Do you hate to walk your dog because he pulls so much on the
leash? If he pulls on leash, it's probably because he gets rewarded
when he does. He gets to go where he wants. He pulls, you follow
- at least for a few steps. Why would he stop when pulling is
so rewarding for him?
The whole secret is to make sure that, when he pulls, you don't
respond in the way he wants. When he pulls, you stand still -
or even walk in the opposite direction. He pulls ahead, you step
back. He pulls right, you step left. Talk to him while you're
doing this - get his attention back on you. Only continue the
walk in the direction you had planned when he's walking with you.
If he never gets rewarded for pulling, he'll stop. How fast he'll
stop depends on how long the pulling has been successful for him;
but don't give up. Remember, we humans are supposed to be smarter
than our dogs. If he's been pulling for a while, you may have
several days when your walk doesn't get past the end of your driveway;
that's all right. Things will improve if you keep NOT rewarding
the pulling.
Once he's getting better at walking with you, add this trick.
When you see a bush or pole that you know he'll want to sniff,
stop before you get to the point where he'll start wanting to
pull. Have him sit or do some other easy obedience trick, then
say "Let's go sniff" and lead him to the bush or pole.
You decide what he'll sniff, not he; you present it to him as
a gift, he doesn't demand it. The more good things you control
in your dog's life, the deeper his love and trust of you will
be. Present these good things to him rather than let him decide
on his own to go after them. This is part of being the pack leader
- if you don't know what I mean by that, read the article called
It's Magic.
If he's really big and strong, and you're small and delicately-built
or have muscular or mobility issues, there's also a special collar
that works immediately. If you think you need this special collar,
contact me at guarrj2002@yahoo.com
and I'll tell you about it. I will not explain its use by email
or phone; this has to be shown. Remember that I'm always happy
to help dogs and those who love them.
