Leash aggression in dogs causes and tips

Have you ever experienced this? Your darling walks fine on the leash, but as soon as you meet a fellow dog, your four-legged friend becomes a leash rambo? He is in the free run on the dog meadow a true angel, but leashed he is like changed?

Possibly your furry nose has developed a leash aggression, which can express itself through the following behaviour: Your four-legged:

• Jumps up on you or on strangers,

• rolls or shakes

• barks or growls at other dogs,

• whines,

• fixates strongly on strange dogs and tugs at the leash,

• appears restless, hectic and frustrated.

With these signals and a tense body language, your dog clearly expresses that he is overwhelmed. Not only for your furry nose is this aggressive behaviour absolute stress - also for you as a dog owner walks in everyday life become an absolute test of endurance.

How you can find out the causes of leash aggression in your dog and which tips can help you with training, you can read in the following.

Find the cause of leash aggression!

Get to the root of the problem: If you want to help your pet, try to figure out the trigger of leash aggression. Dogs are complex creatures that display individual fears, emotions and behaviours.

Perhaps one of these causes also applies to your darling?

• Fear or insecurity: The leash limits your furry nose's ability to react to its environment. That's why some four-legged friends on a leash tend to go on the attack in advance when they meet, because they know that this is only possible to a limited extent on the leash.

• Ritualized behaviour patterns: If your dog has been allowed to act out his aggression on the leash over a long period of time or even in puppyhood, he may have internalized this behaviour pattern.

• Frustration: Especially playful dogs like puppies react to encounters with strange dogs with curiosity! Unfortunately, the leash keeps them from sniffing and playing - this frustration can also cause leash aggression to develop in young dogs.

• Negative feelings about leashes: Has your pet had a negative experience on the leash, e.g., being attacked by another dog? Does the harness or collar pinch? These reasons can also be behind leash aggression.

• Lack of socialization: Dogs that are not adequately socialized can feel threatened at the simple sight of strange dogs and mutate into a leash bull.

• Territorially motivated dogs: Does your four-legged friend belong to a dog breed that tends to territorial behaviour? Especially representatives of such dog breeds need to learn to control protecting and guarding while walking.

5 tips against leash aggressions in dogs

If you have found the trigger for the aggressive behaviour on the leash, you can work specifically on a solution: Perhaps an optimally fitting dog harness can already provide some relief? In addition, regular training and a little patience are required. In these 5 steps you will get stressful situations under control and can prepare yourself as an owner for encounters with your pet's peers during your walks:

1. Place yourself between your dog and the strange dog: your furry nose is turned away from the strange dog, you serve as a buffer in an unwanted encounter and offer your darling safety.
2. Find distractions: Whether with a command that your four-legged friend knows well or with an exciting search game - instead of tugging on the leash, your sniffer can give paw or sit down. If she doesn't show any aggressive behaviour during this distraction, you can reward her immediately.
3. Change direction: Another method for your training plan is to turn away and change direction as soon as a tense encounter might occur. If you are approaching a dog head on, offer your dog a way to avoid or keep your distance, e.g. by giving the strange dog a wide berth.
4. Reward desired behaviour: Always have a treat and words of praise ready! This way, your furry darling understands what behaviour is desired.
5. Observe your own body language: As an owner, you must not let the tension show during charged dog encounters. Because the stress level of the owner is transferred to the sensitive dogs. Patience, concentration and loving consistency are the most important things in training - and it works best with a little smile on your face!