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Help! I hear you scream! I can’t stop my dog pulling on the lead. I feel your pain! My last Jack Russell once pulled me right over in the middle of a muddy field! My current Rescue Patterdale terrier Blake is a demon for pulling on the lead! Now, although we haven’t solved Blake’s pulling problem completely (and possibly never will!) there are some things that have helped him to improve. Here are our top tips to help stop your dog pulling.
Calm your Dog BEFORE you leave the house
Some dogs get sooooooooooo excited when you start to pick up the lead or put your jacket on – they know what’s coming next! And all that jumping, barking and excitement makes for a bad start to a walkie! Make sure thatYour dog understands that the walk will not be commencing until he is calm. He will need to sit to have to lead put on him and also wait calmly while you open the door.If the pulling starts at the door, do not go out of it. You can continue to place your dog and sit and wait calmly.
When Pulling Starts, turn the other Way!
This is something I learnt from ‘It’s me or the dog!’ and it really works! As soon as your dog starts pulling too much then simply turn and walk the other way.Your dog won’t be able to predict where you are going and the confusion will cause him to be more reliant on youAnd follow your lead rather than poor you in the direction of the park! Another good thing to do is to switch around is walking route so that he doesn’t know exactly where you are going. If you always want to end up in the park you can try going to the park a number of different routes. Some days maybe even try a street walk that doesn’t end up in the Park. He will learn to follow your lead rather than dragging around!
Avoid the Stimulous or Fear
Many Dogs start to pull aggressively when they see another dog or maybe an alternative stimulus such as a cat or child running. You can try Clicker training on your dog which includes positive reinforcement when the stimulus is around. An alternative method if your dog is out of controlIs to simplyWalk awayFrom the stimulus so that the focus is turned in another direction. If your dog is particularly aggressive or reactive you can try hiring a private dog trainerOn a one-to-one basis until your dog is ready for classes.
Harnesses and Leads
If you still have a problem with your dog pulling you might like to consider the alternative Harnesses and Leads available. It’s a good idea to have both a harness and collar on your dog because you can buy a training lead that attaches to both. The advantage of thisIs that the harness takes the bulk of the weight but the bit that is attached to the collar can divert your dogs head away from distractions.
Another great idea is the Halti dog collar which allows you to control your dog from his nose Limiting the pulling. These have also been used by Victoria on ‘Its me or the dog!’
If you are worried About your dog PullingThen just rememberThat it is one of the most common problems is that dog owners face. You are not alone! Why not try some of these methods in this blog and comment below to let us know how they have worked for you? Have you seen any improvement?
If you enjoyed this article you might also like to read about How to Stop Dogs from Fighting?