Why your dog is pulling on the leash

What's a Dog's Opposition Reflex?

You may have heard that dogs have an opposition reflex but may be wondering what it's all about. To better understand this, let's take a trip back in history. The discovery of the opposition reflex is attributed to Ivan Pavlov (yes, the Russian scientist who discovered classical conditioning). Back then, the discovery was known as the "Freedom Reflex."

According to Pavlov, "We started off with a very simple experiment. The dog was placed in a stand. It stood quietly enough at first, but as time went on, it became excited and struggled to get out of the stand, scratching at the floor, gnawing the supports, and so on. For a long time, we remained puzzled over the unusual behaviour of this animal, until it occurred to us at last that it might be the expression of a special freedom reflex, and that the dog simply could not remain quiet when it was constrained in the stand." (1927, Vol. I, Ch. XXVIII)

If you watch your dog, you may have noticed that when you pull him towards you, he'll instinctively pull away. In the same way, if you pull him when on the leash in a specific direction, you'll notice he'll pull more in the opposite direction. You can't blame him; this behaviour is a reflex. But what causes it exactly?

For starters, consider that this reflex stems from the dog's predatory instinct. Tension causes a dog to instinctively revert to a fight, freeze, or flight mode. When you pull your dog in a certain direction, he may, therefore, freeze (stop), pull more (flight), or fight back (fight).

Add on top of that, the fact that some dog owners unknowingly encourage this reflex to bloom. When they get a puppy, they just put on a collar and leash and allow the puppy to practice the opposition reflex over and over. Then, as the puppy grows, 100 pounds later, the puppy has become a pro at this. Add on top of that, that other than the opposition reflex at play, pulling is rewarding on its own if by pulling your dog gets to meet another dog or gets to sniff that bush full of interesting smells. Soon you'll have the perfect recipe for a dog that pulls and has learned that the more he pulls, the more he'll gain freedom and will never ultimately learn how it feels to walk on a loose leash. This means that, through experience, a dog will come to believe that a tight leash is normal, even if it entails gasping for air.

An opposition reflex beefed up by selective breeding results in dogs like Huskies and Malamutes who really, really love pulling in harness. It is intrinsically reinforcing quite apart from getting where they’re going.

So what can be done to reduce this opposition reflex when a dog pulls on the leash? 

The rules of the lose leash walking are the following:

Never walk when the leash is tense and the dog is pulling. Doing so is rewarding the dog by giving him more freedom to walk ahead. Doing so reinforces the pulling. This explains why dogs on retractable leashes pull all the time; basically, they learn that pulling gives them more and more freedom.

Always make heavy steps when your dog starts walking faster and pulling before coming to a complete stop. This way your dog learns that steps are a cue that you're about to stop and starts paying attention to your pace. This helps set him for success as it gives him an opportunity to start slowing down.

Your final goal is to have a dog that no longer pulls and that walks on a loose leash. Some people have different preferences. Some are OK with having the dog walk slightly ahead of them as long as the dog is not actively pulling, others prefer having the dog next to them.

A leash hanging down as if forming a letter "U" is a good sign you are successfully loose-leash walking.

A no-pull harness can help you get started on loose leash walking.