If your dog constantly pulls on the leash when walking, you need to take action to address the behavior. But don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be difficult if you follow these simple steps!
1. Start with the Right Leash and Harness. The type of leash and harness that you use can make a difference when your dog is pulling on the walk. A regular collar isn’t going to do much in terms of control, so look for something that will give you better control over your pup – such as a no-pull harness or a head halter.
2. Have a Designated Place for Walking your Dog. Make sure that your pup knows exactly where he should be walking by picking one “walking place” during each outing. This consistent routine and structure will help keep him focused and on-task while walking.
3. Walk at Your Slow Pace, Not His Faster One! You want to make sure that your pup learns how to walk AT YOUR pace – not his own faster one! Setting this boundary up early on in training will help ensure success later on down the line when out in public or other places with distractions around him.
4. Practice Training Commands Regularly Before Walks with Distractions, then Work Up Gradually Before Heading Out with Lots Around Him! Before heading out somewhere with lots of distractions (like busy city streets), practice frequently training commands like Sit, Down, Stand and Stay with him both inside and outside your home first so he can understand what you are asking from him better before dealing with all of those new opportunities for curious distraction come about during walks outdoors where anything could lead him off track!
5 Change Directions Frequently When He Pulls During Walks or seresto collar bayer Even Audibly Say What Direction You Expect Him To Be Going in Next Like “Left/Right/Forward/Turn Around” Change his focus often by making sudden direction changes when he pulls ahead of you during walks, or audibly tell him what direction he should be following next like “left/right/forward/turn around” (whichever it may be) – then reward him for paying attention to what you said! Don’t forget to bring high-value treats along for rewarding good behavior – like getting into position properly instead of pulling forward towards an exciting distraction coming up in front of both of you soon down the line.).
Understand why the dog is pulling
Before you can successfully walk a dog that pulls, you must first try to understand why it is pulling.
The main reason that dogs pull on the leash is because they are trying to go faster than we are. If a dog suddenly sees something interesting or exciting, its natural instinct is to want to keep going in that direction – and the pulling gets stronger. The same applies when a dog spots another canine friend; their desire for interaction causes them to tug harder.
Other reasons why dogs pull may include stress or anxiousness about the environment, fear of certain sounds or objects, excitement at being outdoors and discovering new things, and lastly, simply wanting attention from its humans!
In order to effectively deal with walking a dog that constantly pulls, it is important to recognize its underlying cause. Once you have identified the problem, you can begin working on alternative ways to address it as part of your training routine.
Invest in the right leash for training
One of the most important steps to teaching your dog not to pull is to invest in the right leash for training. Regular leashes are too long and make it much harder for the owner, who will have difficulty quickly correcting the dog’s bad habits. For walkers, investing in a short-leash can help easily control, redirect, or reinforce good behavior all at once.
Harness leashes also work great with dogs that constantly pull on walks. This type of leash evenly distributes tension across the chest so that sudden releases won’t cause as much harm or pain when taken off-course. Harness leashes are often coupled with corrective collars which allow for more precise corrections and help to interrupt behaviors. Additionally, a harness leash may even assist with relieving extra pressure around the neck that would otherwise be caused during pulling motions.
Have patience while transitioning leashes and ensure you provide daily walking practice until your pup can properly walk without pulling or straining against their leash. With consistency, proper technique and gear, you’ll increase your success rate of teaching your pup how to walk correctly!
Prepare your dog for the walk by using a secure space and reward-based behaviour training
Before you start walking your dog, it’s important that you first provide an environment secured for the activity. Use a forethought space such as dragging a long line attached to your dog’s harness or another secure area so that it can explore without being able to roam too much.
Next, use something called reward-based behavior training to condition your pup for the upcoming walk. As your pup shows signs of wanting to pull on the leash, calmly stop and redirect his attention back towards where he should be going and reward him with a treat and praise when he makes the right choice in direction. Doing this will teach the dog that walking without pulling is much more rewarding than pulling itself. Practicing this multiple times before your actual walk up until it becomes an engrained habit is key!
Walk calmly and slowly when your dog pulls
When your dog starts to pull on a walk, it’s important to remain calm and unflustered. If you tend to yank or jerk on your dog’s leash when he pulls, this will only encourage him to keep pulling. Walking calmly and slowly will help him understand that pulling isn’t going to help him get where he wants any faster, and it’ll teach him good walking habits for the future.
An effective way to do this is to stop all forward progress whenever your pup begins to strain against his leash. Don’t pulled or tug against his forward momentum – instead, just come to a halt. Once he stops straining against the leash and looks back at you, reward him with praise and then resume walking. Doing this repeatedly while reinforcing positive behaviors will help your pup learn basic walking obedience over time.