Key facts at a glance:
- When a dog bucks on the leash, there can be various reasons.
- Many four-legged friends start to buck when they are too hot or too cold.
- If a dog doesn’t want to move on, it can indicate pain.
- Puppies sometimes need a little time on a walk to process new stimuli.
- Four-legged friends who simply want to have their own way when they go for a walk should not be lured with treats.
Why dogs buck on a leash
Your dog suddenly doesn’t want to go any further, there can be a variety of reasons. Depending on the cause, it can make sense to take the sometimes annoying behavior of your four-legged friend seriously and to give in to a certain extent. Because bucking on a leash does not necessarily have to be a sign of a lack of obedience and can also indicate a health problem.
If your dog does not want to go any further, this can be due to the following reasons, among others:
- heat or cold
- Pains
- distractions
Bucking on a leash due to the weather
Dogs have hardly any sweat glands and are very sensitive to high temperatures. Of course, this is especially true for breeds with thick fur. But even short-haired animals can get too hot in summer. This is often noticeable by the fact that the dog is extremely reluctant to walk behind its owner on the leash.
The situation is similar in winter. Not every breed of dog is made for running around in the snow. While a husky is in his element in sub-zero temperatures, a greyhound can hardly wait to get warm again.
Both in the heat and in the cold, it makes sense to show some consideration for your four-legged friend. Because in these cases the dog does not buck on the leash to annoy you, but because the temperatures are causing it problems.
In order to avoid negative consequences, such as dangerous heat stroke in summer, you should be a little considerate of your four-legged friend and see bucking on a leash as a warning signal.
Pain as a cause of bucking on a leash
Imagine for a moment that you have a leg injury and now you have to go for a long walk. That would of course be associated with severe pain and would certainly not bring you any joy.
It’s no different for your dog when it’s in pain. Keep in mind that joint diseases such as osteoarthritis or hip dysplasia are widespread in dogs and lead to increasing limitations in mobility.
Especially with older animals, it can very well be that long walks are simply too strenuous and cause pain. If your dog suddenly doesn’t want to go any further, even though he is actually well behaved, a visit to the veterinarian can therefore make sense.
The veterinarian can examine your four-legged friend and, if necessary, discuss suitable treatment measures with you. As long as the symptoms persist, you should keep your walks shorter accordingly.
Distractions as a trigger for stubbornness
Of course, it can also be the case that your dog does not buck because of heat or cold, nor because of old age or pain. After all, there is a lot to discover on the way and the human companion is sometimes simply traveling much too fast.
This is perfectly normal, especially in puppies. Because the little four-legged friends have to process a lot of stimuli in the first few months of life when they are out and about with their owner.
In this situation, do not try to entice your dog with a treat. Because that only leads to the behavior becoming established and your dog bucking more often in the future to get a reward from you.
Instead, give him a moment to process the stimuli and then gently invite him to move on with you.
If an adult dog refuses to walk when asked, it may help to turn away from them and maintain the tension on the leash created by the four-legged friend. It usually doesn’t take long before the bucking is over.
Bucking on a leash – our conclusion
As you can see, dogs can buck on a leash for a variety of reasons. Before you get angry with your four-legged friend, you should first get to the bottom of the cause.
Your dog may not want to go any further because of pain or discomfort due to the weather. In these cases, it’s your responsibility to recognize the trigger and, if necessary, show a little consideration for your dog.