24/11/2023
It's not all about severe lead jerks or " snaps" either. I see many people using a tug if their pup or dog does not respond to a cue....
Jerking Your Dogs Leash
Many dog owners use a leash jerk to stop a dog barking, try to get a dogs attention, or to try and stop a dog pulling. In fact they may jerk a lead for a variety of reasons.
The anatomy of a dogs neck is remarkably similar to our own and one can only imagine how many times a human could take a leash jerk before needing to see a specialist.
Often when leashes are je**ed dogs are seen to lip lick and head turn, they may also start blinking heavily, a sign that the leash jerk has caused the dog to feel stressed, as let’s face it leash jerks cause discomfort. Studies have shown that cause laryngeal damage, whiplash and there’s a clear correlation between leash jerks and cervical damage. I’ve also spoken to a canine massage therapist who could feel rotation in the cervical vertebrae of a dog who’d been leash je**ed. Dogs don’t always respond to pain in the way we think they should. It’s not all about yelping and vocalising. A dog with neck pain may have a low head carriage and find it difficult to give eye contact or turn around.
Leash jerks can also ruin your training by poisoning your cues. For example if the handler is asking the dog for a sit and it doesn’t comply fast enough the handler may leash jerk the dog to try and get a faster result, however to the dog the word sit now means something unpleasant is going to happen.
Leash jerking may appear to work in stop some behaviours, however it doesn’t tell the dog what we do want from them or help them feel better about a situation they may be finding aversive.
