How to Stop dog from pulling on leash

When we walk in the park and watch owners who walk their dogs, we soon realize that you have dog handlers divided into two groups. The first group includes owners whose dogs walk quietly beside them and the leash is nicely relaxed. In the second group there are dogs and their owners that are literally pulled behind whilst also losing their temper.

Pulling the leash is certainly a problem that many dog owners have and it is turning their walks into a nightmare.

Of course, this behavior is much more problematic for large dogs, because for them we need more power to control them.

Pulling on the leash is actually a natural reaction of dogs that are limited or where someone is pulling them back. Dogs instinctively react to this by push further in the opposite direction.

Dogs are pulling because they were of rewarded for such behavior with our accelerated walking, or they pull because they have just smelled something interesting for them. Most dogs pull because simply nobody ever taught them that such behavior is not acceptable or the owner was inconsistent during education.

Dog training – basics of the heel command:

If we are faced with this problem, it is time that we learn the dog how to walk next to us. It is recommended that we tackle this as early as possible, preferably while the dog is still a puppy. If we get him used to this while him still being a puppy, it will most likely not be seen as a problem. Of course, this does not mean that our already adult dog is hopeless, it only means that to reach the goal we might need some more time and energy.

Puppies relatively quickly get used to walking next to us, but of course we need to sufficiently motivate this kind of behavior. The motive may be food or a toy so for correct behavior we can reward him. While walking we encourage the dog to walk next to us while we give him the command “heel”. While the dog is walking nicely besides us we praise him with a gentle voice. We conclude the exercise by giving him a treat or we can play with him with the toy. Initially award him after he follows just a few steps, and later gradually increase the distance. The dog soon learns that walking next to us paying off.

With an adult dog we have to tackle the problem slightly different. As soon as he begins to pull you must firmly command “NO” and then stop. We must stand still until the dog calms down, and only then can we continue to walk again. Of course, we do it every time, which may mean that we initially need quite some time for a short distance. Proper behavior is strengthened when he is walking next to us nicely. At that moment we have to praise and reward. Success requires a lot of patience and consistency. The dog will eventually stop pulling because he is constantly stopping along the way and because of that he certainly will not like it.

Alternatively, the dog can learn to walk next to us is you do the following: when you are on a walk, the moment the dog starts to pull on the leash, change the direction of walking. At the beginning, progress will be slow, but here it is also very important to be persistent.

Some owners try to solve the problem with clamping collars and expect the dog to teach himself not to pull. It should be remembered that it is necessary to know how to properly use clamping collar, therefore, without adequate knowledge and its application it is best to avoid this method.

In this case, it is preferable to use a special collar intended precisely to deal with this problem. These collars are placed on the dog’s head and when you pull him he tilts his head sideways. This is exactly what deters the dog from pulling, because it makes no sense to pull ahead if, as a result turns his head sideways and therefore cannot see where he goes.
No matter which way we choose to eliminate pulling on the leash, we must ensure that this type of behavior will never be rewarded (the dog in this way must never get to where it wants).

In education we have to be consistent. The dog has to have 2 options: to pull, but in this way he gets nowhere, or he can walk peacefully next to us, and it could even be rewarded.
Happy walking!