Lessons in leash training with a four-pound chihuahua
When I volunteered at a large dog rescue, I’d frequently walk dogs who had never been on a leash before. They’d be thrilled to be out of their kennel and in the open world, but as soon as they realized the slip leash around their neck was restricting their movement, they would start alligator rolling on the ground in protest. They’d dart around frequently, trying to bite the leash or do whatever they could to get it off them. With these dogs, I learned to ride out their tantrums and calmly show them that walking with a leash on was no big deal. After a few times, they got used to it and they wouldn’t give the leash a second thought.
Two of our latest Bootcamp clients, Vivienne and Lucille, also had limited experience walking on leash. Their owner described Vivienne as acting like she had ‘hot coals’ on her back when she’d tried putting a harness and leash on her in the past. Since dogs need to be on leashes at the beginning of our training program, I got to work right away teaching them the meaning of leash pressure.
Lucy was up first. I went through my usual protocol - apply slight leash pressure towards me, and release the pressure the instant she starts moving in my direction. She wasn’t comfortable with making large strides in the beginning, so we’d work step by step as she’d make incremental progress. After a few attempts at an alligator roll, and about 30 or 40 minutes of practice, I had her trotting alongside me inside their home. That timeline was a bit longer than I was expecting, but I let the dog set the pace in these cases, and Lucy was quite fearful. I thought 30 minutes was long, but I had no idea what was about to be in store for me when I switched over to her sister, Vivienne.
I used the same exact protocol, but Vivienne had far more “fight” in her than Lucy. I let her set the pace, just like I did with Lucy. We’d walk micro step by micro step, Every so often, she’d make her displeasure known by chomping on the leash and trying to escape the area. All in all, it took 85 minutes out of our 90 minute session for her to start making strides, walking next to me.
On Day 2, each dog still put up a bit of a fight, but slightly less than before. Lucy was taking direction within 10-20 minutes, and Vivienne within 40 minues. I started my ‘sit’ and ‘place’ protocols with Lucy that day, but with Vivienne, I was content to just have her walking next to me without protest.
On Day 3, Lucy continued to progress. Leash walking was no longer an issue for her, and we continued our work learning commands. But Vivienne seemed to backslide. She put the brakes back on in the very beginning as if to say, “No way, not today.” Considering the progress she’d made over the last two days, I knew she was capable. I had been giving her the benefit of the doubt, happy to take as much time as she needed because she is a nervous girl, but it was becoming clear to me that she knew what I was asking and was choosing to do the opposite. Her owners had also mentioned she’d shown them a bit of attitude when they’ve tried telling her what to do in the past.
In cases like these, with nervous or stubborn dogs, I would ordinarily switch to using the e-collar right away to ‘unlock’ their brains and get them making their own decisions to move forward. But with Vivienne, I held out a bit longer, since I was trying to teach her to get the hang of the leash specifically. The remainder of the session was a bit of a struggle, as she continued to put on the brakes and fight any guidance or movement.
I don’t like any of my sessions to be a physical power struggle. At four pounds, she would clearly be very easy to ‘drag around,’ which is what I would’ve had to do if I continued just using the leash with her. I prefer not to do that; it’s harder on the dog, and they’re not learning to make better decisions on their own. So the next day, I began low-level e-collar training with her. This uses the exact same principle as leash training, only the e-collar does the work of the leash. I tapped the e-collar remote at the lowest level she could feel (which was a level 3 out of 100 on E-Collar Technologies’ Micro Educator), and released the instant she started to move in my direction. If she decided to put on the brakes, I dialed up until she decided she was ready to move toward me. This can be more effective than using the leash because 1) you can only apply so much pressure with a leash, and many dogs won’t care about it, and 2) you’re getting the dog to make their own decision to move towards you. They’re not blindly following your leash tug - they’re making a conscious choice after feeling a sensation they’re not so sure about. They choose to move towards you, and that sensation goes away. They quickly learn that following you is a very good thing.
Now that Vivienne was following my lead and not fighting me, I could begin using the leash to teach her other commands. She proved to be a quick learner once her attitude was adjusted. Even though she still acted a bit dramatically and a bit like she was having the worst time of her life (much like a teenager being made to do something they don’t want to do), she learned to listen to me and then to her owner, which is all that mattered. She was such a cutie to work with - I laughed out loud many times at her dramatic style of doing things. A four-pound girl of pure willpower - who eventually learned to take direction.
