Tried the loop trick for pulling my dog away from distractions

My golden retriever Leo has this habit of fixating on squirrels during walks. He'll plant his paws and refuse to budge for like 5 minutes. I read somewhere about making a loop with the leash and gently guiding them in a circle instead of pulling straight back. Tried it yesterday at the park near my house on 3rd Avenue. First time he actually followed me away from a tree without dragging. Has anyone else had luck with this trick for stubborn pups?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot_patel4h ago

Oh I totally get that with Leo (goldens are the sweetest but man can they be stubborn). Actually the loop trick is kind of a misnomer though - you're not supposed to literally make a loop with the leash around the dog's neck or anything dangerous like that. What really works is what we call "circle walking" where you just start walking in a small circle yourself and the dog follows the arc of the leash naturally, which breaks that fixation without choking them. I learned this the hard way with my shepherd mix when I tried the loop thing wrong and he just thought I was playing some weird game.

burns.jenny3h ago

Right, because what your dog really needs in that moment is a game instead of training. Classic. Mine would probably think it's a new trick and start spinning in circles himself, totally missing the point. I've seen people literally wrap the leash around a dog's neck and call it the "loop trick" though, and it's honestly terrifying. Circle walking is just common sense when you think about it - you're redirecting their focus without turning into a human maypole. But hey, nothing wrong with a little confusion if it saves your dog from a choking hazard, right?