Nov 14 2009
Dog Pulling on Leash? Solve this Common Doggie Dilemma
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.
