How to Stop a Dog That Pulls in 5 Minutes Or Less
by dogtoyadvisor | Last updated on November 18, 2020
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Trying to walk a dog that will constantly pull on the leash is a nasty experience for both you and the dog.
Walking your dog is supposed to be fun, that very special moment you get to bond with your dog during a relaxing walk.
But training a dog to properly walk on a lead takes time and consistency.
We’re here to let you know that a simple trick you can use to walk your dog on a loose-leash in minutes!
Why We Had to Learn The Hard Way
Dobby was our first dog ever.
We adopted him when he was about one year old, a sick traumatized puppy who’d been abused, neglected and left to die because he was to gentle to hunt.
He wasn’t housebroken in the slightest, never walked on a leash in his life.
He was medium sized and very anxious, meaning he would pull like crazy.
Everyday we’d end up hurt.
Our shoulders, neck, arms, wrists would hurt and we ended up requiring physical therapy to recover from our injuries.
We were clueless about training and had to learn ourselves before we could train him.
All we could do was look for hacks to use until we got our act together.
3 Tips to Stop a Dog Pulling on the Leash in 5 Minutes
It may seem hard to believe, but we mean what we say.
You CAN get your dog to stop pulling on the leash in 5 minutes less.
Without punishment, stress or yelling.
Best yet, all of our hacks are tried and tested by us, so we know for sure they work.
Hopefully they’ll work for your dog too!
Tip 1 – Use the Equipment Correctly
A no-pull harness is a must for getting your dog to stop pulling.
But more often than not, you’ll hear people complain that no-pull harnesses simply don’t work.
We used to complain too until we realized we weren’t using it correctly.
When using a no-pull harness you need to attach the leash in the front, not the top of the harness!
Such a small change that takes well under 5 minutes to make!
By attaching the leash on the front of the harness, your dog will feel restrained whenever he pulls, the leash pushing him to the side and pressing on his front leg.
It will become much more comfortable for him to walk alongside you and he’ll naturally want to do it!
You will find a lot of no-pull harnesses available out there, some great options and others not so much.
We chose the Rabbitgoo No Pull Harness because it’s padded (very comfortable for the dog), sturdy, glows in the dark and has lots of stylish color options to pick from.
Oh, and it’s pretty easy to put on too!
Some other harnesses we’ve owned required too much hard work, we prefer something that we can get on the dog in seconds and be ready to go.
Tip 2 – Get Your Dog Tired Before Walking
Depending on your dog’s energy level, this may take a bit more than just 5 minutes but a lot can be done within this time frame.
Tire your dog out.
Play with him, make him chase the ball, run (preferably uphill), do whatever it takes to make sure he’s tired and relaxed before going on that walk with you.
A tired dog won’t have the energy to pull on the leash.
In fact, for anything you want to do with your dog, like training or just having him focused on you, it’s always better to get him tired before doing it, no extra energy to get in the way.
Tip 3 – Keep Him Focused On You
This is a basic technique you can use whenever you want your dog to focus on you and nothing else.
Walk your dog while holding whatever your dog loves the most.
Most dogs love tasty treats, others love toys or a nice bouncy tennis ball.
For Dobby, it was treats.
We would hold a handful of small treats in our closed hand, next to his face as we walked.
Every few steps, we’d feed him one. Then the number of steps between treats would become bigger and bigger.
We can assure you your dog won’t leave your site for as long as he knows you have the goodies.
This works particularly well if you’re walking your dog before he eats, because he will be all the more focused on the yummy treats in your hand.
Just be sure to pick low calorie treats so your dog won’t become overweight.
Learn How to Train Your Dog on a Leash Properly
Now that you know how to walk your dog on a leash without stress (or injury), it’s time to train him to do it without the hacks.
Know all the steps you need to take to make sure your dog is walking with you and not away from you.
Learn how we taught our three dogs to walk perfectly on the leash.
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