Expert: Lindsey - 2/9/2009

Question
hello we have a 13 month old boxer  who is the most softest
and sweet natured dog you could ever want.The only problems
we have with him is that he pulls really bad when put on
our walks.every person we see and every dog we see he just
wants to drag us over to them, to play.

Answer
So let’s first look at why dogs pull on the leash. It’s because they CAN! And it often works to get them what they want. For instance, if a dog wants to go and sniff a tree, and he pulls towards the tree, then the owner goes with the dog and allows the dog to sniff the tree, what has the dog learned from the interaction? He learned that if he wants to sniff a tree, he can pull towards it, and get what he wants. My favorite mantra with my students is this…”a dog only does what works”. If you want a behavior to continue, make it work for the dog. If you want a behavior to diminish, make it NOT work for the dog.

So how do we do that with a determined leash puller? First off, try everything in your power to NOT let the dog get wherever he’s trying to go when he’s pulling on the leash. It works faster if you in fact go the OPPOSITE direction from where the dog wants to go so that he learns that pulling towards something always ends up leading him away from what he wants. I often spend the first few minutes of a walk, switching directions rapidly on my dog. I’ll walk a few steps in one direction, and if he pulls or puts tension on the leash at all, I make a surprise hard turn in the opposite direction for a few steps, and repeat.

The other method to try, although sometimes it ends up in a long walk where you didn't go very far! You can try the 'tree' method.  Absolutely refuse to move when the dog pulls on the leash.  Just stand there, and when the leash goes slack you can continue to walk.  Keep stopping immediately when you feel any bit of tension on the leash.  Eventually, and i say that loosely because some dogs take longer than others, he will get it and no longer pull.