Pulling on a Leash
Most leash pulling begins as soon as the dog sees the leash and
knows she's about to go for a walk. If the walk begins out of
control, the precedent is set for the entire walk. Before expecting
your dog to calmly walk beside you on leash, train her to be calm
when you are putting her collar and leash on! Ask her to sit-stay
while you are putting on her leash. If she does not stay, the
walk is delayed until she does. Don't give in or she will learn
that it's OK to be out of control. If your dog doesn't have a
reliable sit-stay, then practice training her to sit-stay without
the distraction of the prospect of a walk. If you do not know
how to teach a reliable sit-stay, enroll in an obedience training
class.
Leash
Training Warm-Up
Most dogs learn very quickly that they must sit while the leash
is being attached to the collar. They usually tremble with excitement,
ready to explode into a frenzy as soon as this phase is accomplished.
If your dog bolts toward the door, dragging you behind, then the
situation is still out of control. Simply hold onto the leash,
stand still and let your dog dance, ricochete and bounce around
at the end of the leash. It may take 5 minutes or more, but she
will soon realize that you are not going anywhere and will begin
to calm down. When this happens, praise her for being good. After
another minute or so, take your first step, but NOT towards the
door. Instead, walk your dog around your house, garage or yard
to give her a chance to practice her 'not-pulling' skills. Everytime
she pulls, lunges or strains on the leash, simply stand still
again. When she calms down, talk to her, praise her calmly and
quietly. Try to keep her attention on yourself instead of the
door that leads to outside. When you feel that your dog is in
control and she is walking nicely without pulling in your house
or yard, then it is time to procede to the great outdoors.
Training Outdoors
Everytime your dog pulls on leash and you continue the walk, you
are rewarding her for pulling and lunging. Everytime your dog
gets out of control it is essential that you instantly stop the
walk, stand still and wait for her to calm down before continuing.
It is a tremendous effort in patience at first but it will pay
off if you persevere. You may only get to the end of the block
or even your driveway on your first outing, but if you give in
to your dog's demands, then she will continue to pull. You can
speed up the process by asking her to sit- stay for about 5 to
10 seconds everytime she begins to pull. Of course this will only
work if your dog already has a reliable sit-stay.