How to stop your dog pulling on walks
Date Posted:6 February 2020
Dogs are strong creatures - especially when they are putting their whole weight against you and pulling on the lead. It can make walking your dog very diffucult which is not what you want. Walking your dog should be relaxing and enjoyable for you and your dog! So here are our top tips to stop your dog pulling while on walks.
1. To start off try rewarding your dog for the positive things
Your dog may not understand that pulling is actually such a bad thing - so make sure when your dog is walking next to you and not pulling you reward him/her! Play games with them such as walking backwards and follow me games - reward, reward, reward! Soon your dog will understand what is wrong and what is right which should make a difference moving forward.
2. In the mean time if your dog is just a bit strong for you, thats ok! There are plenty of walking harnesses and haltis specifically designed for pullers. Such as the:
- Sporn Mesh No Pull Harness - Patented system "gives" with dog's natural movements. Humanely controls dog pulling without choking.
- Sporn Head Halter - Designed for dogs that are heavy to extreme pullers. Easy to use and uses gentle guidance from the withers, not around the face.
- BlackDog Haltermate - The Haltermate is is essentially a Flat Collar with a Martingela Loop and Noseband attached. Your lead is clipped at the back of the dog's neck, so it feels just like a normal collar and the noseband only tightens when the dog pulls. This gives a very clear On/Off signal, so your dog will respond quickly and learn quickly, even to light pressure on the lead.
- Halti head collar - The Halti is manufactured from soft but extremely strong webbing and fits easily onto your dog. By attaching your lead to the connecting ring will quickly and easily teach your dog not to pull away. As your dog begins to pull, the Halti will gently close it's mouth. Dogs do not like this action and will stop pulling. It's as easy as that!
- Gentle Leader Harness - Traditional harnesses can actually encourage dogs to pull harder because of the “opposition reflex.” That’s the reflex that makes sled dogs do what they do. The Easy Walk Harness' unique front-chest leash attachment stops pulling by tightening slightly across your dog's chest and shoulder blades. The gentle pressure steers your dog to the side and redirecting his attention back towards you. The Easy Walk Harness never causes coughing, gagging, or choking because the chest strap rests low across the breastbone, not on the delicate tracheal area.
- Gentle Leader Head Collar - The Gentle Leader Head Collar is often referred to as 'The 10 minute attitude adjuster'. This is the recommended method of training your dog to walk without pulling or jumping up, in conjunction with positive reinforcement. Light pressure is exerted on the muzzle and the back of the neck, imitating the action of a mother dog on her puppies, and signals to the dog that you are in control. The head collar still allows your dog to open his mouth fully for drinking, eating, panting and barking.
There are also ranges of stop pulling leads :
- Rogz Utility Control Long Lead - Rogz Shock Absorbing Leads reduce strain on your hands and on your dog Designed for strong erratic pullers, the Control Lead absorbs the pull pressure along the surface of the soft bungee webbing which extends and retracts according to your dog's behaviour, minimizing the risk of injury to you or your dog.
