One of the biggest mile stones in dog training is teaching the dog to walk on the leash properly – without pulling it.
The number one reason that a dog pulls on the leash is because the dog wants something and the dog is trying to reach the thing that it wants.
The pulling can be quite frustrating, naturally, and so many dog owners simply give in to the dog. However, since dogs are extremely intelligent animals, they will certainly remember this.
Instead of letting him get what he wants when pulling, you could do the exact opposite: Simply stop walking. Just stop and wait.
Stop abruptly the very second your dog puts any tension on the leash. The timing needs to be good here. If he starts pulling, you stop. Very simple.
Inevitably, the dog will turn around to try to figure out why he can’t move forward anymore. It is at this point that the owner must praise the dog (either pet him or give him a treat) for stopping the pulling on the leash.
Moreover, it is also a good idea to tell the dog to get in the heel position after this happened.
Yes, stopping every time when there is tension on the leash can be quite frustrating. And every walk -even the short ones- might then seem to take forever. But it will get better after a while. It is all a matter of habit, and you and your dog need to first break the old one (i.e. leash pulling is acceptable).
When you actually start doing this, you might be shocked at how often you need to stop. Yes, it can be frustrating. But consistency is the only way to help your dog figure out that pulling on the leash will not get him anywhere faster. And right now, this is the most important thing for him to learn.
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