Leash Training Your Dog (Part 2)

To stop future incidence of this, try a simple trick… Stand Still. Your pet will quickly reach the end of the leash and be left dancing at the end of it. Hold your ground until she realizes that you are not going anywhere at all. When the animal calms and comes back to you praise her profusely. Then walk around the room with her a bit. If she repeats the pulling behavior, again stand still. She will quickly learn that a frenzy of activity is not rewarded and will be much calmer at the end of the leash. Again praise her for being a good dog. Keep repeating this activity until you feel confident that your pet is ready for the added stimulus of being outdoors.

Now we ramp up the training a bit by moving outdoors. Here in the great unknown expanses, there lurk many new temptations; the neighbors cat, the newspaper boy on his bike, the mailman carrying a sack full of letters and usually a few dog biscuits or even a stray dog passing by. With so many new and exciting adventures, your pet will be tempted to pull at the leash again but you must stand your ground. Some of the pulling can be headed off by avoiding these situations until your pet has more experience with the leash by keeping a watchful eye for other animals or people who might interact with your pet and circumventing these areas. Once your pet is ready for such interactions, perhaps you can arrange a meeting in a controlled manner such as asking a friend to approach you and your pet at the park so you can teach your pet how to respond to a strangers approach. No matter what the situation, remember to stand still until your pet has calmed or you will be running to catch up to your pet for a very long time to come.

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