How To Get Your Dog To Stop Pulling On The Leash
It is really miserable walking a dog when he is constantly pulling on the leash. You can’t really take a relaxing walk when your arm feels like it is almost being pulled out of the socket and you are constantly yelling at your dog. I had this problem with my dog, and here is what I found out.
1. Use a harness or halter, not a collar.
This is very important, both for your dog’s health and for your peace of mind. I didn’t realize until I found out in obedience class, that pulling on the leash is very bad for the dog’s neck and can leave lasting problems. Duh! I guess I should have figured out that it can’t be good for the dog, but I truly did not realize it. So I went right out and got a harness for my dog.
Right away, I had more control of her, and she did not pull nearly as much. The way the collar chokes the dog itself causes the dog to pull more. With the harness, things went much better.
2. If the dog pulls, walk in the opposite direction.
Just turn around and start walking the other way. Don’t get angry or even say anything. The dog will soon realize that you are the one who controls where the two of you go, and how fast.
You will have to repeat this a lot. For a while, I had to do this a few times at the beginning of every walk, until the dog remembered. But it sure made the rest of the walk very pleasant.
3. Hold the leash close to your abdomen.
If your arm is stretched out, then a sudden pull by the dog will have you feeling like your arm is about to get pulled out. If you keep your hand close to your body (just above the waist seems to work fine), then you have much more control. If necessary, use both hands at first. But keep them close to your body.
4. Be matter-of-fact about it all.
Don’t get upset and yell at the dog. Just matter-of-factly, go along where you want to go. The dog will have to follow. The dog will soon learn to go where you want.
If you get all upset, you give a lot of control to the dog. She could be just trying to get a rise out of you. If she pulls, just calmly walk in the other direction. Don’t even look back. If she lags behind, just keep going. Keep your hands close to your body and this will be pretty easy to do, especially if you are using a halter.
It would be a real shame if you avoided going on walks with your dog because of the pulling. Dogs need walks. They need the exercise and the variety of seeing something other than their own back yard. And the exercise is good for you too. So try these tips, and I think you will see a big difference.
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January 16th, 2006 at 10:00 pm
I just bought a new leash which is about 5′ of rubber abd the theory is that the rubber offers resistance for the dog, so when he pulls, he is not pulling your arm out, but pulling the rubber which automatically resists him and pulls him back. I tried it and within minutes one of my dogs was walking besides me without pulling. My dogs are all better off leash than on, but it is good to have a safety back-up for city walks.
Hopefully the dog learns that they just need to stay with you…I’ll let you know how it works. I wish I could give you the name of the manufacturer but I threw away the tag and bought the leash in Alexandria, VA - about three hours from home!
January 17th, 2006 at 4:03 am
One thing they taught me in obedience class, and that worked quite well when walking my dog (who’s a younging and still very much energetic) was to hold the leash in the right hand, while keeping the left hand on it, palm turned to the ground/rear (both hands at about 30-40 cm from each other); this way, I could hold the leash more strongly without having to pull on it, and if my dog decided to take a sudden dash, I wouldn’t be surprised nor dragged behind with my arm half-severed from my shoulder
It doesn’t exactly teach the dog not to pull, but it helps in holding him irmly without hurting him, and this way one can apply the advice more easily, I think.
January 17th, 2006 at 9:52 am
Miriam and Yzabel,
Thanks, those are great tips! I never heard of the rubber leash, but I’m glad it works.
Pat
January 19th, 2006 at 5:06 pm
Hi, Pat,
Switching to a harness was a godsend (dogsend? :-D) for me and my dog. I’ve tried two different types. The one that really worked has a D-ring mounted on the front — at the dog’s chest. My understanding is that with that configuration, if a dog pulls, the harness presses against his chest, and that seems to make dogs want to “back away” from the pressure — which makes the leash slack. Seems to really work!
January 21st, 2006 at 2:21 pm
Kirsten,
That sounds great. Mine has the D-ring on top (on the dog’s back). I will try your kind if I see one. Even the one I have now is so much better than the collar.
Pat
January 28th, 2006 at 2:35 pm
We’re in the middle of puppy kindergarten class at Petsmart. Petsmart wasn’t my first choice, but they were the only place reasonably close to us that had puppy classes at this time of year.
One of the things we’re working on right now is a come & sit. Basically, having us walk around Petsmart & once they get vey interested in something, call them to you & have them sit. So I’ve been doing that with my puppy when he pulls.
I’ve done the turnaround thing, but I could spend entire walks doing that!
I’m lucky, my puppy is very small, so it’s not as though he’s going to pull my arm off — although obviously I still want him to walk nicely with me.
I’ve done a lot of rewarding for walking on a loose leash, and he’s definitely gotten much better at it.
I once read someone who suggested smearing a paper plate with baby food, and tieing it around your leg at their level somehow. I never did try it, though.
I think it just takes a lot of practice!
So many people in my area just leave their dogs in their back (and sometimes front) yards, and I don’t think they ever walk them. It’s just so sad. Sometimes when we’re walking you hear one dog after another start barking as we walk by.
January 28th, 2006 at 6:39 pm
Hi Judy,
I agree, practice is the thing! I have not heard of the paper plate idea. It sounds messy :).
I agree, I feel sorry for the dogs that never get walked too. I go walking twice a day with my dog. It makes her more well-behaved and less squirrely, and it is good for me to get outside too!
By the way, nice blog! You have some interesting articles and thoughts on dog training.
Pat
February 12th, 2006 at 4:56 pm
I was wondering with these harnesses, is your dog now able to walk with a regular collar with out pulling, or the harness does not teach him just suppress his need to pull?
February 14th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
Hi Randall,
When I use the collar, she still pulls. I think the feeling of the collar on her neck makes her want to pull. With the harness she does not pull so much. (If she does pull a little, I use the trick of going in the opposite direction until she remembers what she is supposed to do.) Things definitely go much better with the harness.