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Grabbing & Tugging on the Leash, Part 2 of 4
After observing Roscoe ????and speaking with his pet parent, we were able to tell that Roscoe did this behavior sometimes because he was frustrated he couldn’t get to something of interest, like another dog. In his case, I advised his pet parent to exercise Roscoe before his walks, when possible, to burn off some excess energy.
I also encouraged him to frequently reward Roscoe when he was walking nicely beside him, without grabbing the leash. We created more distance between the dogs at first, and generously used very high-value treats to reward him for attention. We also taught him a permission cue for when it was safe and appropriate to greet the other dog. Thankfully, Roscoe is very food motivated and this worked wonders. ????
▶Check out part 1 of this post, including a video clip of Roscoe. ◀
Thank you, @jenz and @pawsup , for your insightful comments yesterday.
What are some other ideas you can share that might also work for a similar case?
▶Here’s a link to Part 3 of this series.◀
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9 Replies
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Great ideas and they are some of my thoughts.
If the dog is play motivated, (and depending on the dog overall) I may use play for noticing the other dog. The other dog can become the environmental cue that a play session is coming. I may also use a treat scatter for noticing without reacting.
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Thank you, @jenz ! I love using the treat scatter, too, typically encouraging the dog to seek the goodies behind him, and thus adding more distance. I advise pet parents to practice food scatters in easy/non-distracting contexts first, if the dog isn’t familiar with this game. Otherwise, it’s amazing how many dogs aren’t adept at this initially! ????
Will you use play when a dog’s arousal levels are already quite high, or do you try to redirect to play before that arousal has spiked?-
The dog and the arousal level play a factor, for sure. I will use play with lower arousal situations
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That makes a lot of sense, @jenz !
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I’m thinking mental stimulation for this easily aroused boy may be really beneficial. I’d teach him some easy targeting games, such as a nose-to-hand target or a paws-on (object) target when he is NOT so aroused, then before he gets completely amped, engage his brain by having him do these simple attention/focusing behaviors.
But to emphasize your point, @virginiad , years ago I had a “crazy” gregarious adolescent golden like this and bike-work (him running while I biked) was our salvation. He simply had to run and run. He was a lot easier to work with after getting his big muscles engaged.
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I love everyone’s ideas here!! I was thinking also maybe a chain leash- would he be as interested? I never used one, but remember learning about them in school. My bern used to do this- short lived because he had a solid leave it cue at a young age and I would do the flirt pole to get out some “extra” energy before our walk.
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Oh yes, @pawsup , I appreciate your outside-the-box thinking! The chain leash could work temporarily as a ‘management’ solution, buying the pet parent some time to 1) better address the dog’s exercise needs and 2) to teach and reward more desirable replacement behaviors. Without exercise and training, though, a frustrated dog may just redirect his energy to the human’s body parts or clothing instead. ????
Another thought — chain leashes can be a bit challenging for some folks to handle, especially with a big dog, because it’s uncomfortable to place a second hand on the chain itself when greater control is needed.
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@virginiad Great points!!
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@pawsup always coming in with great questions and ideas! ????
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