TRAINING ARTICLES

Does your dog pull hard on her leash when you go for a walk? Or perhaps she even leads you on a chase, leaving you out of breath. There’s something wrong with this picture. After all, shouldn’t you be dictating to the dog what’s happening, not vice versa? Besides, this is actually a dangerous situation. You can fall and seriously injure yourself; and if you encounter another dog along the way, you might end up making a trip to a veterinarian.

If this describes what happens when you walk your dog, don’t despair. You can correct leash pulling and enjoy walking your dog, but it may take some training. In order to correct this undesirable habit, it’s good to know why a dog will pull on her leash.

Why Dogs Pull on the Leash

Excitement. It’s obvious that a pulling dog is excited. So for starters, don’t let your walks start off with a bunch of excitement. Instead, you might attach him leash and lead him around the house for a few minutes before going outside, to make sure she is calm.
Curiosity. Did you know that a dog’s most sensitive sense is his sense of smell? When he is walking outside, he is presented with many interesting scents that he wants to investigate.
Boredom. Your dog might simply be bored. Some dogs need more stimulation than others. Socializing with your dog and providing many exciting toys can relieve boredom. Of course, it you have a fenced in yard where he can run around, that’s even better.

Believe it or not, some dogs believe they are the alpha in the family and they should have whatever they want. Teaching your dog that you are the leader of the pack can help correct pulling and other problems as well. Actually, your dog will appreciate you letting him know his position in the family.

It helps if you begin training a puppy early to walk beside you so that he does not develop bad habits.

Teaching Your Dog Not to Pull

Six basic rules to remember and apply when teaching a dog to walk beside you are

Your dog picks up on your mood. If you are angry, tense, or excited, she will be fearful, tense, or excited. Any of these emotions hinders learning. So relax, smile, and talk encouragingly before and during your walk.
Approach this positively. You are not trying to teach your dog not to pull; you want her to learn to walk calmly by your side.
Don’t shout, scream, or jerk on the leash, and, of course, never hit her. You want the training session to be something positive, so that she will be led to correct behavior. Any negative reaction by you will be transmitted to her. And this kind of punishment can lead to anxiety and other behavior issues.
Reward your dog (give a treat, say ”good girl,” or give a gentle pat on the head) when she does what you want and withhold rewards when she doesn’t.
Pulling back on a neck collar or harness won’t stop your dog from pulling. She will simply pull forward harder. Instead, stop walking and don’t move until you feel slack in the leash, then walk in the other direction.
Respect her need to sniff by stopping from time to time to let her find out who or what’s been recently going by a particular spot.

Finding the Right Leash

There are varied opinions about the best kind of leash to use for training:

The slip leash rides high on the dog’s neck just behind the ears, allowing the handler to lift up the head instead of pulling against the dog’s pulling. It’s easy to slip on, won’t choke the dog, and is useful at the beginning of training.
A harnesss with a clip underneath (on the chest, not on the back) often stops pulling because she is pulled to the side when she tries to pull
The Gentle Leader/head collar is popular because it lets you pull up the head instead of pulling the body back.

The best type of leash to use depends on your dog and what you want him to do.

NOTE: Never use a retractable leash, which can snap, or a prong collar, which is painful and punishes the dog. The idea is not to stop a bad habit through aversion therapy but encourage good behavior through positive reinforcement.

Training at Mostly Mutts

Above all, don’t be discouraged. Patience and perseverance will almost always win. If, however, you just can’t get your dog to act politely, engage a trainer or dog behaviorist. Mostly Mutts offers free training sessions to anyone who has adopted a dog from Mostly Mutts, and affordable training to the general public.

Still having problems?

If you’ve been working with your dog patiently and are still having significant problems, click here for more behavior help.