QUESTION:
I have a dog who is pulling a lot when we’re out walking. It’s exhausting for both of us. I’ve tried pulling her gently back while saying “heel”, but it doesn’t seem to help. She’s off leash a lot of the time when we’re outside and it’s going very well. But how do I teach her to walk on a loose leash?

ANSWER:
It’s not the first time I get this question. First, pulling her back and saying “heel” will only teach her that “heel” means being pulled back and nothing else. So, I suggest that you stop pulling her back and teach her to walk nicely using this method:
1. Indoors at first. Pat your thigh and move a step or two away from her. When she looks curiously at you, offer her a treat and praise her. Pat your thigh again and move away from her. Praise and reward her as she follows. The next step is to pat your thigh, have her follow and turn. Then you add shift of direction to the exercise. Always praise and reward when you’re satisfied. Soon she will follow you like a shadow.
2. Put the leash on her and repeat the exercise on a loose leash, still indoors.
3. If this goes well, move the training to a quiet place outside. 5-10 minutes is enough to begin with. As soon as she gets good at it outside you can increase the period of time you practice slowly. Also, increase the level of difficultly very gradually, but never both time and level of difficulty at the same time.
4. Occasionally she will pull. When she does, stop immediately and don’t let her go even as much as ½ an inch while pulling. Pat your thigh, and turn and start walking in the opposite direction as soon the leash gets loose. Reward her.

Most dogs learn to pull because we follow them when they pull. So, you need to stop to follow her in order to teach her that she doesn’t get to go anywhere when the leash is tight. Train for 5-10 minutes to begin with. If you are going for longer walks than that, use a harness when you are not training and allow her to pull when wearing it. You will soon discover that there will be less pulling and that she will stop pulling eventually. I’ve used this method to teach many dogs at different ages to walk nicely, and your dog will have learned it too in about one month if you do it right. If she forgets herself, simply pat your thigh and wait for her to make the leash loose by coming closer to you. You can also use this method in order to have her follow you when she gets preoccupied with things she sees when on walks.

Turid Rugaas