How to Get My Dog to Stop Pulling the Leash!
There is no magic tool
There is no magic product that will automatically stop your dog from pulling. My dog, Reginald, used to pull like a freight train until he tired out. Then when he saw a dog, the fatigue took a backseat and we were off to the races again! I tried all kinds of tools, many of which were recommended to me by trainers who just didn’t know any better way to get Reggie’s attention. Tools recommended for this issue often include:
Gentle Leaders
Haltis
Harnesses
Front Clip Harnesses
Prong Collars
Choke Collars
Reggie tried most of these things! But to little or no avail, and that’s because tools in and of themselves aren’t magic. You can’t expect a product by itself to help your dog. You have to teach it. Some of these tools, like the gentle leader, made walking him a little more manageable as it took away some of his power, but they didn’t fix the issue and the gentle leader even wore his nose raw. He still has the scar!
Opposition reflex
If you want something bad enough, and someone tries to hold you back, what do you do? You pull harder to get to it! Well what if they hold even harder? Well often you are committed at that point and pull harder still! The same is true for your dog! If he or she wants to go somewhere, and you hold them back, what do they do? They pull harder! Then after they drag you to the smell, or dog, or person, or squirrel they wanted to get to, they learned that pulling harder worked! They were reinforced for upping their game of pulling against you! In many dog training sports, this is a tool used to increase drive and commitment in dogs! Trainers training dogs for these things want to pull against the dog, and they want the dog to pull back, and they want the dog to win! This creates confidence in the right settings to go bite a bad guy or to find that lost person! Most pet dog owners don’t want this though, and just want their dog to pay attention to them while out on their walk, so we don’t want to reinforce opposition reflex, at least in that setting. Pulling cannot work for your dog. They can’t get what they want by trying harder or it will get worse quickly! (unless of course you are training your dog to pull).
You have to teach!
If you spend time teaching your dog a form of communication whether it’s just the leash and flat collar or if it’s with any of the tools listed above, you can use that language to help them learn not to pull and how to pay attention to you! But you have to spend time teaching them what to do with it first. My favorite tool to teach a dog how to follow the leash is the prong collar. The prong collar offers more clarity in communication than just a flat collar as it evenly spreads pressure around the neck instead of just the position opposite the leash. It gives the ability to teach your dog how to follow very light and finessed leash pressure with much more clarity than just pulling on a normal flat collar, but it isn’t magic and won’t work without teaching. You have to spend a few days teaching your dog how to follow that light pressure on the leash and then reward them every time they give in with food or praise! You also have to be certain that you’re not applying pressure to the leash if you aren’t meaning to communicate with your dog. It becomes very difficult for them to understand what that leash pressure means if the pressure is on for no reason while you sit and talk to your friend. You also have to be certain than when you do apply that pressure, you get a change in your dog’s behavior. Otherwise, the communication becomes white noise and easily ignored by your pup. So if you ask them to turn right, you need to be sure they actually do turn right. Finally, pulling straight back on the leash not only more readily creates that opposition reflex, but it’s harder for your pup to understand. So as you are working with them at letting go of what they want to focus on and following the leash to you, try keeping that leash pressure to the sides at angles. It’s far easier to turn their head away and far easier for them to understand that communication if it comes from the side!
Fixing leash-pulling, is often quite easy once a system of communication is set up and your pup understands what you’re asking and how to pay attention to you. But once those things are accomplished, you can do far more with your dog than just fixing the pulling! Once you learn how to connect with your dog, what you can accomplish becomes limitless! Let me know if I can help!
Recommended Packages
ESSENTIAL $500:
Includes 3 30-60 minute private lessons at a park in Elkton, VA or Penn Laird, VA (appointments subject to weather)
Includes Herm-Sprenger prong collar and long training leash
Teaches how to improve your relationship with your dog through play
Teaches leash manners, “out”, and “place” or “come”
Teaches how to play and set parameters for inappropriate behavior
Can cater to specific issues
For dogs at least 5 months old
COMPLETE $850:
Includes everything in Essential package plus 3 additional 30-60 minute private lessons for a total of 6 lessons and electric collar (appointments subject to weather)
Includes remote electric collar
Teaches fundamentals of play and how to use play to develop your bond and communication with your dog
Teaches leash manners, “out”, “come”, “sit”, “place”, “down”, and “heel”
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Will cater to any specific issues with your dog
For dogs at least 4 months old
ROCKSTAR $1100:
Includes everything in the Complete package plus 2 additional 30-60 minute lessons in Elkton for a total of 8 lessons (appointments subject to weather).
2 additional private lessons can be used for teaching additional advanced commands to really bring out the rockstar in your dog! Advance commands can include your choice from extended distance sit and down, come to the heel position, send aways to place, stand, front, maintain eye contact, or feel free to ask about something else!
For dogs at least 4 months old
ANXIETY & AGGRESSION $1100:
Includes everything in the Complete package plus 2 additional lessons in Elkton for a total of 8 lessons (appointments subject to weather).
2 additional lessons will be used to work specifically around the sources of the anxiety and aggression where applicable.
Focus on building confidence and trust
For dogs at least 5 months old
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
ESSENTIAL $800:
Includes 3 30-60 minute lessons conveniently in your home
Teaches how to improve your relationship with your dog through play
Teaches leash manners, “out”, and “place” or “come”
Teaches play and how to set parameters for inappropriate behavior
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Includes Herm-Sprenger prong collar and long training leash
Allows us to address specific issues in your environment
For dogs at least 5 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
COMPLETE $1550:
Includes everything in Essential package plus 3 additional 30-60 minute in-home lessons for a total of 6 lessons and electric collar
Includes remote electric collar
Teaches fundamentals of play and how to use play to develop the communication and bond with your dog
Teaches “out”, “place”, “come”, “down”, and “heel”
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Will cater to any specific issues with your dog
For dogs at least 4 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
ROCKSTAR $1800:
Includes everything in the Complete plus 2 additional 30-60 minute lessons for a total of 8 lessons
2 additional lessons can be used for advanced commands and specific issues anxiety or aggression. Advance commands can include your choice from extended distance sit and down, come to the heel position, send aways to place, stand, front, maintain eye contact, or feel free to ask about something else!
For dogs at least 4 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
ANXIETY & AGGRESSION $1800:
Includes everything in the Complete plus 2 additional lessons for a total of 8 lessons
Lessons will be used with an emphasis on building confidence and reliability around the source of the aggression or the anxiety where applicable.
For dogs at least 5 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
Getting your dog to do things for you and getting them to want to do things for you are different concepts and achieve different relationships with your dog. Want to get amazing obedience without turning your dog into a robot? We do, too! And we get there by focusing on two huge but neglected reasons for behavior: emotions and genetics.
Most dog training courses focus on getting dogs to avoid electric collar stimulation or get a treat, and stop at that. However, neglecting the emotional and genetic components to behavior makes this training successful for only the short term. This is why we play. Happy, healthy dogs who have their needs met love to play. We don’t have to deprive your dog of food or affection for play to be successful and when your dog understands the games we play, it will be a much stronger reinforcer than food or treats will ever be. Through play, we can develop the language and obedience you need for your pup to live a happy, confident, safe lifestyle while satisfying their genetic needs to bite, chase, and fetch, as well as their genetic need for social interaction which will result in you becoming the most interesting thing in the environment.
This package is designed for dogs without any anxiety or aggression issues and will attempt to develop the concept of play into a reinforcer, a means of communication, and then a means of developing a high level social interaction with your best friend which fulfills them on a genetic level.
Your pup will live with a trainer at their house for 3 weeks!
Can include an electronic collar from E-Collar Technologies and Herm-Sprenger prong collar for off-leash and on-leash reliability
Will develop the fundamentals and rules of fetch and tug within the time allowance
Can include commands of “out”, “come”,” sit”, “place”, “heel”, “down”, leash manners and door manners.
Will cater to any specific issues with your dog
Can proof commands for distance, duration, and in distraction holding commands until released
Commands proofed off-leash where applicable
Impulse control for doors, food, and people
Updates every single day
2-4 hour in-home turnover (within 2 hours of Massanutten) to make sure you know how to maintain the training and develop your new relationship with your dog!
Lifetime refresher lessons at the park in Massanutten should you need any help transitioning the dog home or even if you let things slip a little
50% discount on a consultation for help getting started before Board and Train start date.
For dogs at least 5 months old
Rushed scheduling is available for a 30% surcharge.
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
*All Board and Train purchases must be paid and full and have returned signed contracts before scheduling.
This package is designed for dogs with anxiety in certain situations, reactivity towards people or dogs, some mild to moderate aggression, and adult dogs who need more time developing confidence and practicing good habits around a diversity of distractions. The additional weeks will be used to further guide the genetic and emotional drives to appropriate and fulfilling places as well as develop a stronger and more profound relationship with your pup. Emotions and genetics matter a lot especially in anxiety and aggression. 5 weeks gives us more time to focus on those components of your problem issues. It is possible to teach your dog through stress and coercion, but if we can help build trust and motivation through play, they will be much more excited to learn and maintain what they learn. Motivation is far more important to learning than repetition.
Play is the highest form of social interaction with your pup and the highest form of reinforcement when the dog understands how to play. We will attempt to develop it as the primary positive reinforcer, but also as the means to communicate boundaries and develop a trusting relationship to help guide your pup through their issues. It is impossible to fully suppress behaviors reinforced by your dog’s individual genetics. If they are genetically inclined to bite or chase, we cannot keep them from biting or chasing forever. It will always eventually pop up in the places we don’t want, because it’s who they are, and suppressing who they are creates anxiety. However, if we use our time to develop outlets for those behaviors by biting tugs or chasing balls through play, then we have a significant chance to be successful at telling them they can’t bite people or chase cars, etc for the long term. We will also use our time to create more embedded patterns and habits of the more acceptable behaviors and states of mind so that they translate to your home more readily.
Your dog lives with a trainer at their house for 5 weeks!
Can include electronic collar from E-Collar Technologies and Herm-Sprenger prong collar for off leash and on leash reliability
Can include commands of “out”, “come”, “sit”, “place”, “heel”," “down”, leash manners and door manners
Will develop the fundamentals and rules of fetch and tug within the time allowance
Can proof commands for high distraction, long distances, and long duration holding commands until released
Commands will be proofed off leash where applicable
Can spend additional time proofing for higher distractions
Can spend additional time working around sources of anxiety with a focus on increasing confidence
Can spend additional time working on specific issues like resource guarding
Can spend additional time getting multiple dogs accustomed to working with each other
Slower and easier introduction to the commands
Can cater training to any specific issues with your dog
Updates every single day
2-4 hour in-home turnover (within 2 hours of Massanutten) to make sure you know how to maintain the training and develop your new relationship with your dog!
Lifetime refresher lessons at the park in Massanutten should you need any help transitioning the dog home or even if you let things slip a little
50% discount on a consultation for help getting started before Board and Train start date.
For dogs at least 4 months old
Rushed scheduling is available for a 30% surcharge.
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
*All Board and Train purchases must be paid and full and have returned signed contracts before scheduling.