Stop the Pulling!

Of all the bad doggy behaviors out there, I think most owners will agree that pulling on the leash is one of the most annoying. That is why I want to do my part to help as many owners as I can to teach their dogs how to walk politely on the leash. It's really very easy in most cases to literally turn your dog's behavior around. Here are two simple methods I have used for my dogs during training, and for an ex boyfriend's unruly adolescent 8-month-old American Bulldog who pulled like a freight train.

The Tree Method
With this method, you literally stand your ground like a tree. While you are walking your dog, and he begins pulling, you stop walking and don't budge at all, no matter how much he's pulling to go forward. Eventually, since he's not getting anywhere, your dog should stop and look back at you to see what's up. The moment he looks back at you, praise and treat, and continue walking. If you repeat this exercise a few times, your dog will stop pulling and turn his attention to you progressively quicker. Begin rewarding him for not only looking at you, but for leaving some slack on the leash, and then for walking closer to you instead of way out in front.

The Turn-Around Method
If the above method doesn't work for you, there is this one, which involves just turning around and walking in the other direction. Just like in the above scenario, you will walk at a normal pace until your dog starts pulling, but this time, instead of stopping, you will simply turn straight around and walk in the other direction for several steps. If your dog rushes ahead and starts pulling again, you will turn and go in another direction without warning. Eventually, your dog figures out that if he wants to get somewhere and not get pulled in the other direction, he should be paying attention to where you are going. He will begin to look at you, and at this point, you will praise and treat, and continue walking.
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Both of these methods work so well, alone or in conjunction with one another, because your dog wants so badly to move forward during the walk and explore his surroundings. Many owners make the mistake of rewarding the pulling dog by giving him exactly what he wants - the act of moving forward. If we take that away and give it only when he is walking politely without pulling, then he will very quickly learn that when he walks politely, he gets to continue enjoying the walk.

As with all my other training methods, I only practice these on a regular flat buckle or martingale collar, especially since this training involves your dog's delicate neck. No choke collars!

All articles on this blog are written by Victoria Steen unless otherwise stated. They are NOT to be redistributed.