How to Stop Your Dog from Pulling on the Leash

Notice how untrained dogs pull on the leash as their human helplessly tries to make them stop? Dog walking can be a lot of fun, but if your dog isn’t following your lead, it can be very strenuous and frustrating. How do you train a dog to walk properly and follow your lead? Here are the steps:

Before putting on the leash, let your dog sit and stay**. Dogs love to go out for walks and seeing you with that leash in your hand can make him ecstatic.

Never put on that leash until he sits and stays. If you do, he’ll get used to jumping around and would never stay still as you put on the leash on his neck.

If he continues to jump around, put the leash away and repeat the command “Sit”.

Make sure that your dog understands that unless he does as told, he’s not going out for a walk. If he sits and stays, and waits for you to put on the leash, praise him, give him a pat and assure him that he’s done a good job.

Walk him to the door. After putting on the leash, your dog may excitedly run towards the door, pulling you as he goes. If this happens, repeat the Sit and Stay command and bring him back to the original position. Again, make him understand that unless he does as told, no walking will happen.

You should be the one to lead him to the door. Whenever your dog tries to lunge or pull on the leash, make him return to the original position. Repeat the Sit and Stay command. You may have to do this several times until your dog realizes that he can only get out that door if he patiently waits for his human to walk him there.

Don’t open the door until your dog stays. Your dog should calmly wait for you to open the door. An untrained dog has the tendency to be excited and to lunge forward. He needs to learn that to get what he wants, he must Sit, Stay, and Wait for his master to give him the go signal.

Once outside, follow the same steps. As long as the leash remains slack, praise your dog and let him walk forward. Whenever the leash tightens because he’s pulling on, stop moving. Gently pull back and repeat the Sit and Stay command. If your dog obeys, praise him and allow him to walk on.

Keep the dog to your left. Discourage your dog from walking on a zigzag manner by walking him always to your left. In case, he wounds the leash around a pole, let him disentangle himself.

**If your dog isn’t trained to “Sit”, you can start the lesson on How to Teach Your Dog to Sit and Stay.

photos:

1. chihuahuas
2. daschund