Skip to content Why Dog’s Pull on Leash
Before diving into the methods that will stop your dog from pulling on the leash let’s take a quick look at why dogs pull on the leash to begin with. Understanding why they pull on the leash and how to handle it once it occurs are important to preventing future problems, as it’s too easy for us to ignore a dog who is pulling when we have our minds elsewhere.
Dogs pull on their leashes because they want to go somewhere. Sometimes pulling on the leash will get them where they want to go and at their own pace.
Pulling is fun for dogs but it is not the best way to get them to behave. When your dog pulls, he is showing you that he wants to go somewhere else, which means you should walk in another direction or slow down so the dog has a chance to catch up.
That’s rewarding because your dog is keeping moving forward and getting to where he wants to go. If your dog has been pulling on leash, it’s going to be hard to get him to stop it.
Because they’re used to movement in forward direction while dragging themselves, the dog’s natural instinct is to oppose restraint. But if you’re consistent, you can break this habit, and over time you can make your dog understand that walking by your side is much more rewarding.
Not All Methods Will Work Perfectly For Every Dog
Don’t get discouraged when a certain method doesn’t work perfectly for your dog. I’ve tried all kinds of methods when it comes to loose leash walking, and I always felt like a failure when one didn’t work.
Have you ever tried to train a dog? Often dogs aren’t motivated to learn what we want them to do. It’s very common for dog owners to give their dog a “command”, then they expect the dog to respond by doing the exact opposite of what they asked. That means your dog learns to do what you tell him, not what you actually want him to do.
Have you ever heard of the “be a tree” tip? It goes like this: When your dog begins to pull, you should stop and stand still. This will teach your dog that pulling means he’ll be stopped, and he’ll be able to choose not to pull anymore.
When I tried that with my excitable dog that was already used to pulling on leash, she pulled even harder to get to where she wanted to go, and became frustrated when I wouldn’t move. It’s possible, but patience is key.
It’s a dog! And your dog has an attachment problem. Dogs don’t care what others think about them, but they do have a lot of attachments to things, which is probably why your dog has attachment issues. So here are some suggestions:
My Laika wasn’t happy about the fact that I had to keep her in a leash for so long. So, I tried to teach her how to use the leash and she started pulling. I soon found out that she didn’t like being attached to a leash because it made her excited, and when she got excited it meant that she’d pull even harder.
If your dog’s been pulling, you may want to give this a try. Some dogs respond to a treat and some don’t, so try it out first before giving it up entirely.
Dog training is about finding out what motivates your dog and building on that. Don’t get discouraged if one training method doesn’t work perfectly for every dog. It takes time to train a dog. If one method doesn’t work for your dog, move on to the next method.
