# Leash pulling



## Ivy's Mom (Jan 15, 2014)

My 6 month old golden Ivy has been pulling on her leash, a lot. We have tried a harness which did not help to stop her from pulling. Are there any special types of leashes or harnesses to stop pulling on the leash?


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## BajaOklahoma (Sep 27, 2009)

I only use a regular collar on all of the dogs. For the CGC test, they have to have the regular collar on.
We started out walking using clicker training. You can find some great videos on youtube to teach you how to "prime" the puppy to the click.
First teach "Watch me," by holding the treat to you face. When you get a glance to your face, click and treat.
I use the phrase "let's go" to indicate we are starting to walk. When the puppy starts pulling, stop, say "watch me" and "this way" as you walk in the opposite direction. You want the pup to learn that you decide where to go and she needs to keep an eye on you to know where to go. I admit, the first 25 walks (or so) are miserably slow and the distance covered is short. But it does pay off in the long run.


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## Menaw (Feb 16, 2014)

Try using a haltie which hooks to the collar and goes around the muzzle and when the dog pulls it turns their head to the side, which they don't like and they stop pulling on the leash. Worked for me.


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## Heart O'Gold (Jul 31, 2012)

Try using a front clip harness, such as Easy Walk ( I put mine on Bentley upside-down : black section on top, bc it fits better that way). This type of harness discourages pulling by pulling back on the front of the dog when they pull. It will give you much more control. Get one at Petco or somewhere that allows returns just in case, although I think you'll wind up keeping it.


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## goldlover68 (Jun 17, 2013)

Best advice I see in these posts is to go with your pup to an obedience class, and not at the local Petco...find a trainer not working in some retail store. 



That being said, our trainers (I am not an expert and only relaying my experiences and opinion) have always recommended pinch collars vs. choke chains or harnesses. All can be misused and harm the dog. 



The downside on pinch collars is that traditionally, the act of putting them on the dog and getting the latch to hold properly can be problematic. My trainer recently put me on to a lady that make a new style pinch collar, that eliminates the difficulty of putting them on and it has no latch...you can look at them at www.lolalimited.net. They call them "Secret Power" collars...but they are a well-engineered covered pinch style collar. But do not use these without a trainer teaching you how to train with these collars....good luck


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## dilspam (Oct 25, 2013)

I keep a metal can filled with treats in my left pocket (I prefer her to heal left). if she starts getting to far ahead of my knee ~12 inches or behind ~12 inches, I just rattle my pocket. every 50 feet I stop, she sits, get little treat. I just increase the distance between treat...

now I am working on the go the opposite direction without warning part, and making sure she stays on my left

She is doing pretty good for a 17 week old. The haltly collars work really good for some dogs, but they can be used/fitted incorrectly, see a trainer/export.


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## golfgal (Dec 31, 2013)

i used a flat buckle collar only. anytime they started to pull, I stopped walking or changed direction. They also got an 'ah-ah' or 'no'. they learned it but you still have to stay on top of it. eg on friday, it took us almost 10 minutes to walk 30 ft to the off leash dog park once we were out of the car.


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## dborgers (Dec 7, 2011)

Rudy's had an Easy Walk harness the last three weeks since his adoption that clips in the front, but that wasn't doing the trick so last night I bought him a halti harness at PetSmart. He did his best to wriggle out of it, pawing at it, but the results were almost instantaneous: he stopped pulling. It isn't a permanent thing, just long enough for him to get the idea of not pulling on the leash. It doesn't hurt or harm them in any way.

Halti Holt Dog Training Head Collar


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## porchpotty (Aug 4, 2011)

Here are effective ways to stop your dog from pulling and tugging: 

1. Use a body harness 

It’s important to note that tugging on a collar is a danger to dogs on a physical level. Due to their determination to be a pack leader, they are going to tug with the full force of their body in order to be in the lead. What happens is that a collar will dig into their neck, restricting the airway (trachea) and causing slight damage. While it may start out as coughing and wheezing, over time this can wear down their airway, especially with larger dogs that have more weight to tug with.

For this reason, the use of a body harness will help during the training process. These are relatively inexpensive – usually about the cost of a collar, and will displace the force of the leash across their chest rather than solely on their neck (it’s still necessary to use a leash for their tags and license).

Be sure that it fits your dog snugly and won’t chafe them, such as in areas under their legs. If the harness has a metallic buckle, consider using a cloth or tape to secure it so that it doesn’t strike their chest or flanks when they’re moving around; this becomes more of an issue when there’s too much slack in the harness.

2. Stop, turn and go

While you’ve addressed your dog’s well-being, it’s still necessary to get your dog to stop taking you for walks. So, stop and think about why your dog is tugging in the first place. Basically, a dog is going to move in the direction where they think you are going (they just don’t have the patience to wait up for you and your two-leg speed). They see the destination and basically want to get there in a hurry. For most of us owners, we tend to just go along with them, but this only enforces the fact that perhaps they are in charge right now.

In order to stop this behavior, the best place to start is when your dog pulls, you stop. This will leave your dog tugging against you, but they won’t be able to move on. Another good technique is to change direction regularly. If they’re tugging forward, stop, turn around and go the other direction.

Start out on the sidewalk, where there is no apparent destination for them to see or note. Start walking in one direction and when they begin tugging, stop and move in the other direction. Do this several times until they begin to wonder where it is that you’re going. They’ll eventually begin to wonder what’s going on and look to you for the answer. This is exactly what you want to happen. In order to stop the pulls and tugs, you need your dog to focus on staying with you rather than getting to the destination as quickly as possible.

3. Use commands and treats
The preceding process can also be associated with commands, such as “stop” or “stay” when you stop. If you stop, give your dog a command to “halt” or “stay with me.” This will help them associate the fact that they need to pay attention to you because you have the answers they’re looking for. Additionally, the use of a treat will help incline them to listen to you during the initial stages of training. But you will want to eventually wean them off treats and for them to respond to you on command alone.

Next time you take your dog out for a walk, be sure that you’re the one leading the expedition. With a little training and the right tools to ensure their safety, you’ll be able to take charge of your dog and guide them instead of them dragging you along for the ride.


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