How Canine Fitness Fixes Leash Pulling

I hear it ALL. THE. TIME. “Steven, isn’t canine fitness going to get my dog stronger and have them pull even more?” I mean, we’ve all seen the human bodybuilders using all their force to pull a big rig. We watch in astonishment as the bodybuilder grunts and roars, tugging the rig behind him. Challenge after challenge, physically strong humans test out their strength by pulling new items, cars, tractors, and even buses. We even named this as an actual sporting competition called Vehicle Pull.

I can only assume this is what someone imagines when I tell them that we should get their dog stronger. They give me a death stare like I just told them we are going to teach their dog to pull more. Beyond the simple fact that we as humans operate as vehicles, it’s quite the contrary.

We have to realize that, first, keeping your dog weak for the mere pleasure of us being stronger than them will only inevitably shorten their health span in life. So, while we could have a happy and healthy dog well into their senior years, we’re opting for a dog that may be set up for a life of potential injuries and early suffering. I know you don’t want that and I hate to see that.

To teach correct leash manners (walking on a loose lead) the goal is not to overpower them. Even when relying on traditional behavior methods, the answer was never “Go to the gym so you can walk your dog better.” The Behavior Impact

More so we should consider why a dog is pulling in the first place. How long have they been practicing this behavior? What’s reinforcing this behavior? And what do their physical and mental outlets really look like?

We can leave some of this for the trainer to figure out, but one thing that is often left untouched by dog owners and yes, even other trainers is the physical outlet your dog really gets to release all of that energy cooped up for hours, days, months, and even years.

It’s quite common for a dog’s lifestyle to be sedentary. Dog’s move far less than their ancestor, the wolf who can easily walk 400 miles a month. Feral/wild dogs can walk up to 60-125 miles. Many pet dogs, however, can walk anywhere from 10-30 miles. This is quite the significant difference. Much more, while wolves and feral dogs are often seen roaming and trotting. Dogs are stuck walking our human pace while getting told “Heel Rover Heel!” every time they want to sniff a tree.

Much more, some dogs are stuck with only one 15-20 minute walk a day and others are confined to their back yard time. And don’t get me wrong, I go over to client’s houses all the time. I’ve seen big, beautiful backyards with swing sets, trampolines, and “a lot of room for the dog to run around” but, let’s face it, the dog spends a portion of their time running around but much more time sunbathing. So where does that leave enrichment time? Indoors taking their frustration out on various objects they can chew, people they can jump on, or, you guessed it, pulling you down the street when they finally get that outing they desperately craved.

Canine Fitness Gives Dogs A Healthy Physical and Mental Outlet

Dogs were meant to walk, to run, to sniff, to explore, to track. Movement helps regulate the nervous system starting from the inside out. We have to access the instinctual drive that our dogs have to form harmony within their body where their biological needs are met. Giving our dogs that long hike, those sniffs in a big open field, an empty parking lot, or even a touring new areas are both new to you both not only gives way for their nervous system to rebalance itself, but for you both to spend time increasing your bond with each other.  

So, is the answer to walk more to solve the issue of leash pulling?

Not necessarily. There is a benefit of making sure your dog has a proper physical outlet; however, this is only one portion of the “fix”. The other part, and some would conclude even the more important piece of the puzzle here, is gaining structural stability and impulse control.

Canine Fitness Builds Stillness and Resilience

Canine Fitness is not all about walks in the park. The heart of our work as fitness practitioners and coaches doesn’t take place out in public right away. Instead, it often takes place in the dog’s home as they learn and practice how to use their body properly. In order for a dog to lift a paw or hold their nose against a hand, even for a few seconds, they have to figure out how to stabilize their body and excel at stillness. Position holds for dogs can be hard work as they often go through a trail and error process as their body adapts. Overtime, the dog can build resilience and even utilize that practice out and about recovering from difficulties in the natural environment.

Canine Fitness Teaches Advance Dog Obedience

Did you know there are more than one way for dogs to sit and lie down? Dogs learn to perfect foundational obedience cues as they engage the right muscles in their body to execute each cue. This is beyond knowledge of what “Sit” is, but how do they precisely move in, stabilize, and move out of the position. Their comprehension must be on point. While many others are just doing the basic sit, your dog has the ability to do a full body workout just moving their body along with their foundational cues. This takes general obedience to a whole new level. And, equally important, these cues build to a more confident and stronger dog that you can use out and about on walks or even in dog sports, like agility.

Canine Fitness Teaches Full Body Awareness

It’s a running joke that dogs don’t know they have back limbs, but many dogs also don’t know they can back up or side-step. They spend most of their time going forward. This is like turning your two-wheel drive vehicle into a four-wheel drive and adding efficiency to it. Dogs that partake in fitness skills learn to maneuver in ways many other dogs can’t. This makes communication easier out on walks and much more fun. One thing that is of importance to mention here is limb awareness. We’ve all had those times where the leash fell under the dog’s body. It happens to the best of them. However, while many owners are busy telling their dog to wait as they untangle the leash from under them, the fitness dog is much more likely to step over the leash themselves.  

Canine Fitness Teaches Precise Heel Maneuverers Dogs that engage in fitness can position themselves alongside the owner and even rotate as the owner does. We’ve all seen those pretty dog training videos where the dog and owner are in-synch. While we enjoy the spectacle, canine fitness provides the same level of form while enhancing the function. We aren’t here to overstretch a dog’s neck for the sake of obedience nor create dependency. A dog that properly engages in fitness properly, learns how to excel in obedience while both the owner and dog maintain balance.

So, whether you’re a new pet owner trying to teach your dog how to walk on a loose leash or a seasoned owner who is just looking to try something new, canine fitness can take your training to whole new levels.

Interested in trying it out? Reach out to us at info@venturedogtraining.com or look us up at venturedogtraining.com