What Causes a Fear of Leash Walking?
Often, the sight of the leash is enough to bring on a fit of joy in a dog. Most dogs know that the leash means a walk – and they react accordingly. For some dogs though, the leash creates fear and submissiveness more than anything else. This can happen when the leash was used in a negative way with a previous owner; as a tool for dragging the dog around. Perhaps it was used to confine the dog for long hours at a time. In some extreme cases, dogs have even been whipped with the leash as punishment. Or perhaps your dog is just very highly strung, and is prone to developing phobias almost arbitrarily. Although fear of the leash can have a severely negative impact on your walks with your dog, the good news is that it’s easy to cure. You just need some patience and some basic equipment.
