In other words- walking on a loose leash.
This video quickly outines exercises to get your dog walking on a loose leash by your side. Put very basically FIRST you will teach the dog what you want them to do! And secondly, stop reinforcing them when they pull!
I demonstrate the exercise using a clicker, but if you do not have one, you can always use a verbal marker like yes etc. However you will get much faster and reliable results by using the clicker. If you hold the clicker in the same hand as the leash, and keep the treats in the other hand, you will find it easier to manage. Practice holding the leash, clicker, and treats when you do not have the dog attached to the leash yet, so you dont become overwhelmed.
A great book on loose leash walking, or how to stop your dog from pulling is-
My Dog Pulls. What Do I Do? by Turid Rugaas
You can get this book on www.dogwise.com and other places too. Its very short and has lots of pictures.
I would advise against using any forms of positive punishment when teaching any behavior, but especially leash walking, as startling or hurting a dog actually increases their stress hormones in their body causing the dog to be more hyperactive and more likely to become aroused and reactive towards other dogs and people (weather they want to greet them or not).
DO NOT DROP THE LEASH! I showed myself dropping the leash on a street with no cars/danger and another person there. This would happen during an emergency, if you trip or fumble. In no way do I support people who walk with their dogs off leash, you never can tell if a car will backfire, or who knows what, an earthquake etc with frighten your dog, and cause it to run into traffic. If you don’t like holding a leash, simply tie it to your waist like I do with my dogs. However walking in a safe place where dogs are allowed off leash is perfectly acceptable 
Duration : 0:3:39
25 Responses
2009 Sep 30
interesting. but …
interesting. but what if my dog isn’t interested in food or toys??
2009 Sep 30
I have to agree …
I have to agree with you maya…I’ve trained many of puppies. Those using choker collars, have been much more responsive to Loose Lease Walking training…however I have reason to feel that they aren’t all that comfortable to the puppy.
2009 Sep 30
there is nothing …
there is nothing wrong with a choker collar…as long as you dont pull your dog all over the place and hurt him in the process then he’s fine.
the dog will learn that if he pulls then he’ll get choked…do not pull your dog…the choker collars are completely safe..in fact i trained my german shepherd on it and now she never pulls. i’ve stopped with the choker and now use a regular collar…choker collars work if you know what your doing.
2009 Sep 30
You don’t have too. …
You don’t have too. Just praise them instead.
2009 Sep 30
My mother’s …
My mother’s chihuahua has never pulled. Shes a good submissive dog though.
My dog though, EVIL. She pulls.
2009 Sep 30
If you want to be …
If you want to be an abusive owner and choke your dog into listening to you, sure. Go ahead.
If you want to have a real bond with your dog in which they want to listen to you because they love, trust and respect you, you’d go about it with “all this effort”. Because yes, they’re not stupid animals. They know when you’re being fair, and when you’re being abusive.
If you actually train your dog early not to pull in the first place, you wouldn’t need a trachea-collapsing choker chain anyways.
2009 Sep 30
this is very good …
this is very good video but is all this effort nessesary ? chocker chains do the same job dog pulls dog colar gets tight dog stops theyre not stupid animals
2009 Sep 30
hahaha that’s right!
hahaha that’s right!
2009 Sep 30
amazing…. thx for …
amazing…. thx for the tips so much
2009 Sep 30
tahnx soooo much im …
tahnx soooo much im gonna go try it thanx!
2009 Sep 30
how the clicker …
how the clicker works? I have to beagles, one of them don’t pull the leash, but the other one pull and stronger.
2009 Sep 30
Try and affirmation …
Try and affirmation word like, “Yes!” then you need nothing but your own voice.
2009 Sep 30
is there an …
is there an alternative to a clicker?
2009 Sep 30
I’m going to try …
I’m going to try this out.
2009 Sep 30
I got my 4 week old …
I got my 4 week old yorkie to walk next to me and stop pulling in 3 days using this technique! I even bought a clicker as soon as I found this video lol …. thank you!
2009 Sep 30
Hopefully I can get …
Hopefully I can get a tip on how to walk my 4mo lab/shepherd mix. She’s very smart and picks things up really quickly, but on walks, she’d rather eat rocks, mulch, and sticks instead of enjoy the walk or listen to me. She knows “leave it” but she only seems to listen when we’re inside. So when she’s not pulling pulling pulling on the leash, she’s eating everything she can get her little mouth on. I don’t know what to do anymore, this is dangerous and I keep finding pieces of mulch in her poop!
2009 Sep 30
Wow. So instructive …
Wow. So instructive. Thanks.
2009 Sep 30
I wonder if this …
I wonder if this will work for my dog–she’s a English Pointer mix so she just HAS to sniff EVERYTHING OMG SMELLS SQUIRREL OTHER DOG CRAP CHIPBAG!!!
2009 Sep 30
your puppy is still …
your puppy is still very young. i’m not a dog trainer or anything but i’ve noticed my dog enjoys going for walks more as he’s gotten older (10 months now). I think you should keep at it and giving her treats for following.
2009 Sep 30
Thank you for this …
Thank you for this video, very helpful!
2009 Sep 30
When my puppy was …
When my puppy was that age, two things worked. I walked him before feeding and used a treat as a lure. The other thing that worked the best was to have someone walking their dog at the same time. My puppy followed willingly. Now at 6 months, I have to stop his pulling!
2009 Sep 30
walk him more often …
walk him more often and he will be less excited
2009 Sep 30
you have helped me …
you have helped me so much emily
2009 Sep 30
just beat the crap …
just beat the crap out of the dog if it pulls!
2009 Sep 30
I have a stubborn ( …
I have a stubborn (but VERY lovable) 5 year old Old English Sheep Dog who pulls like a Clydesdale horse. I’ve tried all of these techniques, and we do loose leash training EVERY day with “heel” commands, but the only thing that seems to work perfectly is a training collar. Even if I don’t attach his leach to that collar when he’s wearing it, he behaves. Getting him to wear it is an another thing entirely….