We are here to make your walks less stressful and lessen leash-pulling. With consistent training, positive reinforcement, and a little patience, you can teach your dog to walk calmly by your side.
Remember, your dog is just like a baby, and the better you train and communicate with them, the easier it gets to keep them happy.
On some days your dog might not be into walking so they’d pull the leash a tad bit tighter and on some days they are just being naughty. Try to read their body language and it will help you know them better.
The best option is always to understand the cause of their behavior and then find a solution accordingly. Learn these 8 easy success strategies to stop your dog from pulling.
1. Reward good leash behavior
Never underestimate your dog’s good behavior. This applies to walking on the leash as well.
Dogs are often found to repeat behaviors that they find rewarding, whether the reward is praise, a treat, or a chance to sniff a fire hydrant.
So always focus on positive reinforcements rather than punishments.
2. Refuse to let them walk if they are pulling
When your dog is pulling, it means that it wants to walk. It is important to not reward that behavior.
As soon as you see that your dog is pulling, you should stop, plant your feet, and wait patiently for your dog to either return to you or relax your hold on the leash.
3. Wait for the leash to loosen
So, once you stop walking after pulling the leash, when do you know when you can start walking again?
What you need to do here is wait for a slack leash (when the leash starts hanging in a J-shape).
Once it happens and your dog redirects its attention back to you, you know that it’s time to start walking again. This will take a while for your dog to get used to it, but everything will pay off in the end.
4. Train it not to chase things around
Dogs often have the habit of chasing random things, which is one of the reasons they pull so much at random. Train them to have more restraint.
5. Increase your walking pace
You should try to match your pace with the dog’s. Often it happens that humans walk at a far slower pace compared to their dogs, causing dogs to ‘hurry’ their humans by pulling on the leash repeatedly.
Therefore, try to increase your pace while walking.
6. Be strict regarding your no-pulling rule
It can sometimes be tempting to let your dog pull at the leash when you’re in a hurry.
However, you should not break the no-pulling rule, or you will be back to square one. You should let your dog walk only when you know they have to use the bathroom.
7. Make the training sessions shorter
Repeated leash pulling can make you frustrated.
One solution for this is to make the session short and sweet while fulfilling your dog’s exercise needs.
8. Make the walks interesting
Do not ignore your dog while walking. This can make it bored and starved of attention, causing it to keep pulling.
Make your walks a fun experience for both yourself and your dog.
Leash-pulling must be stopped with persistence and patience. You can make leash time a joyful, stress-free time for you and your dog to bond by rewarding good behavior, keeping a steady pace, and making walks interesting.
