Easy Tips to Help Stop Dog Aggression on the Leash

In this Omaha dog training session, we worked with Sebastian and his new roommate, Meeko, a 1-year-old Boxer mix. We shared tips to help stop dog aggression on the leash. We also helped him learn not to lunge out of the elevator doors.

Meeko and Sebastian were both very excited to meet me when I arrived for the session. I saw that when the guardian’s roommate came home, he petted the dogs. They were very excited and jumping around.

I am always happy to see my dogs when I get home. However, I do not pet them or give them attention when they are too excited. It took some time, but now my dogs know they don’t need to be overly excited to greet me. They show me they are happy I’m home.

Like people, dogs make more mistakes when they are overstimulated. One common reason for this is that humans often confuse excitement with happiness. It may seem small, but ignoring your dogs until they are calm and petting them with a purpose can help them learn to relax. This is important for developing self-control.

Preventing Dog Aggression on the Leash

When a dog has a reactivity problem, it helps to teach them self-restraint. As Omaha’s dog behavior expert, I suggest finding ways for your dog to practice self-control. This should be done away from the things that make them reactive. Later in the session I showed the guardian the leave it cue which is another outstanding way to develop self control.

If your dog reacts to other dogs or shows leash aggression, it’s important to help them feel better. You should find ways to create a positive connection with what they are reacting to. Since Meeko can go to the dog park and play with dogs off leash, he does not have a dog aggression problem.

Many dogs who have leash aggression issues are frustrated by the leash. Sometimes this happens because the guardian keeps the leash too short. They may also correct the dog when they’re reactive.

Guardians also might use tools that cause the dog pain or discomfort, like choke chains or pinch collars. Fortunately, Meeko’s guardian was not using any of those aversive training tools.

That said, the dog did a lot of pulling on the leash when we were heading out to go for a potty break. This can also contribute to frustration which can lead to stress which can turn into aggression.

How to Use Loose Leash Walking to Stop Leash Aggression

One dog behavior tip I shared with the guardian was to practice loose leash walking in the hallway to the elevator. Every time Meeko reached the end of the leash, I had the guardian make a kissing sound. At the same time, they held out a treat.

This caused Meeko to turn around to see where the sound was coming from and once he saw the treat, he quickly trotted over. If the guardian does this exercise each time they take the dog out, it won’t be long before Meiko turns around. He will come back to the guardian every time he reaches the end of the leash.

Even though it may not seem connected, if the guardians teach Meeko to walk on a loose leash, they can reduce his leash aggression. This will help lessen the frustration that causes this behavior.

When we went outside, I set up my camera. I wanted to show the guardian how to play the engage disengage game. This would help Meeko build a positive association with other dogs while he is on the leash.

You can learn to use the engage disengage game to stop leash aggression in dogs. Watch the free positive dog training video below.

The guardian needs to find a place where many dogs walk by on a set path. This will help him practice stopping dogs from acting aggressive while on a leash.

Meeko is a very active dog. It is better for the owner to do this exercise after Meeko has had some exercise. Give Meeko ten minutes to recover before starting the exercise to stop leash aggression.

It’s going to take some practice by the guardian before the dog will stop acting aggressive to other dogs on the leash.

But there were indications that Meeko can get over his leash aggression problem earlier in the session. On our way outside to film the video, we practiced an exercise in the elevator.

This was to stop Meiko from lunging out the door when he hears it start to open. While we were practicing, we reached the floor where someone was waiting to get on the elevator with their dog.

Usually, this situation would make Meeko growl, bark, and lunge. But this time, he just got stiff and stared. His guardian remarks that was the first time he has not barked or lunged when seeing another dog in the elevator.

Here is the video we made in the elevator. It shows how we are training Meeko to stop running out the door when it opens.

I recommended that the guardian record the sound of the tone the elevator makes right before the doors open. This will let him scatter treats on the floor when he plays the recording.

This way, Meeko will learn to connect the sound with looking for treats on the floor. This is a classically conditioned response that is easy to achieve with a little bit of practice.

To help the guardian remember all of the dog behavior tips and secrets that we covered in this in-home dog training session, we recorded a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.