If your dog is straining against you, simply come to a stop and wait until there's no tension on the lead, then start walking once more. If your dog pulls at the lead again, repeat the process. You can also use treats to lure your puppy or dog back to your side.
Contrary to popular belief, your dog pulling when walking is not a way of exhibiting dominance. Rather, the reason they do this is quite simple. They are excited, so excited in fact that they don't want their walk to end and so they keep moving forward.
When he pulls, immediately stop and stand completely still until the leash relaxes, either by your dog taking a step back or turning around to give you focus. When the leash is nicely relaxed, proceed on your walk. Repeat this as necessary. If you find this technique too slow you can try the reverse direction method.
Stop and Reward
A simple method to leash training a puppy without pulling on the leash is to stop moving forward when he pulls, and to reward him with treats when he walks by your side. A treat bag for your waist can be very helpful in the training process.
Stop walking when the lead starts to tighten
Teach your dog that walking next to you with a loose lead means they get to move forward – and pulling means they don't. The second the lead starts to tighten, stop walking. Stand still, keep quiet and don't move forward again until the lead is slack.
Hitting Does Not Result in Respect
Previous generations believed that hitting or kicking a dog until they were afraid of you created an alpha bond. This bond means the dog will respect you as the dominant one in their pack due to fear. However, this idea could not be further from the truth.
It may seem like just a bad behavior, but leash biting is often a symptom of a dog being frustrated or not fully understanding leash walking. It's especially common amongst young, playful, and excitable dogs, but with training, it can be prevented or eliminated.
Dogs pull to get where they are going. Dogs want to engage with the environment, and humans, to a dog, can be slow. Wearing a leash and being tethered to a human is not a “natural” behavior for dogs. Many dogs will naturally “lean in” when they feel pressure on their collars and strain forward.
If your dog pulls ahead, simply stop. Lure them back to your side with a piece of food and when they do this, feed and praise them again. This technique is very simple and uncomplicated – if your dog walks on a loose lead they get well rewarded and get to continue on his journey.
Here are some signs that a dog may be about to attack: Change in Posture: When dogs are about to bite, they will usually take an aggressive stance. This includes becoming stiff and rigid, especially in the hind legs, raising the hair and tail, or tucking the ears flat against the head.
You need to kind-of make yourself “boring” to him. If you're not constantly reaching down to pet his head, talking to him, giving him things, he should eventually lose interest and begin to wander off. Don't neglect his need for affection, but, rather, try not to constantly “dote”.
Because they're used to moving forward while pulling the behavior itself has been encouraged, and a dog's natural reflex is to oppose restraint. But if you're consistent you can break that habit, and over time you can put and end to all that pulling by showing your dog that walking by your side is much more rewarding.
Under no circumstances should the dogs be allowed to "fight it out." You could be injured due to redirected aggressive attacks, or when you attempt to break up the fight (see below).
If his growl doesn't mean a bite is imminent, stop what you're doing but stay where you are. Wait until he relaxes, then move away, so you're rewarding the relaxed behavior rather than the growl.
How long will a dog stay mad? For exactly as long as the thing making him mad is happening. Remember, dogs live in the moment and, unlike humans, they don't hold grudges.
Our dogs are profoundly affected by our feelings, too. They can sense when we are sad, excited or nervous. But even though many dog parents understand this, and have their dog's welfare in mind, they may not realize that they're hurting their dog's feeling unintentionally.
“Puppies are really easy and can probably be fully leash-trained in a month,” Novack says, but also cautions to be wary of the 'teenage' phase that dogs go through at around nine months old. “When they hit adolescence, they're going to pretend they've never learned anything.
Stop, start, stop again
If your dog is straining against you, simply come to a stop and wait until there's no tension on the lead, then start walking once more. If your dog pulls at the lead again, repeat the process. You can also use treats to lure your puppy or dog back to your side.
It's best to train your dog early on to prevent these problems, but it's never too late. The key to success is reward-based dog training, which is the most effective and humane way to teach your dog.
Instead of your dog doing his own thing, he will be watching you and focused on you and what you want him to do. With The Dog Calming Code in place and a solid relationship set up, you'll find your dog is LISTENING to you, wanting to FOLLOW your lead and TAKE DIRECTION.