Blog - Tips to stop your dog pulling on the lead

Are you having problems with your dog pulling when they are on the lead? We are here to give you some tips to help you and your furbabies! To get your dog to walk nicely on the lead, first you need to teach them that if they don’t pull, they will get where they want to go quicker. It can take time, but the benefits can be very rewarding. Why not check out the leads and harnesses that we have available on our online store, here! The tips below will help you get a better understanding to stop your dog pulling on the lead, whether this is attached to a collar, harness or head-collar.

1. Make sure you’ve got some tasty snacks/treats and get your lead ready. Ask your dog to sit calmly and attach their lead. Reward calm behaviour early on as you want to avoid your dog getting overly excited before heading out for a walk.
2. If your dog shows signs of being too excited, remove the lead and take it out of sight then walk away. A few minutes later, return and try again. Once you have managed to put on the lead, you can get walking.
3. Walk slowly and encourage them to walk on a loose lead by rewarding them with food and praising them as much as possible.
4. If your dog starts to pull ahead of you, come to a stop. You should then entice them back to your side with a treat and when they come back, praise them again. This technique is very simple and uncomplicated – if your dog walks on a loose lead they get well rewarded and get to continue on his journey.
5. If they pull, the rewards stop, and the walk is delayed. Most dogs learn the opposite of this, which is ‘the harder I pull, the quicker I get to the fun part’.

Please remember this will not be a quick process, your furry friend has learned their pulling technique over a long period of time, meaning they will require lots of help and encouragement to change their habits.

Did you know?

A dog’s natural walking pace is usually twice as fast as the average human’s. As a dog would not naturally choose to walk at such a slow pace, it’s extra important that you reward them generously for something that they find difficult. We hope this helps you and your dog, you can also check out our blog on finding the perfect fitting harness for your dog here.