Canine Capers: Leash Pulling

By Lesley Liddle

Lesley Liddle is a certified service and pet dog trainer. First Mate Lulu is a Corgi/Red Heeler with spots like a baby harbor seal; Crewman Leonard is a Chihuahua/Doxie with tall ears like a rabbit. Both dogs have very short legs and were originally found in California shelters.  Lesley has average legs and can be found on Orcas Island.

If you have a dog who constantly pulls on the leash every time you take a walk, and walking your dog is not only unpleasant, but embarrassing and even dangerous for you, first of all get a new harness in which the leash clips to a chest ring.

Then if you can, see if there is a reward system dog class near you because learning new techniques with others is the most fun for you and your dog. In the meantime, try just stopping all forward movement whenever your would-be sled dog pulls you. From now on you only go forward when your dog stops pulling and comes towards you which  loosens the leash.

Don’t forget to praise your dog and immediately treat her for correcting herself. In a short time, on her own, your dog will figure out that a loose leash and walking with you as opposed to pulling in front of you gets rewards and is what you want. If, however,  you always let her pull you forward, she will think that pulling you along briskly like a sled dog is her job. Resistance builds resistance! In other words, if you pull against your dog who is also pulling, you will just end up in a pulling contest.

The new chest attaching harnesses help loose leash training enormously. Once your dog has a habit of not pulling forward, the no pull harness may no longer be necessary except for an occasional refresher. Use it whenever and as long as you need to, but always remember to remove it after your training or walking session. If your dog is a puller – and most dogs do acquire this habit – leashing to the dog’s collar and correcting with hard jerks or constant tension is archaic, unkind, ineffective, and can lead to serious damage of the trachea.

I have never used or wanted to use a prong collar nor would I endorse a choke chain when there are comfortable and very effective “no pull” harnesses that work well for all sizes and breeds of dogs – including bully breeds. I personally do not use head halters because I wouldn’t want one on me, but if a client is extremely weak or has serious balance issues and already owns a dog that is an veteran puller, the head halter may be the sensible option.