tips for training your large breed dog

Puppy Pulls On His Leash? 2 Tips To Try Before You Seek Professional Puppy Training

29 December 2016 by Aiden Hill

If you have just welcomed a new puppy into your family, then you likely already know that you are in for many great years of fun and companionship with your new "family member." However, like all puppies, the key to both your family and your puppy getting the most out of those years is ensuring he is properly trained while he is young; the older a get becomes before he is fully trained, the more difficult it is for new habits to "stick." If your puppy is finally walking on his leash, then he may be pulling on it while he is walking. This is a habit that must be broken before he becomes so strong that his pulling leads to a family member dropping his leash or he even damages his throat due to the pressure he is putting on it. 

Read on to learn three puppy training techniques you can try at home to nip his pulling problem in the bud before it becomes a bad life-long habit. 

1. Add More Physical Activity to His Life

Many well-intentioned new puppy owners just don't realize how much activity puppies need to release their boundless energy. If you had a dog in the past and adopted him as an adult, then you may have provided him two or three short walks each day, and that may have been plenty of exercise for a dog of his breed and age. 

However, puppies, just like children, have much more energy than adult dogs, and when they don't have as many daily opportunities to release that energy, they would often rather run than walk when their owners are walking them on their leashes, and this attempt could be what is causing his pulling. 

There are many ways to increase your puppy's activity level. You can play fetch with him in the house to "wear him out" before you take him for his walks, simply increase the length of his walks, or provide him with a larger number of walks each day. If you notice that he pulls on the leash early on during a long walk and then stops pulling toward the end, then his bad habit is likely just due to his body "wanting" more exercise than he is currently getting. 

2. Try the Walk-Stop Technique

If your puppy keeps pulling on his leash, even after you have increased his daily activity as much as you can, then that is a sign that his pulling habit has begun to "stick" and more formal puppy dog training techniques may be needed to correct his habit.  

Start the training technique by loading a pocket with his favorite treat. Then, leash him up and take him on one of his usual walks. As soon as you notice him producing tension in the leash when he is pulling on it, stop walking and stand in one place for a few seconds. When you begin walking again, repeat the technique as many times as needed until he finally allows some slack in the leash. 

When you notice slack in the leash (when he is not pulling at all) slip him a puppy treat. When he begins pulling again, repeat the steps above. By using this method, you teach him that his pulling has the opposite effect of what he intends --- instead of helping him get to where he wants to go faster, his tugging is slowing him down! 

Like all puppy training techniques, you need to make sure you use the technique every single time you walk him until he stops pulling completely. If other members of your household walk him, also ensure they perform the technique during their walks. He does not have to receive treats during every walk, but the other technique steps should be repeated until he has stopped pulling. 

Don't be tempted to try tugging on his leash when he pulls, which used to be a recommended training technique for leash pulling, because it is no longer recommended due to the fact that it often worsens the a dog's leash-pulling problem instead of helping it. 

If following both of these tips does not help you stop your dog's leash pulling, then don't worry, because a professional puppy dog trainer like ARC Dog Rehab can help stop his bad habit. Proper puppy training can help ensure your dog and your family develop a healthy relationship that lasts for the rest of his life. 

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