Dear Critter Corner: We have tried multiple types of equipment on our pup, but nothing seems to help him stop pulling on our walks. Is there anything you can recommend to help?
Having the right equipment can be very helpful, but you still need to do the training. For the dedicated pullers, I usually use a no-pull type of harness or a head halter.
For training, there are several approaches you can take to achieve loose leash walking. Here are a few ways that I find helpful. Try them all and see what is best for you and your pup!
I find that having a high rate of reinforcement at the start of the walk helps keep your dog’s focus on you, and this also keeps them by your side, eliminating the pulling. As your walk progresses, work on decreasing the rate of reinforcement.
You can use the red light, green light method. As long as there is slack on the leash, you continue with forward motion. Once there is pressure on the leash, all forward motion stops, and you wait for there to be slack again. Some dogs have a harder time with this method, and I will help those out by asking them to come back and offer a sit at my side, or just to come to my side before we start again.
If you are starting at home, you can get a handful of treats and reinforce your pup for being next to you. Once they are next to you, you can take a step in another direction and wait for them to get next to you again. You can repeat this process, adding distractions to the environment as your dog becomes more focused on you and less on what is going on around them.
Lastly, you can do directional changes when your pup gets too far ahead of you. Here you would be walking in one direction, and when your pup is too far ahead, you would give them a cue and then change direction. Once they catch up, you can reinforce them and then carry on in your original direction.
In the end, you want to make the training fun for both you and your dog so that all remain engaged!