Do you struggle to keep your dog on the lead during your walks? Do you get tire of your dog pulling on the lead?Do you tend to get lead burns on your arm after walks? If so, this list of 8 easy tricks comes to the rescue!
1.Find the right equipment
Attaching the lead to your dog’s collar puts too much strain on the collar causing possible damage. Front-clip harnesses are recommended to pull the body backward instead of letting them get forward. Moreover, retractable leads are usually advised against whereas no-pull dog harnesses are a good option.
2.Begin your walks with some exercise
Doggos usually pull on the lead just because they want to use their extra energy and do some playing. You can decrease this extra energy and willingness to go after the distractions beforehand. Play some games, throw the ball around and tire your fluff ball a little before the actual no-pulling training walk. You can crack your personal puppy code here to find the right amount of exercise for your doggo!
3.Start with simple commands
Expecting your dog to understand complex commands and succeed in lead training during the walks before some basic training would be too much to ask for. You can start the process by training with some simple commands such as “sit” and “stay” in no-distraction areas. Then, build your way up to more complicated commands to keep your dog from wandering away and pulling on the lead.
4.Give treats to desired behaviour
One of the best ways for your dog to learn that not pulling on the lead is the end goal, is to reward the progress towards the goal. You can keep some treats with you during the walks and after a few minutes of walking beside you without any pulling, treat your doggo! Try and explore with different treats and see which ones work well with your fluff ball to learn.
5.Don’t reward pulling
Following the same logic as the previous tip, you should also teach that pulling on the lead is not okay. So, whenever your dog starts pulling on the lead, try not to pull back but immediately stop walking. Keep on waiting for a while or make use of commands like “sit” so that the difference between rewards and stopping is clear.
6.Bring some change
Walks are one of the most enjoyable and fun parts of your pooch’s day and monotonous ones are likely to bore you and your dog in the long run. Exploring different routes and alternative quieter areas will bring some dynamic to your walks as well as increase the chances that your dog does not pull on the lead as often. You can also try changing the time of the walks and experiment with a peaceful morning walk that does not have as many distractions for your dog. Scheduled or ASAP PawsApp walks will come to help if you can’t fit that early morning walk into your schedule.
7.Change the pace of the walk often
Breaking the boring cycle of walking with the same pace will also improve the dynamics and make your dog focus more on you and the walk itself. Although there may be some distractions, your fluff ball’s focus will be on you trying to keep up with the pace and the walk.
8.Be patient, consistent and balanced
Patience is key as you will need to go over these tips several times to perfect your walks with minimal pulling on the lead. Especially with long processes such as teaching the commands, take your time but also be consistent with your routine in order not to lose any progress. Lastly, consistency does not mean strict non-stop training, so make sure your doggo enjoys the walks by taking breaks and finding the right balance between training no-pulling walks and regular sniffing time of your lovely one.
Hope your walks will be free of pulling on the lead from now on!
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