LEASH PULLING

Dogs may pull on a leash because the outside world is filled with exciting smells, movement, sounds, people, and other dogs that compete for their attention.   

Excitement, fear, frustration, a naturally faster walking pace, learned habits, or not yet understanding yet how to walk with the person can all  contribute.  

The pulling does not necessarily mean your dog is trying to ignore or control you.  Many dogs simply leave the house too emotionally activated or disconnected to calmly move through the world with you.  

I  get it… leash pulling can become exhausting really fast. You know they  need exercise but you may not even want to walk your dog anymore.  

Instead of feeling excited to spend time with your dog, you catch yourself anxious or maybe even dreading:

“How hard is this walk going to be today?”

You may even feel embarrassed that your dog feels out of control on walks.  

Overwhelmed.

Discouraged.

Maybe even guilty for losing patience sometimes.

And  meanwhile your dog is pulling toward every smell, every sound, every  person, every dog… like the outside world matters more than you do the  second you leave the house.

I see this all the time.

And honestly?

Most  dogs are not trying to ignore you.  But they are not connected to you before you leave the house.  

They may be excited but not connected.   

There is a difference.  

A lot of dogs leave the house already too wound up.

Do you say things like:
“Wanna go for a walk?!”

Does your dog start spinning, barking, jumping, whining, or exploding with excitement?

That buildup matters.

Those are triggers.

Then more triggers stack on top:
• grabbing the leash
• opening the door
• seeing another dog
• hearing noises
• passing people
• cars
• bikes
• excitement
• fear
• pressure

That is called trigger stacking.

And when enough triggers stack together, many dogs stop thinking clearly and start reacting instead.

That is why inside The CALM DOG Connection Online Course, I teach you how to:
• recognize your dog’s triggers
• identify stress before reactions happen
• lower adrenaline levels
• desensitize common triggers
• build engagement and eye contact
• create calmer doorway routines
• connect instead of correct
 

I have two dogs that each weigh over 150 pounds.

Together that is more than 300 pounds of dog.

And I can calmly walk both of them without pulling, lunging, dragging, leash tension, or force—

because they are connected to me.

That connection changes everything.

I do not want you forcing your dog through walks.

I want you and your dog learning how to calmly move through the world together.

And I want you to know—

this really can get better and I'm going to help you inside the course.  

There is also something very important that I want you to please understand.

Your dog cannot train itself.

Please pause and really think about that for a moment.

Your dog cannot decide to have more

calm

confidence

structure

consistency

or emotional safety.

Your dog cannot make any changes without your guidance.

When I look at a struggling dog, I do not see a dog that is trying to be difficult.

I see a dog doing the best they can with the leadership they have been given.

It would be like expecting a child to raise themselves.

They simply can't.

That is why I never train the dog.

I train the human.

My motto is:

Training Humans to Speak Dog.

If your dog is struggling with this behavior, they are not GIVING you a hard time.

They are HAVING a hard time.

And they are waiting for someone to show them the way.

Your dog needs you to help them.

And I'll be here to help you.

Jodi 🐾