How to Help a Dog Who's Afraid of Leashes

Is your dog deathly scared of being walked? Help her overcome her fears, easily and safely.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Your dog, a leash, a fenced yard

1. Make sure your dog is in an area where she can safely roam freely. This is essential for getting her used to being leashed. Having a leash put on can be traumatic for a dog who's been hit with one or otherwise abused.

2. Allow your dog to sniff the leash and realize that it's not anything harmful. If she seems somewhat receptive, attach the leash. Allow her to wander around the yard supervised.

3. Praise your dog enthusiastically if she responds well. Non-fearful behavior needs to be rewarded. Don't shout at or scold the dog for not accepting the leash.

4. After your dog has become accustomed to having the leash on, pick it up. If your dog cowers, flops on her back, or otherwise acts nervous, ignore her and walk away. If she sees that cowardly behavior isn't being rewarded, she will be less likely to act fearful.

5. When your dog allows you to pick up the leash without being fearful, tell her to "Come!" in an enthusiastic tone of voice. After doing this a few times, start gently guiding her through turns, using your "gentle voice" to guide her.

6. Once your dog follows you on-leash, and reacts well to turns, take her out on a short walk near your house. If possible, have a family member or friend bring another dog with them. After your dog gets used to the new sights, sounds and smells, you should be good to go.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't use a choke collar on a fearful dog. This will make walking on a leash a more unpleasant experience, because they'll associate it with correction.
• Don't attempt to introduce your dog to the neighborhood streets during a noisy or chaotic time, such as a parade. This will likely scare your dog and increase the risk of her running away.

Resources

• Uncle Matty
• The Dog Whisperer

[ademers1980]

on 7/9/2009 Hi there,
Did she have another owner before her current one who was abusive? This was the case with one of my dogs. I would try to just put the leash down for her to sniff, then slowly move it up towards her collar, and reward her with a treat if she shows signs of accepting it without getting visibly distressed.

[agenthall]

on 7/9/2009 I have a dog boarding kennel and one of my clients has a 10 month old lab X who is afraid of her leash. They have tried everything, leaving the leash on her to drag around while they praise her, etc. but she is still afraid. When I have her at the kennel I take her for a short walk 4-6 times a day to a large outside run. Every time she cowers and it is a sad state for her. As soon as I take the leash off she is a completely different dog. More confident, plays, etc. But bring that leash out and she's back to her sad, scared ways.
Any ideas?