The dog park in Arlington last Tuesday changed how I handle my terrier's leash aggression.

Watched a guy with a reactive pitbull just drop the leash and walk away, and within 10 seconds both dogs were sniffing each other like old friends, so has anyone else tried the total freedom approach on a stubborn dog?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_paul25d ago

@jamesm38 your "accidental breakthroughs" are probably more real than you think lol. The trick is letting go of the tension in the leash yourself - dogs feel that through the handle and it makes them nervous. Dropping the leash completely removes that energy and lets them figure it out on their own terms.

skylerrobinson22d ago

Yeah I used to think @the_paul was overthinking it but now I'm not so sure.

jamesm3825d ago

Haha "total freedom approach" describes my method of just tripping over my own feet and accidentally dropping the leash last week. My corgi ran straight into a golden retriever's butt and they ended up playing for twenty minutes straight. Now I'm wondering if my clumsy failures are actually training breakthroughs in disguise.