Large dog people and small dog people often have different concerns that take priority in training. A malamute who pulls on the leash can be a serious problem for the owner, because it feels a bit like leashing up a freight train.
Unless you happen to have a very strong chihuahua, chances are they can tug and pull all day on the leash and it barely makes you shift your weight.
Yet practicing loose leash walking can have other benefits for your chihuahua, and if you happen to have a dog closer to the freight train end of the spectrum, loose leash walking will matter even more.
Why It Matters for Chihuahuas
Loose leash walking benefits your pets for their own health. Chihuahuas are prone to knee problems, eye problems, and as they age can also have spine and neck problems. When they’re tugging mightily on their harness–or putting the brakes on to be as unhelpful as possible, they may cause injury on these areas.
Even eyes can suffer from excess pulling. Those cute buggy eyes stand out because they have shallow eye sockets. With enough pressure from pulling, they could literally pop their own eye out.
More subtly though, this is an opportunity to let your dog provide consent to grooming. I am sure nearly everyone reading this is going to roll their eyes mightily at the idea, but chihuahuas get robbed of choice much more frequently than other dogs.
If your chihuahua pulls back and refuses to walk, the solution is to scoop them up and carry them. This is also the solution if they are pulling too hard.
This is an easy solution for humans because the dog is 5 pounds and if they use the same method of protest a big dog might use, they get ignored. The feelings are still there however, and most chihuahuas turn to next steps to protest—scratching and biting.
This is why many small breeds seem to be more aggressive than big dogs. Since they can’t resolve their feelings with lying down, digging their heels in, or other passive protests, they feel forced to resort to bigger reactions to be “heard.”
Why So Many Pets Pull
First, let’s break down why dogs tend to pull on the leash so universally. On “fun” walks, dogs surge ahead because what’s in front of them is exciting. They can’t wait to get to that next new smell or see what’s around the corner!
Can you blame them? Unless they are a service dog, the majority of their lives is spent looking at the same four walls. Of course they’re eager to see something new.
Because they want to go forward and they pull and they get forward, they assume this is how they go forward. This is also why chokers, prong collars and other deterrent based collars don’t always work to correct the issue.
The reward of getting to see the whole wide world is sometimes worth the pain of the prongs or choking, so they simply pull anyway.
In the groom shop, they’re usually pulling to ‘escape’ on the way back from grooming, or trying to pull back as hard as they can to avoid going there in the first place.
Loose leash walking can be difficult to correct with positive reinforcement. If your dog values freedom, fresh air and the scent of the world over a hotdog slice, clicking for a loose leash might not be very effective. You’re trying to combat a very powerful motivator with a minor one. Imagine someone trying to distract you from your million dollar lotto win with a hundred dollar bill. Not going to happen!
How to Stop Pulling
Well let’s first realize that your dog is using positive reinforcement on themselves when they pull on the leash. They are trying to reward themselves with getting back to their owners or not going into the salon in the first place. At home, they’re trying to reward themselves with the next new smell.
I prefer positive reinforcement methods with chihuahuas because it works so well, and you can see how well it works here. Dogs pull because they perceive it to be rewarding to do so–even if it kinda hurts. How then, do you use positive reinforcement when we just stated it’s ineffective? By removing the major reinforcer that makes your more modest prize less enticing.
The first step is to stop rewarding the pulling. Stop the constant stream of positive reinforcement. Start this on your dog’s daily walk.
IF your dog starts pulling on a walk, cease all forward motion. It’s not necessary to walk the opposite direction, yank the leash, or correct them in any way. Simply do not walk forward at all. Wait until the leash slackens even the tiniest bit, even if it’s just your dog looking at you in confusion to see why you’re not walking.
When they slack off the leash even a tiny bit, start walking again. This way, you are using your dog’s own desire to move forward as a reward, and not rewarding them when they are doing the wrong thing.
Please note: This is pretty easy to do with a chihuahua, but probably less so with a more powerful dog. If you have a dog that can take you with them even when you’re digging in your heels, you may want to look for a breed specific website targeting this behavior.
This technique works very well for small dogs however, and may stop pulling all by itself. If not, next week we’ll be going over a second method for loose leash walking, training the dog to walk by your side.
Similar Posts:
- Training Vocabulary: Reinforcement
- How to Introduce the Leash
- Dog Vocabulary: Operant Conditioning
- Reflective Leashes and Collars
- Harness Vs. Collar – Which One Is Best?
