Expert: Renee Cox - 8/29/2007

Question
I have two beautiful adolescent Boxers.  We were not strict enough when teaching them to walk and now experience a lot of pulling on the leash.  We have gone from chokers to pinschers (neither of which we like) and are now using the Gentle Leader.  Maggie is quite small and the halti bothers her tremendously.  She spends 99 percent of the walk rubbing her face on the ground.  Do they make a halti for boxers/pug-faced dogs?  Do you have any other suggestions?

Answer
I'll tell you a good trick that I learned from a wonderful obedience instructor that works great. When you're walking your dog, keep a short leash and when the dog starts to pull, change directions. That teaches the dog to watch for your cue. I'm serious, this honestly works. And it's simple and free. You may have to do this a lot until the dog finally gets it, but it does work. It worked on my old Boxer when he was younger. He pulled and pulled at the leash. My friend taught me this trick, and it took a couple of weeks, but it worked! He's 12 years old, and to this day, he won't pull at the leash. I am doing this with my 14 week old female, and she's caught on really quick.