How to stop your from pulling on the leash?

WHY IS MY DOG PULLING ON THE LEASH?

• You have allowed your dog to pull.

• You have encouraged this behavior.

• And the behavior simply kept on repeating.

• Now it is a habit for your dog, and it is a bad and stressful one.

VERDICT: You taught your dog to pull on the leash. 

HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM

1. TOOLS YOU NEED

Quiet space, collar (harness), and 6 feet leash. Put the leash on and you are ready to practice.  Leave the collar and leash on when you are in your house.  Please no choke chains or prong collars.  If your dog has an aggression issue, this has been dealt with by professionals.  Here, we are talking about a dog or puppy who needs to learn how to walk nicely on the leash. 

2. START PRACTICING FROM YOUR HOUSE.  LESS DISTRACTION BETTER

The rule is very simple. When there is tension on the leash and the dog, you stop.  Don't pull or jerk on the leash. Just stop. If your puppy looks back at you and eases the tension, you reward. That's it.  No talking. No touching. Just have yummy treats ready. When he loses tension on the leash, you give a reward.  You want to practice when there is not a lot of distraction.  This is the mindset you want to have. "If you are pulling on the leash, we are not going anywhere.  If you want to go, let's relax." This is the message you want to convey to your puppy. 

3. KEEP PRACTICING

Practice makes perfect.   When your puppy is getting better, it is time to practice outside.  This time you will try with a little more distractions. Many more people, more dogs, and so forth.  If your dog is too excited to go out, you wait until your dog calms down. If he is too excited, you come back home. The same mindset goes here. "If you are overexcited, We will not go outside. If you want to go outside, let's relax."  You are simply waiting for your dog to calm down and pay attention to you. 

4. TRAINING SHOULD BE SHORT BUT FREQUENT

Having frequent training sessions is a lot more effective than having one long session. Make them short and fun.  And repeat.  

5. PATIENCE

Frustration is an emotion your dogs catch very easily.  Frustration usually connects to anger.  The tension between you and the dog will get greater and it will not help with the training.  

CONCLUSION

When we do dog training, we don't want to force the dog to do something.  He wants to do that behavior because it is fun and rewarding. And your dog wants to repeat the process. Pulling on the leash is no fun for you or your dog.  You want to teach your dog that he will have a lot more freedom by not pulling on the leash.  That is why the simple rule is when the dog pulls, you stop.