How to wean a dog pull a leash?

Very often a situation arises when you have a puppy, and he does not listen to you for a walk as you would like. Or, even as an adult dog, he continues to constantly pull the leash. What to do in such situations? Today you will learn how to wean a pet from such behavior.

A well-educated pet, in the right relationship with the owner, goes right next to him, and the leash remains in a free state. However, it happens that the leash is so tense that you literally tear off your hand. We have to chase a dog rushing somewhere. The very first reason for such a nuisance: your dog wants to feel like a leader. So he dominates the flock, as it were, in the role of the owner, and therefore "leads" it along with him.

That is why training a dog for different teams is so important. One of them is the “near” team.

But the reason for pulling the leash can be much simpler and without the desire of the pet to dominate. The fact is that the usual pace for a person, as you know, is a step, but for a dog - a run at a trot. She quickly picks up smells if she is looking for something, and, in order not to waste time, but to chase her mark correctly, she goes at a medium speed pace. But she is quite inconvenient for the owner.

In addition, with individual breeds, the situation is slightly different. The dog is trying to move faster, not even because it is naughty or wants to dominate. The thing is her huge supply of energy, which she needs to spend. And this cannot be done in any way if the animal sits in the apartment all the time. Precisely because only when he leaves the street, the pet would be happy to completely get rid of the leash and run freely for several kilometers.

There are a variety of situations in which the owner himself unconsciously fixes the dog’s habit of pulling this same leash. For example, it may happen that your four-legged friend saw a cat or a relative, but you strictly punish him to go near him and pull him to you. But in case you meet your friend, who also has a dog on a leash, you are free to approach him.

Thus, in some situations, you yourself approve of such a dog’s behavior. And believe me, he will not analyze specific cases when you can pull, when not. Your pet will simply remember that sometimes it is very encouraged, and will do it constantly.

That’s why, even if your goals with the animal coincided, Do not forget to command first, and only then calmly come together. That is why it is so important to pay attention to absolutely all such situations and to correct not your pet’s behavior, but your own.

Dog handlers have long been studying dog behavior in various situations. As a result, they came to the conclusion: the stronger the animal feels resistance, the more it wants to continue to pull. This is a reflex action, and therefore even asphyxiation, accompanied by coughing and salivation, will not stop your tough strong friend - he will insist on his even more active.

However, keeping your pet strictly beside you is also wrong, because if the leash is not pulled at all, it will not be clear where to go, which direction to move. In this case, the dog can completely stop the habit of walking on a leash, as it ceases to constantly feel him. That is why it is so important to make the right choice of a collar.

Not all is lost. It may seem that weaning a dog constantly somewhere to run for a walk, thereby carrying you along with you, is quite difficult. Indeed, it’s a little easier to teach a puppy to behave correctly than to wean an adult to pull you, dragging you along. However, there are ways for everything, and you can always do something towards improving the situation. Here are some effective tips to help you change your pet’s habits as quickly as possible.

First of all, it is worth clarifying not those qualities that you need to develop in a dog, but those that will be necessary for you specifically in training an animal. What are these factors?

• Patience to achieve the goal. Of course, there are situations when you need to apply rudeness, but in general, education involves a soft approach in a non-violent form.
• Consistency of execution. If you act inconsistently and try to retrain the dog, as was done earlier and unsuccessfully, it will turn out even worse than it was. That is why be consistent in your actions, and since you are teaching a dog, you will have to follow your every action with it.
• Need to find motivation in education. If for a puppy and a teenager completing tasks for praise is a common thing, then adult dogs can have problems. However, subject to affection, each pet is quite motivated to please the owner.
• Do not feed a treat every time you execute a command, Use vivid emotions and praise.

Teach your “beast” the command “near”. This can be done quite simply even intuitively. If your pet obeys you, he will try to please you, and over time he will understand what exactly needs to be done. If the walking speed is pumped up, calmly eagerness and slow down in a strict but calm voice. If you see how your four-legged friend looks at the leash or independently controls the speed of his walk, praise him clearly and emotionally! Obviously, he is trying to please you, and you are already close to achieving the goal.

But what if the dog is very active, and you yourself are not very comfortable stopping the dog? All right need to give her freedom to pour out energy! Therefore, take the tearing friend right away to the park or to any open space in order to play with a ball, plate or just to run there! After half an hour of such games and runs, your dog will more or less splash out all the energy and then will not be so actively running forward.

Does the kid pull the leash strongly, run from side to side, actively show interest or even bite the leash? Then a slightly different approach is required here. Instincts and reflexes at this age are much higher than education and formed habits. That’s why, in order to teach the puppy to follow you, you need to do everything quite the opposite - run next to him! It’s not yet so fast that it becomes difficult for you, the main thing is to stay on the same level. But even in running, you should accustom him to the team "next."

If you have a naughty adult, then remaking her habits is harder than creating new ones with the puppy. Sometimes as an auxiliary element you can use a collar that would help you with walks and upbringing.

The collar in this case is like an instrument. If tactics and fighting spirit lie in education, then the collar is just a tool to achieve the goal. Not everyone needs him; some individuals can do without him. But more often than not, the collar is really needed, so we choose it correctly.

• Narrow collar (2-3 centimeters). The most familiar and common option. It is suitable only for those breeds whose neck is not too long, because a thin strip will not just not hold, but may even strangle the dog.

• Wide collars. Here we will talk about models about 5 centimeters and individual variants up to 12. In the first case, the product is most often nylon and is used mainly in order not to press on the neck. So for training this option is also not suitable. If we talk about those that are more than 10 centimeters, then if you do not have a hound or a greyhound, then such a collar is not for you.

• Harness This device is not at all suitable for training adult naughty or not accustomed to teams individuals. If you are not sure whether you can control the very jerk, which is sometimes quite unexpected, then do not buy this type of collar. It is quite soft, not at all suitable for training large breeds, except for training small dogs or puppies. Sometimes situations happen when everyone else, except for the harness, can easily damage the neck.

• Specific collars.
  • Noose quite cruel in its handling of the neck, because it drags on every time the dog pulls the leash. This is not only not suitable for training, but can also greatly damage the neck.
  • Ringovka - An even more dangerous version of a noose, because the whole structure is additionally attached to the ears, and even thinner than a regular noose. One has only to panic, and a dangerous situation can happen.
  • Halter used to put on the muzzle in the form of a loop, closes at the level of the leash. This will allow you to control the actions of the dog. A generally safer and more suitable solution.
  • Strict collar, or Parfors, it’s better not to use it at all, except if you have a huge dog that doesn’t want to obey you otherwise. These collars cause a lot of pain, and therefore it is better if they are used, only as training.Plus, be sure to control so that there are no wounds.
  • The same goes for electric collar - This is a very cruel equipment and is used only by professionals, and even then if the dog threatens itself.

Do not forget about emotional approval and praise. Feed your friend a treat, but not too often. Use suitable collars. The safest of these are a 5-centimeter nylon or halter. Follow the steps to train the dog, and then your pet will stop pulling the leash and will walk next to you, really, like an old kind companion.

See how to wean a dog by pulling a leash in the next video.