This week’s episode goes out to all the dogs and people whose walks would be a lot more fun if the leash weren’t tight as a bowstring. I’ll teach you how to get your dog to stop pulling on the leash.
Teach Your Dog to Stop Pulling on the Leash
To begin with, you’ll notice I say “loose-leash walking,” or “polite leash walking,” not “heeling.” To me, a walk with my dog feels like holding hands.
The catch is, loose-leash walking may be the hardest behavior for you to teach and for most dogs to learn…
Factors That Make Loose-Leash Walking Difficult
Humans walk; healthy, active dogs who aren’t tired are more inclined to trot. Finally, like many animals, dogs reflexively oppose restraint. When you begin to teach polite leash walking, commit yourself to it. Pulling no longer gets your dog where he wants to go — ever. With your dog on leash, take a step toward her goal. Repeat, repeat, repeat, imposing penalty yards whenever your dog draws the leash tight. Help your dog succeed by delivering treats as she keeps the leash loose on the way to the goal.
Many dogs stand at the end of the tight leash, huffing air and looking perfectly content. Train Your Puppy to Walk on a Leash
Here, we consider some of the key leash training ingredients that will help make dog walking into a fun, relaxing, and enjoyable experience.
Putting on a Collar
In the beginning, a puppy will be unfamiliar with collars and leashes. Here is how I desensitized my dog to wearing a collar –
First, I get some food that my dog really likes. This ensures that collar training sessions are always fun and rewarding.
Note that the snap sound made when fastening a collar can sometimes startle a dog. First I snap the collar without it being on my dog’s neck, treat, and so on. Putting on a Leash
Some dogs may also be uncomfortable with the feel and weight of a leash. When I first got my puppy, I would fasten a light leash onto his collar, let him move around, and play with the leash on. I use a flat collar and *not* an aversive collar. Dog Walking Speed
Most dogs, especially larger dogs, will naturally walk faster than we do. In leash training, we want to get our dogs to reduce their natural walking speed so that their much slower two-legged companions can keep up.
When my dog starts to pull, and the leash gets taut, I no-mark (Ask, Ask) and stop walking. Initially, my puppy continued to pull and even tried to pull harder to get forward. Pull = we stop moving,
I do not let my dog pull sometimes, but not at other times. Initially, I would practice leash training inside the house. I do early dog socialization by going to puppy class or puppy play sessions in daycare centers. Leash Training – Greeting People & Dogs
How excited a dog gets and how much he pulls will depend on the dog’s temperament and prey drive.
If we catch things early enough, we can teach our dog to stay calm and to use the right behaviors while greeting people and other dogs.
Some other steps I take to deal with meeting people and other dogs –
Slowly desensitize my puppy to people and other dogs.
Leash Training Supplies
When people think of dog walking supplies, they usually think about the collar and lead. My favorite collar is the no-slip Premier martingale collar, which I use together with a nice leather leash.
In addition to collar and leash, here are some other important Leash Train a Puppy–
Leaving poop on the sidewalk and on other people’s lawns dirties the neighborhood, makes walking unpleasant, encourages dog poop eating, as well as gets people angry at all dogs and dog owners.
