Opposition Reflex
November 24, 2009
In the dog training world, “Opposition Reflex” is a term used to describe why a puppy first resists the tension of the leash by stopping or pulling away. When tension is applied, a dog’s predatory instinct of fight, freeze or flight kicks in. Many people don’t realize dogs have this reflex or they believe a dog stops or pulls out of spite or challenge. It was discovered by Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) and is discussed in many books since including a 1996 book by Jean Donaldson, “The Culture Clash” AMAZON BOOKS . To see opposition reflex in action just put a leash on your cat. That’s opposition reflex! It’s stronger in most other animals, probably the more wild or the more predators they have the stronger the reflex, Thankfully, dog’s have been domesticated and puppies are fast learners and through conditioning, patience and trust, this reflex diminishes.
Opposition reflex plays a role initially, but the main reason dogs continue to pull is owner allow it and are greatly rewarded for doing it. Dogs that pull on a leash think the harder they pull, the more they get, even if it means choking themselves in the process. The other reason dogs pull is owners never showed them, in a language they understand “how to” walk on a loose leash.
People make the mistake initially when getting a new puppy by placing it on the ground and following it around. Once the puppy can tolerate the collar and leash, the owner then allows the puppy to pull them everywhere. As the puppy grows and gains more pulling strength, most owners make the mistake of putting these nice, humane, harnesses (that you see on sled dogs), along with a tightly held leash or retractable leash (that causes dogs to pull) allowing opposition reflex and the pulling behavior to really kick into gear.
Leash pulling can easily be avoided or stopped altogether with a little time and knowledge.
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Well expressed! Like above mentioned, part of correctly walking your dog is in the equipment, and a big part of training or retraining your dog is having a great deal of persistence and patience!
Hi, Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m happy I did a blog about this subject. I’m curious how some people hear about my site?
Dear Author http://www.malibudogtraining.com !
Absolutely agree with you.
Thanks… People can also comment if they don’t agree with me.
Hi there,
How I explain this to pet dog trainers is that in agility training we USE opposition reflex when we want to teach a dog to blast off! We put a little pressure on the dog’s collar in order to teach the dog to lean into it, prepare for blast off! And guess what, that is NOT the way we teach loose leash walking! I tell my students that the leash is a cueing system in itself, and that pressure on the leash naturally cues a dog to pull and so I need to come up with a very different cue to condition the dog to walk with a loose leash! Many of my clients have been older, and they kind of LIKE to have the dog pull them (for stability), and where that is happening, I really try to recognize it and set it up to be more intentional rather than accidental.
One of my daughters is going to Australia next year for one semester! How do you like it? Good like with Frieda
I want to quote your post in my blog. If I can?
And you have an account on Twitter?
Sure, which Quote is that? on Twitter @ Malibudogtrainr
Hi Jenny,
Didn’t mean to forget about you, Thanks for sharing your story.
I’m sure your daughter will over it here, they’re supposed to have a great education system.
Rob