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When you put him on the leash, insist
that he sit until you release him.
Typically, once you’ve accomplished
that, your dog will still bound up and
away, headed for the door or gate. Stop
in your tracks and let the leash stop
him in his. Tell him to sit, and stay
(or to stop, if he’s learned that one),
and walk over to him. If he’s still
sitting, reward him and release him, but
stay where you are. If he’s smart ,
it’ll only take a time or two before he
realizes that running off without you is
going to end with all his force yanking
him back when he reaches the end of the
leash. Continue this training by letting
him go to the end of the leash, telling
him to sit and stay, then walking over
to him and releasing him. Note that you
aren’t even trying to actually take a
walk yet! Eventually, he will no longer run all the way to the end
of the leash, but will stop himself and look back at
you. When he stops pulling forward, shorten the leash a
little by winding it around your hand a few times, and
continue training as before. Now when he stops himself,
he’ll be stopping closer and closer to you. Keep reeling
him in little by little until you’re working with him
just a stride or two in front of you (closer than that
and you’ll either trip over him or have to bring him by
your side and teach him to heel). By this time, your dog
is learning that if anyone’s going to keep some slack in
the leash, it’s going to have to be him. This is what
you want, because now, rather than running to keep up
with your dog, he’ll be conscious of the fact that he’d
better slow down, or he’s the one who’s going to get
yanked around. Once he starts taking responsibility for
keeping the leash comfortable for him, you can start
walking him.
Once you both start moving forward, he may think that
all that other stuff was just a weird game, and go back
to hurling himself to the end of the leash. When he
does, stop in your tracks. Now you’re teaching him that
you have a new style of walking, that all the training
before this wasn’t a fluke, and that from now on, when
he rushes forward, he’s going to meet with an abrupt
stop, because you won’t be rushing forward with him;
you’ll be standing still. Start walking again, and keep
walking as long as your dog leaves some slack in the
leash. When he forgets and starts to pull you forward,
stop again and wait. Do it over and over, until he
learns that for you to keep locomoting, he has to hold
himself back a little.
It’s always best to correct behavioral problems with
behavioral interventions (training). Try training first
and with dedication, and stick with it for weeks before
deciding to try using tools. Once in awhile, you need
extra help, and there are as many tools as there are
people to sell them to you. If your dog is too strong,
to opinionated or just too dumb to train this way (most
dogs can be trained this way, but a few need extra
help), you can go down to the local pet store and check
out your options in new walking gear. Harnesses can be
useful, and with slow and careful training, you can
teach your dog to wear a harness/collar set-up that
prevents him from straining on the leash.
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