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Pulling on the Lead |
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| Home > Other Bits Index > Pulling on the Lead | See
The Doggie Shop for a selection of haltis, harnesses and gentle leaders. |
How
to show a dog that it's possible to walk nicely on the lead |
| Here's a no fuss method of dog training that shows a dog that it's possible to walk on the lead without pulling. You don't need anything other that a flat collar, a long lead and patience and kindness. There really is no need to turn lead training into a battleground where you and the dog are pulling against each other all the time. Unfortunately that's exactly what happens if your dog pulls and you pull back again. Dog training is all about showing it what you want it to do and giving lots of praise. Your dog will never learn if he doesn't understand what it is you're trying to teach him. |
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| This method doesn't teach heelwork. As you can see here Jamie is walking nicely on a loose lead but not being nagged to heel all the time. He's not expected to pay attention to me as he might have to do in an obedience class. This would be too wearing on both dog and handler. We're just out for a quiet stroll down the country lanes without doing anything in particular. I couldn't get a picture of Jamie pulling although he used to nearly yank my arms off. Sometimes he does pull if he sees something chaseable but mostly he walks quietly by my side. |
| Here's
how I trained him.
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| Take
the long lead as illustrated in the photo.
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| Now pass
the lead across the front of the dog's chest.
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| Encourage the dog to walk forward. As you can see, the lead is quite low down on the chest. If the dog tries to pull forward use a very gentle pressure on the part of the lead that is across the chest. This will bring the dog back into a balanced walk. As soon as the dog stops pulling and the lead goes slack praise him. You must sound really delighted. | 
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| Each time the dog tries to pull forward stop the praise immediately and just use the very gentle pressure to rebalance him again. Be really quick with the praise and keep praising while the lead is slack. "What a good boy." |  |
 As
Jamie's a black dog I've added this line drawing to help you see how the
lead goes. This technique works well with a broad chested dog
like Jamie but I have used it successfully with Sasha as well.
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If you
find that your dog is still pulling you may have the lead too high on his chest. Try
moving it down a bit lower. Don't be tempted to scold the dog. We're using
only praise here for something done well. You'll be amazed at how quickly this
method works and how easy it is on the nerves for both you and your dog. There
really is no place for prong collars, shock collars and choke chains.
If you have a small dog or you can't get along with this method then why not
try a halti or a training harness. Lots of people have had a success
with these and they are well worth a try. See the
Doggie shop for a selection of haltis and
harnesses. Finally, if you've tried everything and you still feel that you're getting nowhere with your dog training don't force it. Find a good dog trainer who can watch and tell you what's going wrong. All dogs are different and you need to find what's right for both of you. However, I can promise you that whatever method you use, praise and reward will have a much more lasting effect than correction.
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