EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HOW TO STOP A DOG FROM PULLING ON THE LEASH | 10 PROVEN TECHNIQUES THAT WORK

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Effortless leash walking can be a pain when the one on the other end just doesn’t know how to keep up. Well, guess what, the frustration is the same at both ends! How to stop a dog from pulling on a leash largely depends on the intensity of the pulling and how much time and patience you have to invest in training. I teach leash walking lessons at least once or twice a week as a part of my group classes. And, I know for a fact, 80% of those people aren’t going to see any results because as soon as the class gets over, they leave the class with their dogs bolting and lunging out the door and the pet parents are okay with that.

Before you begin, I’d like to say that leash training is not something you’re going to achieve in a day. That German Shepherd you saw the other day walk with his owner without a leash, is a result of consistent training and a fabulous recall.

Here’s why your dog may be pulling on the leash –

• Sniff Sniff Sniff
• He walks way too fast and you walk way too slow
• Your walks are predictable and he knows exactly where to go
• Walking on a tight leash is the only way he has learnt to walk since puppyhood
• He pulls and you let him pull
• He has no idea how to control his excitement which eventually trickles down to leash pulling
• He doesn’t get any mental or physical stimulation at home. Walks are his only source of exercise

There is one tip you MUST know while you’re leash walking your dog. This one’s a no-brainer, the easiest and the most important tip while leash training your dog –

10 ways to STOP your dog from pulling on the leash and make Training fun!

1. Remove the excitement off the leash Before you step outside

If you find it difficult to get hold of your dog once you put the leash on him for a walk, your dog needs to take a chill pill before you step outside that door.

Before you step outside the door, get your dog to stay on the leash in front of an open door for at least 30-40 seconds. Once your dog can achieve this, step outside slowly. If your dog bolts outside, wait and start over.

Further reads: How to calm an over-excited puppy? Easy and effective ways that work.

2. Start Loose leash walking in easier to focus areas

Set yourself and your dog up for success by starting off loose leash walking in an easier to focus area like your backyard or an area lesser frequented by people.

Since puppyhood, our dogs’ pace of walking has been faster than ours. Because of this, they’ve always been walking and running ahead of us on the leash, resulting in the leash always being Tight on walks.

Over time, your dog starts equating a ‘tight leash’ with ‘keep moving.’ While teaching them to walk on a loose leash, we work on reverse.

Slack leash = keep moving and Tight leash = stop. As soon as the leash goes tight, the walk stops. Once your dog waits by your side, the walk continues.

Further reads: The ultimate Puppy Socialization Checklist

3. Don’t shy away from using treats

For a dog, being able to explore in an outdoor environment is a reward in itself. So, while adding any kind of training to an existing routine, adding motivation is equally important. Treats can make the whole exercise a whole lot easier and will fetch faster results.

Tip – Consider using crumbly treats or soft, moist treats during leash walking rather than hard ones as we want the dog’s focus to shift on chewing. 

Further reads: Easy, DIY Homemade Xmas Treats

These treats work best –

4. Don’t take the fun out of the walk 

I see a ton of pet parents keeping the leash extremely tight in order to keep the dog close to them. This makes it difficult for the dog to even bend down and sniff. Remember, the primary purpose of your dog being outside is to sniff. How do you expect your dog to stop pulling on leash if you’re taking away that ONE thing he’s looking forward to the most?

Given an option between an hour run with zero sniffing vs a 25-minute walk where your dog gets to sniff Everything, your dog will choose the latter as that will physically and mentally tire him out at the end of the day, as opposed to the former. If you find your dog coming home after a walk and still destroying things in the house, you need to re-evaluate your walks.

If your dog comes home after a walk and still destroys things in the house, you need to re-evaluate your walks.

5. Make the walk dynamic 

Outdoor walks are one of the funnest things to happen in your dog’s life. Taking him out to the same place, the same neighborhood every day will only make the walks boring for both of you.

Taking your dog to new places every once in a while will also encourage a lot of sniffing on walks and will help slow down your dog on walks. Change the scenarios at least once or twice a week to keep things upbeat.

Further reads: Brain games for dogs. 8 Low to no-cost activities to keep your dog busy

6. Use the appropriate equipment 

A back clipping harness and a retractable leash are not the best tools to use on a dog that pulls uncontrollably on a leash. A back clipping harness causes a swing effect for a dog while pulling and makes the pulling a lot more comfortable. It also causes something known as an ‘opposition reflex.’ This means that your dog has a natural resistance to pressure and will pull in the opposite direction of anything that applies pressure on your dog’s body in a certain direction.

A retractable leash just gives a dog freedom to pull more. Furthermore, retractable leashes, in a way, isolate your dog from you which, makes him believe that he’s walking alone. And, a dog that walks alone takes up the responsibility to protect himself. That’s when problems like barking, lunging, etc start happening. A dog that focuses on walking and keeping up with you pays less attention to other stimuli on walks.

Humane Equipment like martingale collars, head halters and front clipping harnesses (also known as the no-pull harness) will help in controlling the pulling to a great extent while giving you a good threshold to teach your dog to walk properly on the leash.

Further reads: The best No-Pull dog harnesses to streamline your leash training.

Add a little bit of spunk to your dog’s style with these awesome-looking, humane Martingale collars.

Click on each image to view them on Amazon

Front clip-on harnesses are an excellent way to ensure you’re not choking your dog, at the same time teaching him to walk without yanking your arm off. Check out on Amazon

Head halters or Gentle Leaders can be a game-changer when it comes to teaching your dog to walk side by side. However, a lot of dogs will put up a fight before breaking into the halter.

Check out on Amazon

Here’s a video tutorial on how to put on a head halter.

7. Keep changing the pace of the walk frequently

Changing the pace of the walk helps keep the walk exciting for both you and your dog. It not only physically exercises your dog, but also mentally stimulates him. Not to mention, changing the walk pace will help in keeping your dog’s focus on you more often, thereby strengthening your bond with your dog.

8. Be consistent. The process WILL take time

When your dog has been walking a certain way right since puppyhood, changing that WILL take some time. Just remember this before you start, so you start with the right expectations. Teaching a puppy to walk on the leash without pulling will definitely be faster as compared to teaching an older dog as in the pup’s case, the leash pulling behaviour hasn’t been practiced for a long time.

Further reads: How to tackle aggression in puppies?

9. Keep adding titbits of obedience training

Training fails the majority of the time as most pet parents try disciplining their dogs only when there are distractions around. Your dog is not liable to respond to you in distractions if he’s not taught to respond without.

Adding bits and pieces of obedience training, as simple as Sit, Down and Watch me in no-distraction environments can set your dog up to listen to your commands in heavy distractions. It also teaches your dog to keep up with you on walks and helps a great deal in leash walking.

As an exercise, at the turn of every second block, ask your dog to Sti and stay for a few seconds, irrespective of whether there are distractions around or not. Soon you’ll start noticing that your dog starts pre-empting these cues on walks and chooses to look at you every now and then for directions while walking.

10. Keep training walks and sniffing walks separate

The best way to work your way around any issue would be to find a balance. This applies to leash walking as well. Your walk needs to be split between letting your dog have his “Sniffanigans” and training him to walk by your side.

I like to keep an 50:50 ratio on walks where 50% of the time focus on teaching your dog to keep up with you and focus on you and 50% of the time he can have his sniffing adventures. This helps you strike a balance on your walks and keeps things interesting for both of you.

Mastering leash walking does not happen in a few days or weeks. It takes constant practice over and over again to get a dog to walk decently on a loose leash. Leash walking is an excellent bonding exercise for you and your dog. Be an amazing leader to your dog and give him a good reason to focus on you on walks rather than just expecting your dog to blindly heel beside you!

Do comment below if there is anything I’ve missed out on How to stop a dog from pulling on leash.