7 Reasons Your Dog Won't Stop Pulling on the Leash - And What to Do About It

As a professional dog trainer, leash pulling is one of the most common problems people come to me with.

Continue reading to learn about seven of the top contributing factors to leash pulling and how you can improve your dog's leash skills.

1. You might be using the wrong equipment.

I've found that dogs who are comfortable are much more likely to respond to training and learn to pull less faster than dogs who are in discomfort while on walks. Properly fitting body harnesses have been found to be the most ergonomic and least intrusive on dogs' bodies. Not all harnesses are created equally though, and my favorite style is the Y-shaped harness that allows unhindered movement of the shoulders. My absolute favorite are the multifunctional "no-pull" harnesses that have a leash clip on the chest, a leash clip on the back, and a traffic handle on the back. (This is one of my all-time favorite ones.)

If you're walking your dog on a slip leash, choke chain, martingale collar, prong collar, or even a flat collar, gentle leader, or ill-fitting body harness, you might consider swapping it out for a properly fitting body harness.

2. Your dog might be starting the walk with too much excitement.

What does it look like before you and your dog even get out the front door? Does your dog start jumping and whining as soon as you grab the leash? Do you have to wrangle and wrestle with them to get them suited up? Do they dash out of the house as soon as you open the door? If this sounds all too familiar, your walks might be starting with too much excitement that carries over to the walk.

Teaching your dog to be still while you get their harness and leash on and to wait while you open the door can help walks start more calmly, and help set the tone for a less chaotic walk.

3. Your dog might not be getting enough mental stimulation and physical exercise at home.

If your dog is anything like my own, going for walks is the biggest highlight of their day. Making sure the walk is not the only highlight of their day can help take the pressure off our dogs to get all of their physical, mental, and social needs met in the one hour that they're out of the house each day.

Great outlets for mental energy include puzzle feeders, snuffle mats or scatter feeding, and training. Physical exercise can be provided through fetch, tug, or with a flirt pole. Taking a nap with our dogs, taking them on a car ride, having a dog friend come over to play, us playing with them, and teaching them new skills can fulfill some of their socialization needs.

4. You and your dog might have different goals for the walk.

Did you know there are four different types of walks?

• Potty walk. This is a short walk, around 15 minutes, with the main goal being for your dog to do their business.

• Human-led walk. This type of walk is mostly for human satisfaction, with you setting the pace and direction. The motive for this walk tends to be to physical exercise.

• Dog-led walk. This walk is more dog-focused. They get to sniff when they want and choose the direction. These walks are where our dogs get to explore and observe the world.

• Off-leash running. I highly recommend visiting empty dog parks, renting a Sniffspot, or visiting an empty sports field and use a longline (e.g., 50 feet) for this to keep your dog safe. Off-leash running is great fun for our dogs because they get to move freely and make a lot more choices on where they go, how fast they go, and where and when they get to sniff.

Humans tend to lean towards the first two types, and dogs tend to want one of the last two types. The great thing about this, is that you can combine different types of walks on the same walk! For example, you can give your dog the first half of your walk to sniff as much as they want and then the second half can be for you to get your steps in. Recognizing your and your dog's goals for the walk and finding ways to meet both of your needs can go a long way in reducing leash pulling and making walks enjoyable for both of you.

5. You might have inadvertently reinforced the pulling.

Has your dog ever gotten to sniff a tree after pulling on the leash? Have they ever gotten closer to that squirrel or cat by pulling on the leash? Have they ever gotten to say hello to someone or another dog by pulling on the leash? Have they ever gotten to the park faster by pulling on the leash? If you answered 'yes,' your dog has been rewarded for pulling on the leash. Dogs do what works for them. If pulling on the leash has gotten them what they wanted in the past, they're likely to keep pulling on the leash.

6. You might not have effectively communicated your expectations to your dog.

You've probably told your dog at least once to stop pulling. But have you told them what you want them to do instead? Do you have a cue for your dog to walk by your side with a loose leash? If you do use "heel" or "with me," does your dog have a clear release cue? Or does your dog come to your side for a moment then take off again?

Getting clear with ourselves first on what we actually want our dogs to do makes it much easier to relay that expectation to our dogs.

7. You might be expecting too much too soon.

Two of the biggest mistakes I see dog guardians make when teaching loose leash walking are:

1. they try to skip kindergarten by trying to teach loose-leash walking while on the walk instead of at home first.

2. they try to jump from kindergarten to 9th grade by expecting their dog to walk nicely on the leash in high energy environments or situations after a handful of successes in the back yard.

Training goes much more smoothly and is less stressful for everyone when we set our dogs up for success by giving them the opportunity to get good at skills in low-energy and low-distraction environments before increasing the level of difficulty.

Next Steps

With all of this in mind, the next step is to take a closer look at your dog's walk routine, make adjustments, and practice.

Loose-leash walking typically isn't something that's achieved to perfection in a day, or even in a week (though lots of progress is typically seen within the first few days). If you've gone through this list and given it an honest chance, but your dog is really struggling with settling down, focusing, or reactivity towards other dogs and people, click the button below to head over to my main page and schedule a consultation to see about getting more in-depth and direct help.

Put Pulling in the Past

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