How To Stop Your Dog Pulling On The Leash Quickly

Summary

At the center, a highly energetic golden retriever is undergoing a behavior assessment and modification program. The dog, loving and spirited but problematic on walks, is learning to walk calmly on a loose lead. The trainers focus on diagnosing the dog's behavior and then implementing a training plan using operant counter-conditioning. The process involves interrupting undesirable behavior and rewarding calm, focused behavior. The goal is to help the dog understand how to interact appropriately with people and other dogs, transforming its excitable energy into positive behavior through structured engagement drills and loving leadership.

Takeaways

• 🐾 The golden retriever in the script is high-energy, spirited, and loving, but these traits are causing behavioral issues during walking and interaction.
• 🔍 The trainers begin by diagnosing the root causes of the dog's behavior, emphasizing the importance of understanding the dog's motivation and emotional state.
• 👶 The dog's size and strength, once endearing in puppyhood, are now creating safety concerns and are described as a 'nightmare' for the owner.
• 🚫 The script highlights the necessity of teaching dogs to walk on a loose lead, regardless of their friendly nature, for the owner's safety and the dog's good behavior.
• 📝 The training process involves detailed assessments of the dog's characteristics and behaviors to establish a solid foundation for behavior modification.
• 👨‍🏫 The trainers use operant counter conditioning to change the dog's reaction from undesirable behaviors to more appropriate ones, such as sitting and waiting patiently.
• 🤝 The engagement drill is a key training technique used to build a relationship with the dog and establish the trainer as the 'loving leader'.
• 🎁 Positive reinforcement, such as treats and praise, is used to reward the dog for focusing on the trainer and making good decisions.
• 🔄 The process includes interrupting bad behaviors with gentle guidance and redirecting the dog's attention back to the trainer for positive outcomes.
• 🔄 The use of equipment like a slip collar is introduced to improve communication and control during the training process.
• 👫 The ultimate goal is to transfer the skills and techniques to the dog's owner, ensuring the dog's continued good behavior and reinforcing the training at home.

Q & A

What is the main issue with the golden retriever in the script?

The main issue with the golden retriever is that it has high energy and is excitable, leading to problems with pulling and walking on a leash, which can be dangerous for the owner.

What is the first step in the behavior assessment and modification program for the golden retriever?

The first step is to diagnose the exact problem by understanding the dog's motivation levels, emotional state, characteristics, and the root of its behaviors.

Why is it important for a dog to learn to walk on a loose lead, even if it's friendly and loving?

It's important for a dog to walk on a loose lead for the owner's safety and to prevent potential danger, especially as the dog grows larger and more powerful.

What is the term used for the training method that the script describes?

The training method described in the script is referred to as 'operant counter conditioning'.

What is the purpose of the engagement drill in dog training?

The engagement drill is used to build a strong relationship between the dog and the handler, teaching the dog to focus on the handler and follow their guidance and direction.

How does the trainer handle the dog's desire to play with other dogs or interact with people?

The trainer uses redirection and positive reinforcement to teach the dog that it can play with other dogs or interact with people, but only after demonstrating calm and patient behavior.

What is the significance of the slip collar and lead combination in the training process?

The slip collar and lead combination is used to effectively communicate with the dog and to help establish the desired behaviors, such as sitting, waiting, and walking nicely beside the handler.

What is the 'decompression' period in the training process, and why is it used?

The 'decompression' period is a break in the training where the dog is allowed to rest, typically in a crate. It is used to prevent the dog from becoming overwhelmed and to reinforce calm behavior.

How does the trainer reintroduce triggers, such as the presence of another dog or person, during the training?

The trainer reintroduces triggers gradually, using the established communication and engagement skills to redirect the dog's focus back to the handler when the dog starts to react inappropriately.

What is the final goal of the training program for the golden retriever?

The final goal is to hand over the skills to the dog's owner, ensuring that the dog continues to exhibit the desired behaviors, such as loose lead walking and calm interaction with other dogs and people.

How does the trainer ensure that the dog understands the connection between good behavior and rewards?

The trainer uses positive reinforcement, such as treats and praise, to reward the dog immediately after it makes a good decision or exhibits the desired behavior.

Outlines

00:00

🐶 Diagnosing Behavioral Issues in an Energetic Golden Retriever

The golden retriever at the center is very energetic and has issues with pulling and walking, which can become problematic as they age. The behavior assessment and modification program starts by diagnosing the dog's characteristics, emotional state, and motivations. Despite being high-energy and loving, the dog needs to learn to walk on a loose lead to avoid dangerous situations. The goal is to train the dog without creating fear, promoting positive behavior and proper interaction with people and other dogs.

05:01

📋 Engagement Drill for Building Leadership and Focus

The next step involves an engagement drill to establish the handler as a loving leader. Ben uses a slip lead to direct the dog’s attention back to him through gentle taps and rewarding focused behavior. This drill helps the dog learn that focusing on the handler results in positive outcomes. The process involves short, fun sessions followed by decompression periods, gradually building the dog’s ability to respond calmly to triggers like other dogs.

10:02

🎯 Progress and Owner Training for Long-term Success

Significant progress is made as the dog starts responding positively to triggers and focusing on the handler instead of getting distracted. The final phase involves transferring these skills to the owner, ensuring they can maintain the training at home. The success of the day highlights the importance of loving leadership, engagement, and positive reinforcement in training a well-behaved dog. The session concludes with the dog learning to play calmly with other dogs, reinforcing the positive behavior learned throughout the day.

Keywords

💡Behavior Assessment

Behavior Assessment in the context of this video refers to the initial phase of understanding a dog's behavior to diagnose any issues. It is crucial for developing a tailored training plan. The script mentions starting with a behavior assessment to determine the root of the dog's pulling and walking problems.

💡Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever is a breed of dog known for its friendly and high-energy nature. In the video, the dog being assessed and trained is a Golden Retriever, which is described as spirited, loving, and having an abundance of energy that needs to be managed.

💡Loose Lead Walking

Loose Lead Walking is a training goal where a dog walks calmly on a leash without pulling. The video emphasizes the importance of teaching this skill for safety and control, especially as dogs grow larger and stronger.

💡Dog Training Plan

A Dog Training Plan outlines the steps and methods to modify a dog's behavior. After diagnosing the dog's behavior, the script describes developing a training plan to transition from the problem behavior to the desired outcome of loose lead walking.

💡Engagement Drill

Engagement Drill is a technique used to build a dog's focus on its handler and to follow directions. The script describes an engagement drill where the dog learns to pay attention to the handler for rewards, which is foundational for further training.

💡Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning is a method of learning that focuses on the consequences of behavior to shape future actions. The video discusses using operant counter conditioning to change the dog's reaction from pulling to calm behavior when seeing another dog or person.

💡Slip Collar

A Slip Collar is a type of dog collar that tightens when the dog pulls and loosens when pressure is released. The script mentions switching to a slip collar to better communicate with the dog and to facilitate training for loose lead walking.

💡Positive Reinforcement

Positive Reinforcement is a training technique where a behavior is encouraged by rewarding it. The video script illustrates this by rewarding the dog with treats and praise when it displays the desired behavior, such as focusing on the handler or sitting calmly.

💡Counter Conditioning

Counter Conditioning involves changing a dog's emotional response to a stimulus. In the video, the goal is to replace the dog's excited pulling behavior with calmness when seeing another dog, achieved through positive reinforcement and engagement.

💡Loving Leadership

Loving Leadership is an approach to dog training that emphasizes positive, affectionate guidance. The script describes this as a key element in the training process, where the trainer acts as a loving leader to earn the dog's trust and cooperation.

💡Decompression

Decompression in this context refers to giving the dog a break from training to prevent stress or overload. The script mentions using a crate for decompression periods, which also serves as an opportunity to work on crate training if needed.

Highlights

A golden retriever with high energy and love for play is causing walking and pulling issues.

Behavior assessment begins with diagnosing the dog's motivation levels and emotional state.

Golden retrievers are naturally spirited and energetic, which can lead to behavioral problems as they grow.

The importance of teaching dogs to walk on a loose lead for safety and control is emphasized.

A detailed assessment of the dog's characteristics and behavior triggers is conducted.

A training plan is formulated to transition from problem behavior to desired outcomes.

The dog's inappropriate greetings and playfulness are being addressed through training.

Uncle Sully demonstrates how to interact with the dog using patience and good manners.

Operant counter conditioning is introduced to change the dog's reaction to triggers like other dogs or people.

Interrupting and redirecting the dog's behavior is key to the training process.

Basic obedience training is essential before addressing more complex behavioral issues.

A slip collar and lead are used to improve communication with the dog during training.

The dog must learn to earn attention through calm and patient behavior.

Engagement drills are used to build a relationship and focus between the dog and handler.

The training process involves short, sharp sessions with decompression time using crates.

Counter conditioning involves reshaping the dog's response to triggers to elicit calm behavior.

The handler's role in reinforcing positive behavior through treats and praise is crucial.

Progress is monitored by reintroducing triggers and rewarding the dog for making good decisions.

The final step is teaching the owner how to apply the training techniques at home.

The transformation from a pulling and lunging dog to a well-mannered companion is showcased.

The importance of a loving leadership approach to achieve long-term behavioral change is highlighted.

Transcripts

today at the center we have a very very

excitable golden retriever in with us

and the golden retriever is in with us

for pulling and walking like an absolute

nightmare so when we start our Behavior

assessment and modification program days

we always start by trying to diagnose

exactly what's going on and that's what

we've been doing so far this morning and

the beautiful thing is is that like most

golden retrievers there is not a bad

bone in this dog's body this is a

beautifully spirited High energy loving

Golden Retriever and all of that energy

and love and desire to play and have fun

is just over spilling and creating the

problems that we're seeing in front of

us the problem is is that they're also

large powerful dogs and it's cute when

they're puppies but when they start to

hit this age it becomes an absolute

Nightmare and the reality is is although

it might not necessarily be a problem

for you now having a dog that pulls but

as I can attest life gets in the way now

I can walk any of my dogs still because

they walk beautifully on a loose lead

there is no way that I would be able to

walk this dog because it would be

incredibly dangerous so it's important

that every single dog learns to walk

beautifully on a loose lead even if they

are happy friendly loving dogs like our

mate here now I won't bore you with all

the details but we do incredibly

detailed assessments of the dog's

motivation levels the dog's emotional

state their characteristics their impr

so that we have a rock solid foundation

of exactly who this dog is and where

these behaviors are coming from once

we've done that diagnosis we now move to

this stage of the day is where we work

on a training plan what is it that we

need to do to be able to help this dog

now we know exactly what's going on go

from this problem Behavior through to

the desired outcome and I'm going to

bring you along on that journey to show

you what that looks like so as you can

see this dog just wants to play with

suly just wants to say hello he want

wants to come and say hello to me but as

you can see it is completely

inappropriate and if we don't get on top

of this now it is only going to get

worse and worse and obviously what we

don't want to do is make this dog

fearful we don't want to create any

negative connotations to people or other

dogs we want this dog to be who it is

which is a delightful lovely dog but we

need to get this under control so what

we want to start is a process of helping

this dog understand yes you can play

with other dogs yes you can love on

people but this isn't how you get it how

you get it is exactly what Uncle Sul

doing here Uncle Sully would really love

to go and play with this dog he's a very

playful friendly dog himself but he

understands that the way he gets that is

by sitting and waiting patiently and

calmly with good manners I've not made

him scared of other dogs but I've made

him understand how he goes about being

able to interact with them now it's

easier if you do that from the start but

if you find yourself in a situation like

like this it's not difficult now for my

behavior nerds we're going to be

following a program that you would call

operant counter conditioning we want to

help this dog go from right now seeing

another dog and behaving like this to

seeing another dog but the trigger of

another dog or another person creates

this Behavior instead and that is a long

process but we can start that process

right here today and the way that we do

that is first of all we need to

interrupt this Behavior we have to be

able to get the attention back on us as

the dogs loving leader so that we can

then start that process of redirecting

them to the desirable Behavior now

what's lovely is if you watch Ben with

the dog now is the dog does have basics

in place it will sit nicely it will weit

nicely the owners have already done this

bit brilliantly if the dog didn't have

that kind of obedience that is where

we'd have to start we'd start by

teaching the things that we do want then

we can move on to the next step which is

what we're going to be working on today

which is interrupting the bad decision

that the dog makes and redirect it to

the behavior that we do want which is

going to be this it's going to be sit

and it's going to be heal it's going to

be walk nicely next to me so step one is

that we're going to move onto a

different piece of equipment that's much

better suited to a dog like this that's

going to allow us to communicate that to

them as effectively as possible from a

place of loving leadership so we'll swap

out to exactly what Uncle Sully's on now

which is just going to be a basic slip

collar and Lead combination and they

we'll be able to get to work now it's

worth noting before we dive into this

that throughout this process from now

this dog is never going to get attention

from me until it is calm and waiting

with good manners that is going to be a

blanket rule that is going to be

instilled in this dog from now on so

although this dog is desperate for my

attention again when it does anything

like that I'm not going to give it to it

but throughout the day when I find

Opportunities where it is waiting nicely

and sitting down I'll come up as soon as

it starts anything like that we bring

that attention away and we have to do

that non-stop forever so the next step

of the process is going to be working on

uh engagement drill if you've been

following me for any amount of time

you'll have seen us do this we do this

with absolutely every single dog that we

ever work with and it's about building

that fundamental principle of the dog

being able to see us as their loving

leader and following us and our guidance

and direction this engagement drill is

one of the quickest ways that we can

build up that kind of relationship and

that kind of Engagement so Ben has

popped her on a slip lead and we're

going to swap over to that now we're

going to work through this engagement

drill and because of my current

condition Ben's going to be doing that

for us and I'm going to talk you through

exactly what's happening as he goes

about doing it now what this isn't is

just Ben going back and forward and

doing different directional changes I

completely understand that when you see

us do that that is what it might look

like but there is so much going on so

quickly that if you get it right it is

absolutely life-changing and

revolutionary so Ben is just going to be

moving around and he's going to start

building this principle of whenever Luna

kind of disappears from him he's going

to tap tap on the lead and be able to

bring her attention back whenever Luna

does focus on Ben she's going to get a

treat now we're going to be working with

different treats finding out what works

we want to her to be able to kind of eat

the treats incredibly quickly but what

we're doing is we're building up this

concept of focus in on me will always

equal positive things focus on me and

that's where the best things in life

come from so when we start out the

process like this it can be very simple

back and forward Ben really engaging

with her and making it as easy as

possible now that was an absolutely

beautiful example there when Luna got a

little bit distracted and she's wanted

to go and pull towards the cameraman to

say hello Ben used a tiny little bit of

pressure here is a good example example

beautiful to be able to say hey buddy

just a little tap on the shoulder bring

that attention back to me and that is

the essence of this drill focus on me

good things happen lose your attention

lose your focus I'm just going to tap

tap tap and bring that attention back to

me and we turn it into this really fun

game and that's exactly what it should

be as you can see and as you can observe

Luna's happy that Tail's waging it's a

fun process and when done right that's

exactly how it should look and what

you're going to start to notice now now

is that Ben's starting to shape it on

his left hand side which has this lovely

ability of a byproduct of teaching a

beautiful Loos lead heel so again he's

going to be keeping her in that position

when she remains in that position she

gets treats when Ben makes a directional

change if she focuses on him like that

beautiful she gets a treat if she loses

her attention she gets a little tap tap

tap now some dogs have a better ability

of taking treats some dog dog Stone but

again the art of dog training is being

able to roll with that we're not going

to provide any kind of pressure to her

if she's trying to eat her treat we

going to be patient we're going to work

with her some dogs this can go a little

bit quicker other dogs not necessarily

so much so we're going to work on this

process over the next probably hour or

so and the way that we like to work on

this and again it's different for every

dog but we'll probably do five or 10

minutes worth of work and then we do 15

20 minutes of what we call decompression

we use the crate for that and if the dog

isn't already crate trained it's a great

time for us to work on crate training

with the dog but we like to have short

sharp fun sessions and the first three

or four of these sessions are going to

be around this engagement to drill once

we've built that engagement we can then

start to bring the triggers back out we

can use this engagement that we've now

built to start this process of counter

conditioning the response of Sea Dog

pull lunge go crazy into Sea Dog sit

wait patiently calmly cuz that's how I

get what I want so all of the diagnosis

and all of the initial training has gone

beautifully this morning and this is

where we move into the stage of training

where the rubber really meets the road

and we're going to start putting all of

these things together Luna is now

beautifully engaged with the Handler she

knows that to get what she want she has

to sit and wait patiently again I've

brought my dog Sully back out and she's

much much better engaged with the

Handler behind me than again she was

this morning we've not changed her

desire to want to play with Sully and

she is going to get to play with him

today but we're going to teach her how

she goes about getting that so this is

where we need to start putting these

things together so Ben has got her

engagement looking absolutely beautiful

she's walking really nicely by his side

we're going to completely shape that

into a formal heel as the weeks turn

into months that look absolutely perfect

but for right now it's exactly where we

need it to be we've moved on to a much

better piece of of equipment that allows

us to communic I absolutely love it it

fills me with joy when you see these

incredible light bulb Transformations

start to happen we are now at a position

where we can start reintroducing the

trigger that trigger of another dog or

another person used to get her to want

to Lunge paull lose her mind if that

happens now we have the ability using

our new better communication like that

just to tap her on the shoulder say hey

hey no Luna remember focus on me when

she does that she's going to get praised

and rewarded and we're going to build up

that principle when she makes a good

decision and she looks at Sully but then

just chooses to re-engage back with Ben

she's going to get a big jackpot reward

she's going to get treats Ben's going to

play with her again lovely she's

distracted by people in the background

just hey hey just a little tap on the

shoulder bring that attention back to me

with those skill sets we can now start

to introduce different triggers so so

far Sully has been stable but I'm going

to start moving in and around with Ben

and you're going to see as we do some

passes that whenever she finishes eating

her yummy treats she's going to be

interested in Sully just a little tap on

the shoulder remember so again already

infinitely better than where we were

this morning but we're going to keep

working on this and we I guarantee we

will get a moment where she'll make a

good decision she'll look at Sully and

she'll go no I'm going to come back to

Handler and at that moment Ben's waiting

for that moment so she can get a big yes

a massive amount of Praise once we start

stacking a few of them up two or three

of them in a row and then going to take

suly off lead and we're going to let

them play they'll have two or three

minutes worth of play then we'll go back

to this drill there beautiful look at

that amazing so Ben's going to go in

with a really nice treat that gives me

goosebumps and you're watching this

unfold in front of you she saw suly but

she made the right decision because of

our loving leadership and engagement

Based training so again there's a dog

right in front of her and look at that

happy engagement difference onto the

Handler rather than onto the dog so as

you can see we've made absolutely

incredible progress and the next step is

being able to hand these skills over to

the owner because it's all well and good

that me and Ben can do it but we are

trainers with a lot of experience in

being able to do this and it doesn't

matter if we can do it but if we can't

pass that skill over to the owners that

is where the magic truly happens which

is what we do in these days we're now

going to have a really nice long

consultation that hands these skills

over and then we build a training plan

for moving forward over the next few

months to not just settle for what is

incredible success here but to keep

pushing on to keep make it as fun and as

positive and Achieve absolute Excellence

that this dog is capable of but if we

take a second to go back to the start of

the day and look at what this dog was

when it came in versus where we've been

able to get to in just one day through

loving leadership ship engagement and a

positive based fun approach to building

beautiful loose lead walking and a

communication pathway that allows us to

let them know hey buddy remember what we

need from you is to do this is to be

this dog again Goosebump moment relax

calm happy and trusting in the process

and again because we've had such huge

amounts of success this is exactly how

you go about getting what you want so if

you could take a collar off for me Ben

you don't get to play with dogs and have

fuss and fun by pulling and being a

lunatic you get to do it by this break

good boy come

on what a perfect example here we go

Uncle Su will come in and initiate some

play but this is what she wants as she

now starts this process of learning that

how I get to interact with Uncle Sully

and all the other dogs I'm going to

encounter in life is ex exactly what

just happened then I'm going to be

relaxed I'm going to be calm I'm going

to be a well-mannered dog and I'm going

to get to play with all of my mates so

remember if you're struggling with your

dog's Behavior you don't need to but it

all Builds on the foundations of loving

leadership from you first build that

engagement build that communication

pathway and you can have the dream K9

companion that you've always wanted she

ain't mine but she look fine going to

take some time going to make her mind

I'm going to make her

m