Dog Leash Aggression

There are three main reasons for dog leash aggression; excitement, fear and frustration. Dog leash aggression is not uncommon and it is generally brought on by frustration and frequently made even worse by owner anxiety.

Being restrained with a leash and made to be within close contact of another canine, when your dog would have normally decided to keep his distance, may cause your dog to lunge, bark or snarl. Leash aggression is made even worse by the way in which the dog owner responds to their dog's aggression.

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If you are using a choke or prong collar to correct your dog during his reactions, he also learns that other canines are bad because they cause him to be chastised. If your dog has had a negative experience with another dog, he may have started to think of all dogs as potentially harmful.

If you're anxious about chance meetings between your pet and another dog, your dog will probably sense your trepidation and be much more fearful. An upright posture shows to the dog approaching, that your dog is ready to fight or protect, further contributing to the tension. After you have trained your dog to obey the basic commands of “sit”, "stay", and “drop or down”, you will be ready to start work on the leash aggression.

Wearing a leash does not come naturally to a dog, therefore correct leash behavior has to be trained. If your dog exhibits aggression towards people or dogs only when on a leash, his aggression is most likely due to frustration. If your dog displays aggression when he is also not on leash, this is probably attributable to fear. Your dog is scared of whatever is causing him to react, and the leash eliminates his chance to escape instead of react.

If you tighten up on the leash, you are sending the message to your dog that you are also frightened, which confirms your pet's fears. Therefore, whenever you see another dog, you need to keep your arms relaxed and the leash loose. To lessen leash reactions, teach your dog to respond to your voice commands, helping you refrain from leash corrections. At the very first indication of dog leash aggression or fear from your dog, give a firm command of "down" or "stay".

When dogs are free from restraint, they usually greet in the shape of a "C", permitting each other to sniff. It is the duty of the dog owner to recognize exactly how far away another dog can be before his dog gets out of control. Every dog has his own threshold and each dog's threshold will be different.

The two most common methods for training a dog are by obedience class and personal owner training. Obedience classes could possibly increase a dog's leash aggression since the trainer's attention is split amongst numerous dogs that are frequently within close range of one another.

There are various possible reasons for the leash aggression shown by many canines:

• Leash aggression can begin with a dog who is so excited when he sees another dog that he can hardly contain himself. Whenever a dog is on a leash, he is restrained from greeting another dog the way in which he would off leash. A frustrated dog owner will often attempt to contain the excitement with leash correction, which causes the dog to become frustrated.
  
  
• A fearful dog might also show signs of leash aggression. One reason that numerous dogs are fearful and respond aggressively when on the leash is that they feel constrained by the leash. This does not mean that you should not use a leash as you should be in control of your dog at all times when in any public area. Your dog could be afraid of a variety of things, which are displayed as dog leash aggression towards other canines.
  
  
• Your pet might have dominance issues, which is often another trigger for dog leash aggression towards other dogs. No matter what the reason behind your dog's exhibition of aggression when on the leash, the initial step in fixing the issue is basic obedience training.

If you are confident and consistent with your approach, you will conquer your dog's leash aggression and both you and your pet will soon get to enjoy your time together. Needless to say, all you are looking for is a relaxing, enjoyable walk with your dog.

My recommended dog training guides to help you solve your leash training issues are Secrets to Dog Training and Dove Cresswell's Dog Training Online.

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