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Get your dogs attention before you leave
A two minute training session before your walk or a few focus exercises can really help before you leave the house. Being able to get (and keep!) their attention while outside is a perfect foundation for teaching them to walk nicely on the lead.
Tug of war
Your dog may have inadvertently learned that pulling against the lead gets them where they want to go. If your dog has pulled in the past and your have ended up going with them then their pulling has been rewarded and they will carry on.
Equipment
If you’re using something like an extendable lead, you could be actually teaching your dog that pulling against the pressure of the lead does get them where they’d like to go! A harness with a clip at the chest is a brilliant training aid. This type of harness turns your dogs body around when they pull against the lead and it also takes the pressure off your dogs sensitive neck.
Reward your dog!
Reinforce your dogs good choices when they decide to walk close to you without pulling on the lead. Make sure you give them something they really enjoy and they’ll be more likely to stick close by!
Help them out
As with all training, make it easy for your dog to be successful by practising this somewhere with fewer distractions to start with. Practising in your house or garden or somewhere that they can focus on you easily will make it easier when you do step out of your front door.
Need more help?
Why not book some one to one training to help you put the perfect foundations in place?
With packages available from as little at £185 you can soon start finding walks enjoyable!