Are You Holding the Leash Too Tight?

How constant tension can add pressure to an urban walk 

Most people do not tighten a leash because they want to make the walk harder. We do it because we are trying to keep our dog safe.

We see another dog approaching, reach a crowded doorway or turn a blind corner. Without really thinking about it, we shorten the leash, tighten our grip and prepare for what might happen next.

But our dog feels that change immediately—often before anything has happened.

Short and tight are not the same thing

There are many times when your dog needs to stay close. Hallways, elevators, intersections and busy sidewalks do not offer much room. Shortening the leash in these spaces can be sensible and necessary.

But a short leash does not have to remain tight.

A shorter leash can still have a little softness in it. A constantly tight leash keeps pressure on the connection even when there is no immediate reason for it.

That distinction matters because everything we do with our hand travels down the leash. If we tighten, stop suddenly or pull in another direction, our dog feels it.

Sometimes we create the tension first

We often talk about dogs pulling on the leash as though all the tension begins with them. That is not always what happens.

Imagine that you see another dog approaching. You are unsure how your dog will respond, so you tighten the leash. Your dog feels that sudden pressure and moves forward, sideways or backward. You feel that movement and tighten again.

Within seconds, both of you are pulling against each other.

The first tightening came from a reasonable place. You were trying to prevent a problem. But the pressure you created may now be part of the moment your dog is responding to.

This does not mean a tight leash causes every bark, lunge, freeze or sudden change in behaviour. Dogs respond for many different reasons. It does mean that we should look at what happened at both ends of the leash before deciding that the dog simply reacted.

Why the numbers matter

A 2026 American study measured 20 people walking their own dogs along their normal routes. Half experienced leash pulls of at least 28 pounds of force. The strongest pull measured was approximately 93 pounds.

The exact numbers are less important than what they demonstrate: leash tension is real physical pressure. It is not merely a gentle signal between a person and a dog. The study also found that people walked less consistently with their dogs than they did alone, showing that this pressure can affect a person’s movement and balance.

Other researchers have used equipment that can identify whether a pull began with the dog, the person or both. Their measurements confirmed that people do not simply respond to tension created by dogs. We can also initiate it.

The research does not prove that handlers cause most dog reactions. It does give us a good reason to pay attention to our own hands.

The city makes this harder

Urban dog owners are working with limited space.

An apartment hallway may offer nowhere to step aside. An elevator door can open without warning. A narrow sidewalk may need to accommodate dogs, pedestrians, strollers, bicycles, building entrances and construction barriers at the same time.

As the available space disappears, we have less time to decide where to go. The leash can quickly become an emergency brake.

Sometimes shortening it is unavoidable. The important question is whether the leash needs to remain tight after the immediate moment has passed.

The goal is not to give a dog maximum freedom everywhere. It is to provide enough movement for the space while paying attention early enough that we do not have to pull our dog through every decision.

“My dog is better off leash”

Many owners notice that their dog appears more comfortable off leash.

That may be true, but it does not necessarily mean the leash itself is the problem. Without one, a dog can choose more distance, change direction, slow down or move away without immediately meeting resistance.

On leash, those choices are more limited. If the person also keeps the leash tight, the dog loses even more control over pace, direction and distance.

Going off leash is not automatically the answer. Vancouver requires dogs to remain leashed in public areas unless they are in a designated off-leash area. A dog appearing more comfortable without restraint is information about the walking experience—not permission to remove the leash where it is required.

It may be telling us to look more closely at how we manage the connection when the leash is attached.

What to notice on your next walk

This is not a training exercise. It is simply an opportunity to notice what is happening at both ends of the leash.

On your next familiar walk, ask yourself:

• Is the leash already tight before anything enters the environment?
• Does my hand tighten automatically when I see another dog, person or narrow space?
• Did my dog change speed or direction before I noticed what was ahead?
• Is the leash short because the space requires closeness, or tight because my decision came late?
• Does the leash soften again once the moment has passed?

The goal is not to maintain a perfectly loose leash every second. That is unrealistic in a busy city. Brief tension will happen.

The more useful question is whether the tension serves a clear purpose and then ends—or whether it has become the normal way you and your dog move together.

The leash is there for safety. How we hold it helps shape the experience.