconditioning and Desensitization
Leash aggression is a reactive behaviour to a trigger that sends your dog into a frenzy. Modifying this behaviour requires a method of training known as counterconditioning and desensitization, which we will discuss in a future blog.
Walking a dog with leash reactivity is stressful and takes a lot of consistent training to break her out of it. For now, start by recognizing your dog’s triggers, walking away and working on your own stress levels to diffuse the situation.