Stop your dog pulling on the leash

Stop your dog pulling on the leash

Stop your dog pulling on the leash some dogs are pullers, not because they want to be set free, but because they don’t realise they are pulling you along! I find this especially with muscle breeds. I have used a variety of training leeds, collars and what not and found no luck until I found a special variety of harness which worked wonders. It fits like a usual harness, but it is very padded around the legs/chest area and it adjusts itself depending on how fast your dog is walking. For example your dog is pulling you down the street, the harness will become tighter, not to the point of hurting (that is why it is so padded), if your dog is by your side the harness will be more comfortable and looser. I find that this works well with Collies as they are quite bright. You can find these online and are called a no-pull harness.

Alas, sometimes these do not work. This is where your clicker will come in handy again. You can use your clicker to ensure your dog is at your side at all times until you say it is safe to roam around.
First start by a simple click and reward a few times before leaving the door, if your dog is not used to this type of training. Once your dog has a harness on and is ready to go, click and reward again. Open the door and ask your dog to sit. Click and reward once completed. Take a small step, holding the lead close to you so your dog has no option but to be by your side. Click and reward. Repeat this for the next 5 steps, or more if you think your dog needs some extra time to grasp the concept. Now make your steps closer together and make your clicker further apart, for example a click every three steps. They should be looking up at your or at your hand with either the clicker or treat, this is good, this means your dogs attention is all on you. If they are not responding well to clicks further apart you will need to reinforce the step click rule. Once you have this down you can start slowly giving your dog more leash and making your clicks even further between. If your dog takes advantage of having more leash stop walking, call their name and wait until he has returned next to you, click and reward. Make sure you are telling him good job, and giving a good scratch behind the ears. This makes it easier for your dog to recognise he is doing a good job. This can sometimes be a long winded walk, but no pain no gain! You have to stick by your guns until they get the picture that you are in charge not them. You should notice after repetition your dog stays by your side. Remember once your dog has learnt to stop pulling, he is allowed to go off in front and exhibit natural behaviour such as sniffing etc, as long as he is not pulling you.

Remember you can get yourself a free dog clicker