Dog Training Article: Training Your Dog Not to Pull on the Leash

By Jess Rollins
Copyright Info

Lesson 1: "Walking by my person's side is delicious!" Start by attaching your dog to leash that is 20 feet long  while he is wearing a harness. Get some pea-sized treats and go to a familiar outdoor area. Walk briskly and randomly around your yard while keeping the leash loose. Whenever your dog happens to choose to walk beside you, reward him with praise and a treat next to your thigh on your preferred side. If he continues walking next to you, reward him for every step you take together. Don't worry, as he gets better at this you will not need to reward him as often! If your dog is not very interested in food treats, then you can a tug a toy or toss a ball for him whenever feeding a treat or giving a reward is mentioned.

Lesson 2: "It's worth my while to watch where my person is going and go along too!" Begin walking about your yard. Wait for a moment when your dog is walking off on his own, or is lagging behind to sniff or go potty. Say "let's go" in an up-beat voice, slap your thigh to make sure he notices you and turn and walk away from your dog. Reward him when he catches up with you. Give him a extra treats if he catches up right away. If the leash gets tight, keep gentle pressure on the leash while you wait for him to catch up - give him only a small reward once he gets to you.

Lesson 3: "I know when it's time to smell (or to pee on) the roses" Your dog needs time sniff and to go potty while you are walking him, but it will help improve his manners if you decide when that will be. As you are walking with your dog, about every 5 minutes, if he is walking by your side, say "go sniff" and let him sniff around or go potty. If he pulls on the leash during this free time say "lets go" and walk in the opposite direction. Say "let's go" and begin walking again when you are ready.

Lesson 4: "Sometimes I really need to pay attention to where my person is going!" Continue practicing leash walking in your yard as in steps 1 through 3 but using a 6 foot leash. Practice walking extra fast or slow, stopping or change directions and then while leaving out the "let's go". Reward him if he can stay by your side during these challenges. Begin to reward him less frequently for walking by your side but be sure to continue to reward him when it was challenging for him to walk with you.

Taking it to the Street: Now there will be additional distractions and challenges such as friendly strangers, squirrels and other dogs. Consider using a front-attachment harness or head collar for extra control. Say "let's go" and walk in the opposite direction when he forgets about you or pulls, and reward him when he walks beside you. Be sure to reward him with extra treats when it was extra difficult for him to pay attention to you and don't forget sniff breaks!

Heel: Teaching him to heel is useful for short periods when you need him very close to you and paying attention like when walking him past distractions. Practice this first in your home by placing a treat in your fist and letting him sniff it. Say "heel" and take a couple of steps leading him along with the treat in your fist near your thigh. Praise and reward him with a treat when he is following your fist with his nose. Now, practice having your dog follow your empty fist. Continue to praise and reward for every couple of steps that he follows the fist. Continue practicing and increasing your standards each session. Your closed fist will remain as a "hand signal" for heel. Try this outside and in more distracting circumstances.

Check out the products we offer for help with your leash training!