No one likes being walked by their dog. The challenge becomes, how do we get our dogs to walk nicely and not pull us everywhere they want to go? As is the case with most problem behaviors, we reward them for pulling. The harder they pull, the faster we go in the direction they are pulling.
The key points to remember are:
First, and most important, use a standard leash and hold on to the loop only. Your dog will learn his boundaries, and when he starts to get to the end, he will slow down and put slack in the leash. Remember, though, if you vary the length your dog will have a hard time figuring out where his limits are.
Second, your dog wants to advance. Reward him with advancing only if he is not pulling. If he is pulling, turn around and walk the other way until he stops pulling, then turn back.
Third, praise your dog when he doesn’t pull. “Good Fido!”
As always contact our local certified trainer for further advice.