Puppy Training Tips

Dog Pulling on Leash

One of the most frustrating behaviors for most dog owners is when their dog refuses to walk calmly by your side and instead constantly tries to pull you along on your walks, dictating where he wants to go, how fast he wants to get there, and pays little or no attention to you, his owner.

A dog pulling on leash is a sure sign that they believe they are running the show and that you’re only there to follow their lead. So they’ll pay attention to all kinds of distractions during your walks — other dogs, kids on bikes, skateboarders, etc…basically everything else that’s going on around him instead of you.

It’s a very common problem but one that is easily solved.

What’s incredibly helpful is to watch videos of handlers who know how to control their dogs so that you can learn the exact methods they use.

More on this a little later.

First, we need to go over three very easy fixes for your dog pulling on leash problem.

1. The Pack Leader Harness. One of the problems with just about every dog collar on the market is that they actually encourage your dog to pull harder, rather than working with his natural instinct to keep him calm and by your side.

I’ve found that using a Pack Leader harness instead of the traditional collar can be an incredible help. This device fits around your dog’s body and applies pressure when you tug on the leash exactly where it needs to be to refocus your dog’s attention back on you.

This type of harness is easy to find online. Simply do a Google search and you should easily find places where you can get it.

2. Learn how to use a clicker. A clicker is like the duct tape of dog training devices. It can be useful in correcting so many different unwanted behaviors in dogs, that I encourage you to take a look at this training method.

Simply put, you teach your dog to expect something good to happen when the clicker sounds. Once this expectation is planted in his mind, the dog will almost instantly focus his attention exclusively on you whenever he hears the sound of the clicker.

We don’t have a tremendous amount of space in this article to go through the ins and outs of clicker training, but there are plenty of resources where you can learn the basics.

A clicker is useful in correcting leash pulling, because the sound will redirect a dog’s attention away from the distraction and back on you.

3. Food rewards. Any dog owner knows the power of the food treat to mold a dog’s behavior. When using treats to stop a dog’s leash pulling problem, what you basically want to do is introduce the food to your dog, and then let the dog use his naturally powerful sense of smell to direct his attention and his movements in the direction you want.

This is a little bit difficult to demonstrate without actually seeing it done, so let’s cover that right now.

Thankfully, stopping a dog from pulling on his leash isn’t all that difficult. I’ve demonstrated some of the exact techniques mentioned above on numerous TV shows, and would like to share a step-by-step video with you that shows you exactly how to correct this behavior in around 30 minutes or less.

Right now, check out this dog pulling on leash video on my website, where you’ll find a complete tutorial that teaches you how to use a pack leader harness, a clicker, or food rewards (or all three) to train your dog to walk calmly at your side and always pay attention to what you want her to do.

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Tags: dog leash pulling, dog pulling on leash, harness leash, Leash Training, pulling on leash, puppy leash training, puppy pulling on leash

When we first get our new puppy or a dog from rescue, we sometimes wish to know what sort of coaching, if any, the dog knows. Sit is about the first thing a dog learns so many dogs know this one, even puppies. But as we move through life with our dogs it is awfully helpful for humans to be ready to direct the dogs from one place to another.

Having your dog pulling on lead is a bad habit that requires correcting instantly. This behavior makes for pissed off owners and possibly hurts the dog’s neck. There is a way to change this behavior.

Wouldn’t it be convenient if our dogs could change direction or wait for a few minutes while we made our way to the car, around the block or maybe in the house? Having a dog run across a busy street is scary and deadly. That is something that occurs too regularly and can be curtailed.

My dog trainer, John Spieser, says that the first 2 commands he teaches a dog or a puppy are “wait” and “this way”. Using these 2 commands he can get a dog to go nearly anywhere he needs them to and keep the dog safe along the way. This is also used to get a dog to stop pulling on the leash.

The command “wait” is easy to show your dog. For some reason, wait, feels non permanent to a dog so he is more ready to wait than to have to “stay” somewhere for a long time. “Wait” is good for street corners. Tell your dog to “wait” at the corner as traffic passes. Or perhaps your dog desires to stay calm whilst another dog, kids, bikes or whatever passes by. Maybe you would like him to wait for his food. Irrespective of the reason, the dog learns that it is only a temporary situation, shortly to be followed by the release ( which is rewarding ) and probably more exciting for the dog.

The “this way” command is better than come. The recall or “come” command tends to get over used and dogs may get resentful after hearing it often. Using “this way” allows the dog to keep moving but in a different direction. If your dog is running away from you and doesn’t respond to the characteristic recall command of “come”, then try implementing “this way” into your coaching routine. A dog hears this as an opportunity to please and still keeps moving. It’s much less restrictive to the dog and it is truly simple to show this to a dog.

For more effective communication with your dog, try dog training commands that teach your dog how to move with you without being too restrictive. Consider making “wait” and “this way” a first part of your repertoire.

These two commands are successfully employed in changing the leash pulling behavior too. The 2 dog training commands that make the most sense are ones that give you a lot of versatility with your dog.

Get your dog or puppy moving where you would like him using these 2 dog training instructions. Stop your dog pulling on leash. Listen in the free audio from my dog instructor John Spieser.

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