How to stop dogs pulling while walking
How to stop dogs pulling during walks
A part of our routine is to walk our doggos for a fresh breathe of air. We ask them “Wanna go for a walk?” And as soon as they hear the word walk, they wiggle their tails like crazy and might even do some excited barks. For our lovely doggos, walking is the best part of their day because they get to go outside, see some different scenery, might even pass by co-doggos, and get to play with them. As much as we humans, can’t stay in the same place over and over again because it drives us insane, the same goes for our doggos, but for our doggos, there is another reason why they itch to go outside of our homes and explore. Our doggos have this feeling that the whole world is a hunt for the treasure chest. It excites them when they get to smell a different scent and get to dig and acquire a mighty acorn. That is the reason why our doggos are always in a hurry and have the tendency to pull us during walks.
Our doggos pull us during our walk and have many reasons for this. They are not tugging us because they want to be the alpha or the pack leader they simply want to explore the world that they’re in. Us humans and doggos have different phases when we walk that is why we are not the best companions for them when they walk. Our doggos has the tendency to walk faster than us, humans. It’s difficult for them to walk the same phase as us when they want to explore the world and investigate everything that they get to see.
With this, we can incorporate to our doggos to walk with us without us being tugged down in a positive way to avoid pain and discomfort for a more enjoyable walk for everyone.
1. Switch to a harness
A chest-led harness is best for our doggos for a more positive walking experience, when we walk our doggos and they try to pull us down, it will be painful for them to have such force on their neck. It’s best to have a harness so the force is equally distributed to their body parts and to avoid future neck injuries. Also, when we try to use force to stop their pulling, it’s better to have the force around their body instead of their neck which might result in chocking. It’s our recommendation to use a harness for our doggo’s safety.
2. “My human has treats!!”
When walking your doggo, choose which side do you want your doggo will be, oftentimes, people walk their doggos on the left side. Keep your treats on the same side as you walk your doggo. As you walk and your doggo has walked on that side, reward him with a tasty treat on that side. This will encourage him to stay on the side because this is where his treats appear!
Walk in random patterns and when your doggo chooses to walk beside you, provide him a treat and praise him to reward his good behavior. Continue to do this until your doggo chooses to walk beside you more often than not.
3. Pause to train
Pulling our leashes when our doggos get to tug us is normally effective since we can physically stop the action but this will not train them to stop pulling us down, they will just think that there is a force happening to its body. We can divert its thought by changing the way we train.
When our doggos pull the leash when we take them for a walk, immediately stop walking, let him look at us and try to pull stronger. Keep still by standing and only resume walking when the leash relaxes. Repeat this step every time your doggos try to pull the leash.
4. Go to a different direction
If you find the above step too long and too slow for your doggos to learn (since you always have to stop and stand still), you can try to do a different method. When your doggo has pulled his leash, simply call out your doggo and say “Let’s Go” or do a body language doing so and turn away from him and walk in a different direction without putting pressure or yanking on his leash. Your excited voice and positive body language will encourage you doggo to follow you. After your doggo has followed you and is walking with you with a calm leash, go back to your original destination and walk towards it. You can repeat this as necessary which is instilled in the mind of your doggo that pulling will not result in him going forward immediately but he will understand that when he wants to go to a certain spot or place, he can do so by walking calmly by your side of a little bit forward to you with a loose and calm leash.
5. Bring a handy treat
Of course every training comes with a handy dandy treat. Every time your doggo tries to pull the leash and you had incorporated the steps above, reward them with a treat that way they will be motivated to stay close to you and not to pull the leash on demand. Help your doggos to be motivated to walk beside you and not in front of you for a more safe and enjoyable walk.
Remember, we all need to be patient with training our doggos since it does not take a day for them to learn since it is in their nature to explore and investigate the world as we know it. It will be difficult for them to control their urge to do what they naturally want to do out of instinct so never forget to reward your doggos and give them praise when they follow your command. They deserve all of the rewards and treats (but don’t give them fatty treats so they could stay healthy still!) Also, having a good relationship with your doggo will help you to train him better since they need to trust you to follow you. There is no better training than a good relationship and a positive environment for your doggo. The more he feels safe and secure walking close to you, the more times he will do so. Take note that training is not the only thing we can do for our doggos, we have to love them as much as our own because as much as we have our world, friends, and family, us, humans, is all that they have so make their existence worthwhile. After all, a dog is a man’s best friend.