In order to be able to walk your dog in a way you both will enjoy, you first need to know how to stop your dog from pulling on the lead. The problem is that your dog thinks he is in charge of the walk. If he saw YOU as the one in charge (if he saw you as the pack leader), he wouldn’t feel the need to take charge, nor would he fail to follow your lead.
Leash Pulling Tips from a Professional Dog Trainer
Watch this video of Professional Dog Trainer, Doggy Dan, showing you how to train your dog to walk on the leash:
Correcting Leash Pulling
Correcting Leash PullingIf you find yourself having to correct your dog often on walks, then there is something fundamentally wrong. Getting your dog to walk nicely on a leash is more than just leash training – you have to first convince him that you are the pack leader.
Think of it like this: your dog understands that on the walk, somebody has to be the leader, and your dog is simply taking the lead! It is more of a psychological battle than a physical one, at least it should be.
I would suggest you read this article, How to Become a Pack Leader – How to Get Control of Your Dog. If you get your dog to see you as the pack leader before you even leave the house, walks – and absolutely everything else – will be easy and enjoyable for both of you!
Here are Some Tips to Try Before You Venture Out
Before you get ready to go on the walk, first walk around the house, going around the tables, and furniture, encouraging your dog to follow you.
If your dog pulls out in front of you, then simply change direction, leaving your dog behind you.
Not only will this begin to teach him to follow you, but it’ll give him confidence that YOU are the leader.
After bringing out your dog’s leash, wait a while before you actually leave for the walk. If your dog gets excited when he sees the leash, it is very important that you wait until he calms down before you go.
While on the walk, if your dog lags behind, hold the leash firmly for ten seconds, then call your dog to follow. He’ll have no other options – he will follow you if you are patient.
Whenever you come across doorways or narrow pathways on a walk, you should always walk through the first. You can practice this at home by walking in and out of the front door, with you going first.
Keep doing it until your dog “gets it” that he doesn’t have to take the lead.
For more help, check out Doggy Dan’s free tutorial, The Ultimate Guide to Loose Leash Training.
Dog Training for Leash Pulling
Visit the website called, The Online Dog Trainer, where professional dog trainer, “Doggy Dan” shows you, via step-by-step videos, how to train your dog in an effective, gentle and loving way.
This website is for dog owners who want to understand the cause of their dog training difficulties, and get easy-to-understand instructions on how to solve it.
Doggy Dan offers full access to the website for three days for $1!
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I feel I have tried to go the other direction and walk my dogs around the house but for some reason they just get so excited and my Jack Russell lets out excitement yelps that sound like he is dying when he is excited and really likes to pull and whine if he can’t go really fast like he is used to in the backyard. Do you know what works well with hyper jack russells?
My other dog is a Rhodesian ridge/back German Sheppard mix rescue that is good at following me and walks great without trying to lead and pulling but if I walk past another dog walking he howls and whines like I never hear normally from him and he stops the minute he stops seeing the dog but man o man is it embarrassing. If I could just get advice on those two things I feel that I could walk my dogs without so much added embarrassment lol.
Oh my gosh, it looks like you have your hands full! They’re great though, aren’t they? 🙂 I honestly suggest you visit The Online Dog Trainer site. This guy is really, really good at solving the issues you’re describing QUICKLY. It helps so much! Good luck with your poochies – and thanks so much for the comment! Debra
Hi Debra,
Thanks for writing this informative post. I found tips that I will do in the future.
I don’t have dog in the house but three cats I have. If ever I will have a dog what would you advice to keep him in a dog cage or with leash? And what is the importance in bringing them outside. Really I don’t have an idea of proper caring of dog.
I will come back for your advice, thanks in advance for the help.
marcy
Thank you for the comment! Dogs should get outside time every day, and walking is good exercise. Not to mention they need daily sniff time – haha! Thanks again. 🙂
Thanks for sharing those tips, quite useful.
From my understanding, we have to show example as a leader, taking in charge. I guess as an ownership, the leadership skills like being patient is crucial.
By means of patience, wait for the dog to follow the lead after feeling that anticipation that there is an outing when left the house.
I have two labradors and 1 girl is very lead chewy and always slightly ahead of me. The other male is a bit hyper at times and pulls every 3 foot. Its going take a lot of practice with him due to his excitement. As mum cant take him we usually have to go in the car to let him run in the fields less we put a side pull strap on him. Maybe he gets a bit more freedom. While he will usually fetch and follow, he often jumps up and wont stay to put a lead on sometime. Not sure if the use of food while training is good as I don’t want him to expect it all the time.
Using food might actually help. Here’s a great article that will explain. How to Train a Dog With Treats. Hope it helps! Thanks so much for the comment. I love Labradors – such great dogs!