Dog Pulling on Leash – Quick Fixes Part 2
NEW! I just put together a new complete “mini-course” on how to get ANY dog to stop pulling on the leash. If this won’t cure the problem, nothing will. CLICK HERE now to check it out. You’re going to love it!
I’ve already posted a video demonstrating some of these techniques (you can find that here: dog pulling on leash), but I thought I’d follow that up with a written guide explaining some of the things you see in the video.
If you’re one of those dog owners who has to deal with the incredibly frustrating behavior of a dog who refuses to listen to you on your walks — who pulls on the leash until you feel like your arm will be pulled off, rather than simply walking quietly by your side, then this post is for you!
First we need to make something clear. A dog who pulls on his leash is a sign that the dog believes he is in control and that you’re simply there to follow his leadership. 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.
While it’s very common, it’s also very simple to fix. Here are a few ways to do this…
1. Use a Pack Leader Harness. One of the things you may not realize is that just about every collar will actually encourage your dog to pull harder on his leash.
Instead of a typical collar, a choke chain, or a prong collar, try a different method such as a Pack Leader Harness. This type of harness fits in exactly the right way around your dog’s body and applies pressure where you need it in order to focus the dog’s attention back on the handler.
You can easily find this type of harness on the Internet. Just do a quick search on Google and you’ll find places where you can order it.
2. Learn what you can about training with a clicker. Clickers are a great tool, kind of like the duct tape of dog training tools. It can be very helpful in eliminating a wide range of problem behaviors, so I highly suggest you at least look into this method of training.
Simply put, the dog starts to expect something positive when he hears the click. The great thing about this is that you can train your dog to instantly focus on you whenever he hears that clicker sound.
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. All dog owners know that food has the power to change the behavior of your dog. 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.
Those are three very simple fixes for the problem. Again, you can watch and see how these techniques work by watching the video I mention above. But for those of you who prefer a written step-by-step guide, I hope this helps as well!
