Why does my dog freak out when I put a leash on?

Leash reactivity is caused by a variety of factors, including fear, anxiety, lack of socialization, and past negative experiences. Dogs that have not been properly socialized with other dogs and humans are more likely to develop confinement/leash reactivity, as they may feel threatened, nervous, or uncomfortable when they encounter people or other dogs. This feeling increases when the stimulus or trigger moves closer into your dog’s comfort zone. There are certain risk factors that can lead to this type of reactivity. These include being physically or mentally punished during training, having negative experiences while being on leash, such as being attacked by another dog, being shocked or choked during training, hearing loud noises, or exhibiting fearful behaviors while outside due to a lack of socialization. In some cases, leash reactivity may be due to an underlying medical condition such as pain, discomfort, or illness.

You put a leash on the dog, you put a little bit of tension down the line, and the dog goes into a panic. They start alligator rolling and maybe even biting the leash and shrieking. And you’ve got nothing more than a pinkies worth of pressure down the leash. Sometimes you’re going to run into dogs that, if you put pressure on the line, will begin to panic, and you think that you’re hurting the dog, and then you subsequently relax the leash. So what I feel that this is teaching the dog is that if you put pressure on them, they throw this temper tantrum and panic, whatever it is that they happen to be doing at the moment that you release the pressure is the thing that the dog’s brain is going to tell. It is the solution to the problem. A temper tantrum is the dog almost panicking and is worried about the leashing.

Many dogs adopted as adults have little to no experience being on leash. When the leash tightens and they feel something pulling on them, these dogs often panic or freeze up. If you have a pup who does this, you’ll need to very gradually introduce the feeling of tension on the leash. The tension you put on the leash shouldn’t evoke the problem behavior you’re trying to change. If your dog freezes, bucks against the leash, etc.- you’ll need to work with much less leash pressure. Watch for smaller signs that the leash pressure is starting to bother the dog, and back off right away. These include things like stepping backward, moving their legs to brace against the leash pressure, or shifting their weight back.