Of all the activities you share with your dog the daily walks are amongst the most important. If
we are to enjoy exercising our dogs as much as they need, it is important that your dog is well
behaved and comfortable when on the lead and that you are fully in control.
Unfortunately, many dogs are scared of the leash and become fearful as soon as the leash is
bought out. Others are scared of the leash because they may have been poorly treated by a previous
owner, perhaps tied up for hours at a time or dragged around by the lead. Sometimes there will seem
to be no reason for the dog to be scared of the lead – your dog is just fearful by nature.
Many behavioural problems can develop in a dog that is scared of the leash. Whilst having a dog that
is scared of the leash can be very difficult it is possible to overcome with patience, know-how and
the correct equipment.
You will need:
1) A leash preferably leather and 3 – 5 feet is a good length
2) A good quality leather collar.
3) Slip-chain collar (for use when out walking never left on an unattended dog)
4) Patience and lots of love
The Know-How: (Take things really slowly and watch for signs of fear ie
submissive urination, rolling of eyes, hyperventilating)
1) Leave the leash out in full view in places where your dog is happy spending time ie near his
food bowl, near his bed
2) Once he is really happy with the leash and is showing no signs of fear it is time to move on
to the next step
3) Start to introduce the leash to your dog by wrapping it around your hand when he sits near
you, have it near you when you prepare his food..
4) Once he is totally OK with the above then it is time to attach the lead to the collar (not the
slip-chain at this point). Put your dog in a sit-stay and calmly slip the leash on. Stay relaxed
yourself, and spend a little time letting your dog get used to the feeling. If you want you can give
him his favourite toy or a treat. Keep the time the leash is on quite short for the first few times
building up to five minutes.
5) Once he is comfortable with five minutes introduce a short obedience-training session.
Practice sit-stays and recall’s with the leash and slip-chain on. Doing this reinforces to the
dog that you are in control and you expect him to obey your commands when the leash is on. Only move
on to the next step when your dog is comfortable and obeying your commands.
6) The walk. Keep this short to start with and if he starts to be jumpy ignore
him and keep walking. Encourage him without making him excited. If he starts to become fearful stop
the walk for today, do not punish him and go back to the level at which he was totally comfortable.
Remember time spent here whilst frustrating is invaluable in helping a scared dog overcome his
phobia. Try the walk again in several days. Increase the length of walk.
For further information on leash-related problems you may want to check out
SitStayFetch – it offers comprehensive dog training and a great newsletter
covering just about every topic you will ever need for building the great relationship
you have always wanted with your dog.
http://tinyurl.com/leashproblems
