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Grabbing & Tugging on the Leash, Part 1 of 4
You’ve probably seen or known dogs who like to grab and tug on their leashes during walks. ???? This can be quite a nuisance for the person holding the leash, though the dog may be having fun.
????I’ve been working with a bunch of dogs lately who exhibit this behavior, and there are multiple reasons WHY a dog may do this. Knowing the reason helps us tailor a solution for each individual.
In the video below you’ll see Roscoe, a St. Bernard, putting on quite a show. As a large and boisterous dude, this behavior could be really overwhelming for a small person, or even scary.
What are some reasons a dog might behave like this?
▶Here’s a link to Part 2 of this series.◀
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15 Replies
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I think Roscoe was being mild in his behaviors compared to others I have seen half his size! It is also worse when they re-direct nad tug on clothing as it appears he may have tried here (hard to tell if he went to actually bite the hand vs clothing. )
A few reasons that jump out at me are, 1. the activity itself can be reinforcing and 2. frustration, 3. anxious/displacement type behavior
I am curious to see if we can guess all of them!
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@jenz , he was going after the pet parent’s hand when he tried to pet him. Petting is not a great choice when the dog is already aroused and grabbing things. ????
And your suggestions for possible reasons behind this behavior are great — in his case, much of it had to do with frustration.
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@virginiad I feel like their is some frustration on the dogs side and some pent up energy. It also looks rewarding to the dog in some ways since he is getting attention of the man’s voice, movement back and forth, trying to pet etc.
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@pawsup , yes, your critique is very good! ???? When staying p/t at an apartment in the city, Roscoe was not getting enough exercise AND he was passing many other dogs much more closely than he was able to handle when he was first adopted.
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How we handle this behavior is paramount to decreasing the behavior. It’s not really enough of a video to see how he approached putting the harness and/or leash on. The owner was negative and giving lots of attention to that negative behavior. How about diverting his attention to a treat and asking for a sit. How about offering his favorite squeaky toy as an attractive alternative. In addition, the dog was heard growling and was actually reinforced for the behavior with lots of attention. There was no happy voice and excited to divert the attention off the leash. I feel the owner was escalating the behavior making it worse which will eventually lead to a bite!
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@denny great points about how we can escalate a situation unintentionally. It’s so true that the energy of our movements and the excitement in our voices can impact a dog’s behavior.
A good reminder to slow down, calm down, lower your voice, take deep inhale/exhale breaths and exude confidence and calm. Anything else will at frenetic energy which is not what is needed here!
For a dog like this that ends up getting over aroused easily, I also recommend having two leashes. When they grab on and tug one, I simply drop it while keeping them near with the other. Usually they quickly end the “game” since there’s no pressure on the leash they grabbed. Occasionally, they are content to carry it. As a no-conflict resolution, it’s not bad. And it’s something most owners can easily do.
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I love the idea of using two leashes. So you actually have both attached to the harness/collar from the beginning?
Also I wonder if Roscoe’s guardian has a way to provide Roscoe with some exercise prior to the walk in order to take the edge off of Roscoe’s energy and frustration. Such as fetch or tug before leaving the house.
And plenty of mental enrichment added into Roscoe’s daily routine would help reduce his stress level overall.
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Yes, @gina , exercise before walks and more enrichment are super ideas, and were implemented to positive effect. The only glitch, initially, was an inability to provide aerobic exercise prior to walks when he was staying part-time in a city apartment. But, between training, enrichment, and creating more distance from other dogs in the early stages of training, Roscoe progressed nicely. It was really lovely to see — he went from very unpleasant displays towards other dogs (if medium to large in size) to greeting them politely. What a happy relief! ????
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Wow! Great work! I read your part 2 comments regarding enrichment after I wrote this. ????
So glad you’re seeing some good results already.
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@gina Yes – two sturdy leashes attached at the same time. In the beginning it’s a bit of silliness, switching leashes up. But the dogs generally get the idea that it’s simply no fun to try to play tug when there’s nothing to tug against!
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Love this, @programdev . ????
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After watching this video, there seems to be a lot of talking to the dog and reinforcing the behaviors. Roscoe is definitely overly aroused and seems to be enjoying playing “tug” with the leash. I would scatter treats around him and mark when he drops the leash. Keep marking as he does not approach the leash with his mouth. Redirect another behavior- sit or down- until he settles. I’m not sure this dog understands walking on a leash?
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Great input, @JCongdon . During the time of this video, Roscoe was newly adopted by this person, at about 3 years old, and little background/history except for him being found as a stray in the south. We’d only met for one lesson (before this video was shared), so his pet parent was quite new to training. But he quickly embraced more effective training strategies that made a very positive difference in Roscoe’s behavior. I appreciated having this video and being given permission to share it, because so many novice pet parents will respond in a similar fashion, not knowing that they’re accidentally fueling the unwanted behavior.
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Oh ok – sorry I wasn’t aware of the history. It’s great to know he is learning quickly!
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Yes, I was quite relieved! ????
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