Does wearing a harness cause pulling on the leash?
There are many possible reasons why a dog may pull on the leash, so let’s try to list them:
- Dogs have four legs and move much faster than us humans, they tend to explore their surroundings moving in different directions and following their nose, rather than walking in a straight line next to us. If we add a leash that is too short, it’s clear that they will pull us.
- When dogs’ activity needs are not met for too long, when they finally go outside, they may have a lot of built-up energy that needs to be released, and so they may pull on the leash
- When a dog is afraid due to being too close to a trigger, their nervous system activates the fight-or-flight response. This can result in pulling on the leash as the dog either lunges toward or tries to escape from the trigger.
- When a dog is overexcited, which is often a symptom of stress, they may also pull on the leash.
- Adolescent dogs usually find everything in their surroundings new and exciting, and they want to hurry to every interesting smell as quickly as possible.
- If a dog usually wears aversive equipment (equipment that causes discomfort), they may feel more comfortable and free when wearing a harness, which can lead to pulling.
All of the above reasons indicate that the dog has not yet learned the skill of walking nicely, i.e., walking slowly and linearly next to the human. Or they may be influenced by fear, excessive excitement, or other factors that prevent them from remembering how to walk nicely, something they would do in different circumstances.
Teaching a dog loose leash walking skills requires some time and knowledge on our part to help the dog understand what is expected of them because, as I mentioned before, it is not their natural behavior.
Unfortunately, people often resort to “quick” solutions such as using choke chains or similar tools that tighten around the dog’s neck when they pull or even electric collars that deliver a shock. Clearly, any living being that feels pain or discomfort will quickly learn to avoid such punishment, and that includes walking more slowly and next to us, giving the impression of quick results. Besides the obvious ethical issues with such methods of “training” dogs, who are by the way complex emotional and social beings, we will have a greater problem in the long run – the dog will eventually become desensitized to current level of pain and continue pulling on the leash. This will require us to increase the level of discomfort/pain we cause the dog until they become desensitized to that level as well. It may reach a point where the discomfort becomes too much, and the dog reacts with a bite.
A harness is much more comfortable for the dog, even more so than a regular collar, as it doesn’t put pressure on the sensitive neck area and the organs within it. However, this does not mean that the harness is the cause of pulling. It also does not mean that equipment that compromises the physical and mental well-being of the dog is a solution.
What this means is that it is necessary to educate ourselves about positive training methods that do not involve causing pain or discomfort to the dog. On the contrary, these methods focus on rewarding desired behavior, which quickly leads to the learning of that behavior. This results in a happy and confident dog that understands what is expected of them and leads to a better relationship with their human that is based on trust rather than fear.
If fear is a factor influencing pulling on the leash, it is not enough to only teach the dog to walk nicely on the leash; we need to address and resolve the underlying causes of fear.
Tena