Stop with the leash pops!

Why are they used; 

To stop your dog pulling on the lead. popping a leash is intended as a way to deliver an attention-getting correction and instantly change your dog’s behaviour.
 
I've been seeing this technique used while driving around in varying contexts. Some while waiting to cross a road while getting the dog to sit (I am not a fan of this, there is no need. How will the dog feel when its older and sitting is uncomfortable? Sitting makes dogs feel vulnerable, is it a helpful position to put your dog in?).

  I see some when walking along a road.. a pop whenever the dog walks to far ahead, always inconsistent on the owners part, sometimes the dog is just in front sometimes its a head in front, others a whole body length. Inconsistencies in training is why training doesn't work as well. 

On my news feed, adds of trainers pop up, and the worst thing of all is how trainers recommend using leash pops with dog reactivity! That's extremely worrying that now days with all this science backed knowledge its used in that context. 
I truly feel sorry for humans who are looking for advice on line, its a mine field. I think my best advice for that is trust your gut. Does it feel right? Is it something you feel comfortable doing? And look at the dogs that its being used on, mute the video and just watch them. 
What ever i train its always influenced on how the dog is feeling doing it, i change techniques alot to suit. The dog needs to feel comfortable. 
Im guessing its trainers like Ceaser Milan who made these things popular. Although trainers have used aversive techniques long before him. 

FROM A TRAINER WHO USES THEM;
 
"Pops: A "pop" is a short burst of leash pressure. The amount of pressure is adjustable but it must be fast, a micro second. Pops are one of the hardest leash skills to learn but are beneficial when you need a quick communication that the dog doesn't have time to resist. For example: When teaching a dog to stop pulling on the leash, if you use restraints or pulls, most dogs will pull against it. With a pop there is no time for resistance because the pop comes and goes in a flash". 
Some trainers recommend conditioning it, so pairing it with a reward. Pain-reward, pain-reward.. thats positive punishment right there for you. 
Getting the dog used to the pressure of the pop so they'll fight it less as time goes on... but will they??! Nooope!
 
Sooooooo....
 
Why does it work. 

Well, it doesn't, i should rephrase that why does it APPEAR to work, ah easier question to answer. 
Its a sharp pull upwards, its designed to be so quick that a dog can't use resistance against it, so it appears that the dog snaps out of his freeze pose or out of his pulling stance and flips back to you asap.
 
What does it actually do? 


It causes the dog to offer an avoidance behaviour, the dog wants to avoid the discomfort and in alot of cases pain. 
It can even create a sense of learned helplessness because it takes away the dogs options of natural movement, natural dog behaviour. 
You know what else it can do??? Dogs learn via association, yep, its that word again, I use it alot. So whats the dog associating with that sharp uncomfortable action.. what ever the dog was looking at!! Now if that technique is used to correct a dog whos leaning towards another dog or human you've paired it with an uncomfortable feeling or pain you've just paired the two together and creating a world of hurt!!
They think it'll stop the dog looking at another because it will learn it needs to avoid the pain. Well it won't last. A reactive dogs reaction comes from their amygdala, that happens so quickly and its driven by chemicals that are reacting to what they see. Probably with a long learnt history attached too. A leash pop won't win over that each time, the contexts will be varied each time. 
The dog has been placed in a difficult situation, their main goal is to survive, the trigger is viewed as a threat to that need and yet a leash pop is an injury they want to avoid too! Always think dog. 
Lead training , management techniques and countercondition will. We give the dog another option, we give them help to manage with what they are struggling with. We build confidence and resilience and we build extremely good communication skills doing so. Way better then you can ever hope for by doing a leash pop. The neck is made up on many small parts, the thyroid gland can easily be damaged by a small jerk of the lead. IT can cause laryngeal paralysis. The neck and cervical spine are one of the most important energy channels in the body, damage to the vagus nerve which controls internal organs. One leash pop can cause huge lifelong damage.
 
Yes lead training is such a hard thing to teach, because it takes time and mainly because you want to just go for a walk. 
But when you're dog doesn't know how to walk nicely on a lead you can't "just go for a walk" it causes frustration on both parts 
I suggest to my clients to use a long line and a harness for walks, and lead training sessions on a collar and lead. Use key words or phrases to associate the difference, lead time is my preferred cue, heel when they need to be next to your side. 
Training sessions only need to be 5 minutes at a time as often as possible, as time goes on your sessions will increase in duration.
 
You truly do not need to do "leash pops" its damaging to your relationship and damaging to them physically and emotionally.
 
4 week lead training course available so you an avoid using Leash