# Ep 72 Fixing That On-Lead, Off-Lead Split Personality & He’s Never Done That Before…

An episode of [Help! My Dog: The Podcast. Dog Behaviour & Training Strategies that Work!](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1721245241), 16 Apr 2025, 19 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2287608/episodes/16888989-ep-72-fixing-that-on-lead-off-lead-split-personality-he-s-never-done-that-before.mp3

Does your dog behave one way on lead and a totally different way off lead? This is a super common behaviour, and in this episode, we’ll be diving into why this happens and what you can do about it. We’re getting really practical and giving you clever ways to blur the lines between “on lead” and “off lead” so your dog starts to make the same awesome choices, no matter the set up. Whether your dog dashes off the second the lead is unclipped, is constantly testing the limits of their longline or completely forgets you exist once freedom hits, this episode has you covered. Get ready for three powerful games to completely change your dog walks, leash or no leash! ................ Whether your dog is unpredictable with other dogs or predictably bad… Whether it looks like freezing, barking, lunging or running away… Whether you are just starting out on your dog-owning journey or your dog has been labelled as having a “behaviour problem”… … this episode is for you and is going to give you huge insights! Want to join the Help! My Dog Online HUB? Here's the link: www.helpmydog.com/hub Dr Tom is a world-renowned veterinarian, behaviourist and dog trainer and director of the Behavet behaviour clinic (rated Excellent on Trustpilot), which sees over 400 pet behaviour consultations each and every month no matter where you are in the world. In 2023, he started Help! My Dog, an online dog behaviour learning platform to help even more owners all over the world and show that dog behaviour transformation is not only possible but it's FUN, with the right know-how! Make sure to subscribe/follow the podcast for the free weekly episodes! Useful Links: Follow Help! My Dog on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/helpmydogofficial/ Schedule a Consultation with Behavet: https://www.beha.vet/ Follow Behavet on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/behavet

## Transcript

[0:00] SPEAKER_00: And the guests arrived and were blissfully unaware of the drama until Ben circulated with the guests and proceeded.
[0:08] SPEAKER_00: Before we dive in, a warning.
[0:11] SPEAKER_00: The content of this podcast may not be appropriate for some young listeners.
[0:17] SPEAKER_00: This is real life, and that means that sometimes it can be a little bit graphic.
[0:21] SPEAKER_00: So listen on at your own peril.
[0:24] SPEAKER_00: As a veterinarian, dog behaviourist, best-selling author and trainer over the past decade, I've had an obsession with transforming the behaviour of dogs, understanding their brains and creating practical strategies that you can implement easily at home.
[0:39] SPEAKER_00: I know all too well when the dream you imagined when you first got your dog is far from your daily reality.
[0:45] SPEAKER_00: In fact, out of the blue, a few months ago, my little dog Gorse was bitten by a dog 20 times her size.
[0:52] SPEAKER_00: And suddenly our life of stress-free walks, a calm and cuddly household, and being teammates was replaced with reactivity, anxiety, and worrying about what's around the next corner.
[1:03] SPEAKER_00: I'm Dr.
[1:04] SPEAKER_00: Tom.
[1:04] SPEAKER_00: This is the Help My Dog Podcast, and this is me documenting that journey of transformation, sharing my knowledge and experience with you and having a few laughs along the way.
[1:15] SPEAKER_00: Alright, welcome to this episode, HMD Family.
[1:20] SPEAKER_00: We're going to be talking about a topic that is very, very popular among all of you, and that is on lead, off-lead, you know, stress-free walks, right?
[1:31] SPEAKER_00: And this podcast episode is actually inspired by a question that came up in the Help My Dog hub.
[1:39] SPEAKER_00: And it was a question that I had to dive into in a live session very practically about what to do.
[1:46] SPEAKER_00: And this amazing hub member, she'd noted that her dog makes very different choices depending on whether they're on lead or on a long line, or whether the long line is in the owner's hand or not, or whether off lead.
[2:01] SPEAKER_00: And you can imagine that what the dog has learned that is a bit of a problem, is that with more freedom, behave worse.
[2:10] SPEAKER_00: And so it's a really common scenario when um your dog has learned the difference between being on lead and off-lead, and you've kind of they'll they'll play the games nicely or make great choices on lead, but they know that off-lead transition and what that means.
[2:29] SPEAKER_00: And so what I thought would be fun to do is do like a practical podcast episode to give you some ideas on practically what to do about it.
[2:37] SPEAKER_00: And of course, like I would love to demonstrate these things to you practically with the dog.
[2:43] SPEAKER_00: And so, what I would say if if that is if if you're like that would be really useful, then that is what the help my dog hub is all about, which is like the the membership um community where you get access to all the practical video lessons and the um and the the Facebook community where we do live teaching every every week.
[3:03] SPEAKER_00: And so you see you get to see dogs doing stuff live and um get your questions answered as well.
[3:09] SPEAKER_00: And so um, if that does sound like that is for you, then it's helpmydog.com forward slash hub.
[3:18] SPEAKER_00: That's helpmydog.com forward slash hub, and you can um get you can enroll and get in that way.
[3:25] SPEAKER_00: And the nice thing is that you can be a member for as long or as little as you want to be, um, because really all I care about is being able to help you all, right?
[3:33] SPEAKER_00: So um what to do when your dog knows the difference between being on lead and being off lead?
[3:39] SPEAKER_00: What do we need to do?
[3:40] SPEAKER_00: Well, what we need to do is almost make it less black and white, right?
[3:44] SPEAKER_00: Think about it.
[3:45] SPEAKER_00: Your dogs learn, okay, I behave this way in this box, the on lead box, but I behave this way in the off-lead box.
[3:53] SPEAKER_00: And we need to kind of go, there are no boxes.
[3:56] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, there's just one big box, it's called life.
[3:58] SPEAKER_00: Do as you're told.
[4:00] SPEAKER_00: Um and um and we need to almost make it more grey, right?
[4:05] SPEAKER_00: We need to blend the two together and get those good choices moving over to different scenarios.
[4:12] SPEAKER_00: And so all the things that I'm gonna talk about really are kind of messing with your dog's brain of their understanding of what one box is and the other box is, right?
[4:23] SPEAKER_00: So let's dive practically into things that we can do here.
[4:27] SPEAKER_00: First thing that I find really useful to do is um that your dog may have learned that being on lead equals engagement with you, being off lead equals engagement with the environment.
[4:44] SPEAKER_00: And so what if we flipped that?
[4:46] SPEAKER_00: What if we said, when you're on lead, actually, yeah, I'm a good deal, but when you're off lead, I'm an amazing deal.
[4:53] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and there are a few different games that we can play to teach that.
[4:58] SPEAKER_00: Um, and the first one that I really like is drop the lead and run, okay?
[5:03] SPEAKER_00: And so, and you don't have to run if that's not if that's not your bag, right?
[5:08] SPEAKER_00: Um, but I'll explain it with the running so that you you can understand how this works, then we can talk about adaptations.
[5:14] SPEAKER_00: So, for example, you're walking along and you're basically ignoring your dog, but what you're gonna do is you're gonna drop the lead or drop the long line, and you are going to just suddenly dart in a different direction.
[5:27] SPEAKER_00: And they're gonna chase you, and then what you're gonna do is you're gonna feed, feed, feed, feed, feed them, and you're gonna pick up the lead or the long line without them noticing.
[5:34] SPEAKER_00: So now what they've learned is that actually when the lead is not in my owner's hand, that is a trigger that my owner is gonna do something really cool.
[5:42] SPEAKER_00: Yeah?
[5:43] SPEAKER_00: Whereas what they've previously learned is when the lead is not in my owner's hand or the lead is not attached to me, that's a trigger that the environment is gonna do something cool.
[5:51] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you see the difference.
[5:53] SPEAKER_00: Now, what can we do adaptation-wise if running isn't an option?
[5:57] SPEAKER_00: Well, um, how about drop the lead and play catch with food?
[6:01] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, get some really high-value food that they're not allowed while the lead is in your hand.
[6:07] SPEAKER_00: And they're like, How do I get the food?
[6:08] SPEAKER_00: How do I get the food?
[6:09] SPEAKER_00: How do I get the food?
[6:10] SPEAKER_00: If the lead is in your hand, that the food is not up for grabs.
[6:13] SPEAKER_00: You drop the lead, catch, catch, catch the sausage, right?
[6:17] SPEAKER_00: Whatever, whatever you're gonna go with.
[6:19] SPEAKER_00: And then as they're catching the sausage, you pick the lead back up again, or you can use a long line.
[6:24] SPEAKER_00: Um, another example might be um if your dog knows some games, so let's say you've done the Help My Dog Walks a Stressful 10 Day course, or you're a Help My Dog Hub member, you're gonna have tons of games that you've taught your dog to really love and they pick over anything else.
[6:39] SPEAKER_00: How about that you're gonna go on a little walk, or you're gonna go into the garden, you're walking around, and you're really like over the top ignoring them.
[6:47] SPEAKER_00: Like you've got the you've got them on lead, you're walking around and you're pretending they don't exist, and they're like, what's going on with my owner?
[6:54] SPEAKER_00: You drop the lead and you go game, game, game, game, game, pick up the lead.
[6:58] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and then you ignore them.
[7:00] SPEAKER_00: They're they're they're dust.
[7:03] unknown: I don't know what they are.
[7:05] SPEAKER_00: They're they're they're just something insignificant.
[7:07] SPEAKER_00: You're walking around, it's like they don't exist, you're looking through them.
[7:10] SPEAKER_00: You drop the lead, game, game, game, pick up the lead.
[7:12] SPEAKER_00: They're they're nothing again.
[7:14] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they're dust.
[7:16] SPEAKER_00: Where does dust come from?
[7:17] SPEAKER_00: You're you're you drop the lead, game, game, game, game, game, you pick up, you pick up the lead, they're they're nothing.
[7:23] SPEAKER_00: No food available, no attention, they're gone, right?
[7:27] SPEAKER_00: What that does is just completely flips their understanding of of really where the value is, right?
[7:34] SPEAKER_00: When when off lead.
[7:35] SPEAKER_00: And of course you can build that up to actually unclipping the lead and doing the same process.
[7:39] SPEAKER_00: So that's strategy number one.
[7:41] SPEAKER_00: Strategy number two, I think we need to not make the lead uh unclipping of the lead an event.
[7:50] SPEAKER_00: Now, the best way to do that is to either to attach um either a lead and a long line or two leads or a double ended clip, double clipped lead to your dog.
[8:02] SPEAKER_00: And what you're going to do is you are going to unclip one, yeah, and you're going to feed them, play a game, whatever, you're gonna re-clip.
[8:12] SPEAKER_00: And what it does is it teaches them that just because you you you're being unclipped, that is not a trigger of arousal, and that does not mean go long.
[8:19] SPEAKER_00: That does not mean go far, right?
[8:21] SPEAKER_00: Because they're still attached by something else.
[8:23] SPEAKER_00: So sometimes you can dogs can inadvertently learn this almost reflexive dash away when off lead, and you'll know if you've got a dog that has learned that, because you'll unclip the lead and they'll they'll just go immediately.
[8:39] SPEAKER_00: Really, what we're looking for here is that you unclip the lead and your dog just hangs around the same because behavior shouldn't change off lead and on lead.
[8:49] SPEAKER_00: That's the key.
[8:50] SPEAKER_00: Yeah?
[8:51] SPEAKER_00: The the the difference between on-lead time and off-lead time and the choices that your dog makes on lead versus on lead, there should be no difference.
[9:00] SPEAKER_00: And and when we understand that that's the goal, then we can see how we can build it and all those struggles that you've maybe emailed in about, like, my dog does zoomies off lead.
[9:11] SPEAKER_00: Well, do they do zoomies on lead?
[9:13] SPEAKER_00: No.
[9:13] SPEAKER_00: Well, the issue then is that they're making different choices off lead to on lead, right?
[9:18] SPEAKER_00: My dog um darts towards other dogs um uh when off lead.
[9:24] SPEAKER_00: Well, do they pull to the end of the lead when on lead?
[9:27] SPEAKER_00: If they don't, then the issue is actually that the choices are different.
[9:30] SPEAKER_00: Does this make sense, guys?
[9:32] SPEAKER_00: And I think this is really important to understand.
[9:34] SPEAKER_00: So the double clip game, the idea is that you're unclipping, reclipping, unclipping, reclipping, your dog kind of just doesn't even get to the point where they don't even know or care whether there's two leads attached, one lead attached, or no lead attached.
[9:47] SPEAKER_00: And again, that is the kind of sneaky thing that um that we can do here.
[9:51] SPEAKER_00: Third strategy that I'm gonna give you, and I'm only gonna give you three because these are very practical, and therefore the way that they are practical is you do them.
[10:00] SPEAKER_00: And so if I give you too many, then you'll be like, you'll you'll go to, you know, you'll go get your dog in 10 minutes time and be like, I don't remember which one I should do.
[10:07] SPEAKER_00: Okay, so I'm only gonna give you three.
[10:09] SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, I just want to take a moment to answer a question that has been coming in in literally 10 emails a day, and that is how can we help you with your dog's behavior struggle, whether that be reactivity, separation, anxiety, resource guarding, maybe you've got multi-dog household struggle right now.
[10:26] SPEAKER_00: Maybe your dog's just so overaroused on a walk that they just can't listen to you and they're chasing everything inside.
[10:32] SPEAKER_00: Like, can I get Tom's help?
[10:34] SPEAKER_00: Um, and the answer is that actually you can, and you can do that by booking a behavet behavior consultation.
[10:42] SPEAKER_00: That's where literally my team give you the plan on how to transform your struggle and get you to that dream that that made you get a dog in the first place, right?
[10:52] SPEAKER_00: Your world's got smaller and smaller and smaller, and actually it doesn't need to be that way.
[10:56] SPEAKER_00: You just need to reach out for help.
[10:58] SPEAKER_00: Now, a couple of things to say on that.
[11:00] SPEAKER_00: First of all, if you're insured, if your dog's insured with Pet Plan, Kennel Club, Agria, or many pets, we actually do direct claims with them, which means that that's covered by your insurance.
[11:10] SPEAKER_00: So you don't pay out of your pocket, your insurance covers that.
[11:15] SPEAKER_00: And the second thing to say is that we have loads of options if you're insured with another provider, or if your dog's not insured at all, that's also totally fine.
[11:23] SPEAKER_00: We have loads of options that we've developed to make this so accessible for you.
[11:27] SPEAKER_00: Um because we're aware that you've already invested a load of time and a load of money in getting your dog, looking after your dog, caring for your dog.
[11:34] SPEAKER_00: But the last thing we want is for you to have done all that and still not be living the life that you deserve with your dog.
[11:39] SPEAKER_00: And we know we can get you there.
[11:40] SPEAKER_00: So all you need to do is go to the Behave Vet website, and the way to do that is go B E H A.
[11:50] SPEAKER_00: That's Behay.vet, and it will take you there.
[11:54] SPEAKER_00: Or just Google Behave Vet, right?
[11:56] SPEAKER_00: Um, and you can get scheduled in, and we can literally get you booked in for a consultation as soon as possible.
[12:03] SPEAKER_00: We normally can accommodate it within a week, right?
[12:05] SPEAKER_00: So that you can be getting to your dream ASAP.
[12:09] SPEAKER_00: Third one, and this is one that I would really recommend you need to see it being played.
[12:14] SPEAKER_00: Um, and again, there is the video lesson in the hub.
[12:17] SPEAKER_00: So if you can get into the hub and just watch this video lesson, it's gonna really help clarify this.
[12:22] SPEAKER_00: What you're gonna do is you're gonna walk and walk in a circle, and let's say the circle is a diameter of about, I don't know, uh, let's go for 10 meters, okay?
[12:31] SPEAKER_00: 10 meter circle, 10-meter diameter circle.
[12:34] SPEAKER_00: And it doesn't have to look exactly like a circle, all right?
[12:37] SPEAKER_00: But your what your your job in this game is you keep walking the circle regardless of what your dog is doing.
[12:44] SPEAKER_00: Okay, and you'll understand why that is in a second.
[12:46] SPEAKER_00: You're walking, walking, walking this 10-meter circle.
[12:50] SPEAKER_00: What you're gonna do is you're gonna feed, feed, feed, feed, feed your dog for being at your side, right?
[12:55] SPEAKER_00: To keep them with you in proximity along that circle.
[12:58] SPEAKER_00: And what you're gonna start to do occasionally is throw a piece of food into the center of the circle.
[13:03] SPEAKER_00: Your dog is gonna leave to get the piece of food.
[13:06] SPEAKER_00: You are staying on the circle, you're gonna continue to walk the circle.
[13:10] SPEAKER_00: Your dog's gonna eat the piece of food, and what are they gonna do?
[13:13] SPEAKER_00: They're gonna go, Well, I was being fed for being in proximity, so I'm gonna go back to my owner and join you in the circle or on the circle.
[13:21] SPEAKER_00: But the nice thing is, is because you've stayed moving, it also makes your dog want to come back to you because you're on a mission, you're going somewhere, right?
[13:28] SPEAKER_00: So they're more likely to rejoin you, and that's why it's important to keep walking.
[13:33] SPEAKER_00: You're gonna keep doing that.
[13:34] SPEAKER_00: A piece of food into the circle, your dog rejoins you for a bit, a piece of food into the circle, your dog rejoins you for a bit.
[13:41] SPEAKER_00: And as your dog gets really experienced at this, what you can start to do is as they rejoin you, sometimes you might unclip the lead, throw a piece of food into the circle, your dog rejoins you, feed, feed, feed, feed, feed, reclip the lead, throw a piece of food into the circle, your dog rejoins you, feed, feed, feed, feed, feed, unclip the lead, throw a piece of food into the circle.
[14:04] SPEAKER_00: And what we're doing, what we're saying to them is regardless of whether this lead is on or off or whatever, yeah, the environment's cool.
[14:11] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, sometimes I throw a piece of food into the middle of the circle, but I am the high value.
[14:16] SPEAKER_00: Your role in this on this walk is to always have eyes on me and be keeping track on where that proximity zone around me is going, that high value zone.
[14:27] SPEAKER_00: And in doing that, what you create is a dog that is able to enjoy their walks and be a dog, but also is behaving appropriately and working with you rather than against you.
[14:37] SPEAKER_00: And their choices are the same, regardless of on-lead or off-lead, because you're switching between on-lead and off-lead throughout the game.
[14:43] SPEAKER_00: Does that make sense?
[14:44] SPEAKER_00: I think that is a really powerful one for you guys, um, and one that I'd love you to play.
[14:47] SPEAKER_00: And one that I'd love you to watch in the hub because you'll see it in action.
[14:51] SPEAKER_00: And there are there are some additional layers of this.
[14:54] SPEAKER_00: This is this game is very much like a foundation that we build all kinds of really cool skills and choices from.
[14:59] SPEAKER_00: Um, and so check that out.
[15:01] SPEAKER_00: Helpmydog.com forward slash hub, H U B, um helpmydog.com forward slash hub and um get involved, and um and you'll see that and you'll see all kinds of other stuff in there as well.
[15:14] SPEAKER_00: Now, on the subject of getting involved, um, often in cringe stories, dogs are getting involved in what they shouldn't do, right?
[15:21] SPEAKER_00: Um, and we you know have a laugh at other people's expense, slash feel better about ourselves, slash celebrate the fact that dogs are fun and bring variety into our lives.
[15:29] SPEAKER_00: So let's hit this one.
[15:36] SPEAKER_00: Last week's podcast reminded me of a story about my parents' dog Ben, a labrador who was everyone's friend, dogs and people alike.
[15:46] SPEAKER_00: My parents owned a shop, and Ben Ben would sit in the doorway between the house and shop waiting for people to greet him.
[15:53] SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's sweet.
[15:54] SPEAKER_00: The most placid, loved dog in the village.
[15:58] SPEAKER_00: Then one day, my parents were hosting a dinner for local businesses.
[16:02] SPEAKER_00: My dad chose a large beef joint and it was marinated and cooked, removed from the oven and placed on the counter to rest.
[16:10] SPEAKER_00: I can see where this is going.
[16:12] SPEAKER_00: Ben had never countersurfed.
[16:14] SPEAKER_00: Oh no, he's never done that before.
[16:17] SPEAKER_00: Where is this going?
[16:18] SPEAKER_00: So they didn't expect him uh to actually jump onto the counter.
[16:23] SPEAKER_00: We still don't know how he managed that and scoffed the whole joint.
[16:27] SPEAKER_00: No! Panicked.
[16:28] SPEAKER_00: My parents grabbed salads and meats from the shop and created a spread for the guests, happy that they had other food to offer.
[16:36] SPEAKER_00: I mean, it is handy when you when you run a shop.
[16:38] SPEAKER_00: And the guests arrived and were blissfully unaware of the drama until Ben circulated with the guests and proceeded to throw up chunks of beef over guests.
[16:50] SPEAKER_00: I did not see it going that direction.
[16:52] SPEAKER_00: My dad had to confess what had happened, as he didn't want the guests to think he was letting a sick dog wander amongst them.
[16:59] SPEAKER_00: It became a standing joke, much to my parents' embarrassment.
[17:02] SPEAKER_00: That is a shocker.
[17:04] SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
[17:06] SPEAKER_00: Um I think you deserve a mug.
[17:07] SPEAKER_00: I love that story.
[17:08] SPEAKER_00: Whoever's story this is, anonymous, um, please email team at helpmydog.com.
[17:14] SPEAKER_00: You have won a mug.
[17:15] SPEAKER_00: And guys, if you've got a cringe story that you would love to share and you'd love to throw your, what is it, throw your, throw your hat in the the ring?
[17:23] SPEAKER_00: Is that what you say?
[17:24] SPEAKER_00: Hat in the ring, not keep keys in a bowl, something else, isn't it?
[17:27] SPEAKER_00: Um hat in a ring, hat in the ring.
[17:30] SPEAKER_00: Um, and um you might get um picked to um to to appear on the podcast and you might win a help my dog mug, the prized help my dog mugs.
[17:42] SPEAKER_00: So funny, actually.
[17:43] SPEAKER_00: There was a there's a massive box arrived in our kitchen the other day, and I was thinking, what is this massive delivery?
[17:49] SPEAKER_00: Um and um I could have just asked, but I didn't.
[17:53] SPEAKER_00: I just kind of pondered it for a while.
[17:55] SPEAKER_00: I couldn't figure it out, and in the end, I had to say, Madeline, what is this big box?
[17:58] SPEAKER_00: I I just want I want to open it.
[18:00] SPEAKER_00: I don't like that it's unopened.
[18:01] SPEAKER_00: And she was like, Oh yeah, you can open it.
[18:03] SPEAKER_00: And I opened it, and it was full of help my dog mugs.
[18:07] SPEAKER_00: Another batch have arrived, guys, so they are up for grabs.
[18:11] SPEAKER_00: So um, if you would like to win one, all you've got to do is email cringe at helpmydog.com.
[18:17] SPEAKER_00: You might get picked to be on the podcast, you might get picked to win a mug.
[18:22] SPEAKER_00: We will see you next week.

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