How on earth do you get your dog to not pull?
This question plagues many people, and keeps many, all too many dogs from being walked. There are techniques and tools that are very worth trying, but before we get to that, a note on dog training in general:
Behaviour has three parts. The thing that happens before, the behaviour itself, and what happens afterwards. So, looking at a pulling dog, often, what happens is the collar is applied, the dog begins to pull like a loon, and this leads to forward motion. This forward motion is something the dog likes a lot. Sometimes, the pleasure of pulling as an act in itself is what the dog likes a lot. Either way, if you want to decrease a behaviour, you can tackle it in two ways - change what happens before the behaviour, thus preventing the behaviour entirely (this would include not walking your dog, ever, but that's not what we're after here!).
The other way is to change what happens after the behaviour - if what comes after a behaviour is nice, odds are that behaviour will happen more frequently. If what happens after is not very nice, odds are it will decrease.
All training effectively works on this principle - either make the result you want super nice, so it will happen more, or make the result you don't want not very nice, so it will happen less. To make good training plans out of this you need to know a bit more about dogs than just that, but this is where it all starts.
Without further ado - on to techniques:
1. Wait it out.
The leash or harness is on the dog, you're ready to set off, and Fido is pulling with all their might. Stand still. Dead still. Don't move at all. Let Fido pull, pull, pull. Eventually (sometimes 30 seconds, sometimes ten minutes or more) Fido will realise this is not working so well, and will calm down, stop pulling, maybe even sit. This is what you're waiting for. The moment you get no more pulling, take a step. Be ready, the pulling is likely to resume. Stand still again. Wait for no more pulling. Take a deep breath, keep calm. Repeat until your dog figures out that pulling gets it nowhere, but walking near you gets it in motion. This may well mean that you walk only ten steps for the first couple of walks, but it will get there. Depending on your dog (and how riled up praise gets it), it would be fantastic if you could praise, perhaps even feed a small treat, if your dog does not pull.
Do not do this if your dog is too strong for you to control. Do not do this with a head halter, a prong collar or a choke chain, especially if the head halter/chain/prong does not change the amount your dog pulls at all - it's a good way to injure your dog. Do not do this if you cannot stay calm, patient and content during the initial part of training.
2. Enhance the mistake
Start walking. As soon as Fido pulls, head off in the opposite direction as quickly and as deliberately as you can. If Fido dashes ahead and pulls again, just turn once more. Is Fido pulling off to one side? Head off in the opposite direction. Praise, treat, sing, dance, whatever makes your dog happy when they're walking with you, not pulling. If Fido is walking too quickly for you, slow down massively. If Fido is too slow, speed up. This can be a great game if done happily and energetically. It is a good 'next step' if waiting it out did not work for you after a week of good, honest trying. It can be a good starting point if you don't have the patience for waiting it out.
Do not do this if you are using a head halter, choke chain or a prong collar. The jerking of the collar when you change direction can sometimes be rather violent, with a prong/choke chain you need a different approach.
3. Back to basics
If you have a puppy, or a large yard, it is also possible to learn leash walking by starting with getting the puppy/dog to follow you. Puppies are naturally inclined to follow, dogs are very likely to follow a potential treat. Call them to you as you go. If they run ahead, change direction. If they stay near you (for one step, then two steps, and so on, gradually increase), toss a treat on to the ground to reset the exercise, walk away calling them, and if they stay near you for x number of steps, treat and repeat. Keep sessions short - 5 minutes to 15 minutes is good. Increase slowly! Also, don't increase until your previous goal has been met. If your puppy/dog is failing, go a few steps shorter for a bit, then build up again.
Once the puppy/dog stays near you, and immediately comes to your side after a treat toss, add in a leash. Don't pick it up, let it drag (keep an eye on it for safety). Mentally remind yourself, nothing has changed, and keep at it. A few sessions after the leash has been introduced, pick it up. Again, nothing has changed. If you feel yourself getting tense, tie it to your pants. That way, no tension can do down the lead. Resume as before. If the previous steps were done right, the puppy/dog stayed right with you even with the dragging lead, and now stays with you even though you're holding the lead. It's time to hit the road! Pick a quiet time for the first walk or two, start in the yard like all the previous times, just head outside like it's all part of the session, and head right back in. Increase the distance gradually.
Then, in addition to these techniques, there are tools that you can use that can help:
1. Specialised collars
Choke chains and prong collars and perhaps even electric collars can help to teach your dog to walk, but I would strongly discourage you from using these without the guidance of a trainer. If used correctly, each can be humane, but it is all too easy to use them wrongly. Find a trainer that emphasises positive training techniques - these are learnt skills for which some guidance is very, very helpful!
2. No-pull harnesses
These harnesses have a back part made of rope. If your dog should pull, it will tighten around their chest giving an uncomfortable sensation. This very often stops them from pulling. This is a great option for brachycephalic dogs where collars and tension are a bad, bad mix. Remember that a tool is a means to an end - you still need to praise, treat, play or otherwise reward your dog when they're doing the right thing - the idea is that eventually, you'd be able to put your dog in anything, harness, collar, dainty diamante chain or even ribbon, and there won't be pulling.
3. Head halters
There are a selection of head halters out there. They look a bit like bridles, with the idea that if the dog should pull, the head will be turned towards the person. Since the body is likely to follow where the head goes, this stops pulling. Use with care, they can injure a dog's neck and spine if the dog still pulls. Again, see it as a means to an end. These also have the downside of looking a bit like muzzles, which may cause trouble should someone decide you have a dangerous dog.
4. The Suitcase leash
A DIY no-pull setup, you take your dog's leash along their back, once around their tummy, as close to their back legs as you can get it, and underneath itself. Here's a picture:
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| From http://www.pugvillage.com/forum/pug-training/108805-how-do-suitcase-leash-kind-way-correct-pulling-dog-pics.html, where a much better description of how to do it can be found as well. |
This is by no means an exhaustive list of techniques or tools to help with this. But, I hope this inspires you to get out there and get walking.
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