Teaching Your Dog Not To Pull
The most difficult habit to teach your dog to break is pulling on the leash
. It is easy to think that the dog is simply excited to be outdoors and walking, but this habit can seriously damage the relationship between dog and master.
Walking the dog does not have to be a daily battle. Many people who believe it is a daily battle give up on taking the dog for walks.
However, this will lead to the dog developing more bad habits in order to expend the energy they would otherwise have expelled when walking. Stop letting your dog pull on the leash.
Whenever you give up and let him or her pull, you are sending the message that it is okay for the dog to pull and undermining all of your previous hard work in trying to teach them not to pull.
By allowing them to pull, your will be rewarding them by allowing them to sniff what they want or do what they want. This reward does not encourage them to stop pulling.
The first step to re-erecting this bad behavior is to stop providing this reward. The second step is to stop using a retractable leash.
Retractable leashes generally encourage a dog to pull until they can go wherever they want. This kind of leash is not a proper tool for training your dog not to pull.
However, head collars, head halters, and walking harnesses are all useful for this kind of training. They are comfortable for the dog to wear only when they are not pulling on the leash.
These devices can be especially useful for this kind of training if it properly fits your dog. If it does not properly fit your dog, the harness may be uncomfortable all of the time and the dog will not be able to distinguish the difference between pulling and not pulling, it is simply uncomfortable.
Some people like to use Martingale and prong collars as a leash training tool as well. Slip and choke collars can work, but they are dangerous for your dog.
You can easily hurt your dog through the use of them, even by accident. The best solution is to use an Easy Walk harness, which has a reputation for producing the best results among a variety of many dog breeds.
The next thing to consider is your own attitude and behavior while you walk the dog. Praise and reward with treats the moments when your dog resists the temptation to pull.
In the beginning you will go through a lot of praise and a lot treats. As your dog begins to get the idea you can slowly cut back on the treats and the praise.
Whenever your dog pulls, pretend you grew roots to the center of the earth and do not budge an inch until the dog heeds your wishes again. Do not let the dog determine where you will walk or go.
If your dog seems particularly insistent, walk the other direction to lower the level of temptation to pull for your dog. You should never hit your dog under any circumstances.
Most of the time the dog will simply not understand why you hit them. By hitting them you will only decrease their trust in you and their desire to do your wishes.
You can use a stern voice to tell them no. Or if you are used to working with a no reward signal such as a specific spoken word such as, "wrong," it is an appropriate time to use it when your dog pulls.
Through these constructive training techniques your dog will learn to heed your command. Walking will become an enjoyable activity for both yourself and the dog.
Remember to be patient and continue to love you dog no matter how stubborn he or she can be. As you work together it will be a richly rewarding experience that will strengthen your relationship with your dog.
by: Terry Daniels
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