How to stop my dog pulling me along??

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CazD

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I have dog on foster at the moment. He had a severe leg injury but has finally had the go ahead from the vet to start short walks. Trouble is, he pulls like a train. He pulls so hard he's practically got his front legs off the floor when he walks. I walk him with my little dog, who tends to walk along behind. I'm going to end with with arms like an orangutang before long LOL. What's the best way to stop him pulling? I'm currently walking him in a harness and halti with a lead on both ( slightly shorter lead on the halti with the harness for back up in case he makes a break for freedom as he goes mental when he sees any other dogs). Would an anti-pull harness be better? Or a GenCon headcollar? Or should I just persist with the Halti?
 
The best way is to incentivise walking beside you...but that takes a lot of time and effort, lots of motivation with food, balls, stopping dead, turning back, doing loops etc.

Bin the harness, although some on here have recommended a Mentuki, I have never used one. I used a Lupi one and the dog carved an X into his chest, he was leaning so hard into it.

Haltis are not 'all that' either and try something like a Gencon as you mention or a Gentle Leader or Canny Collar headcollar instead but remember don't just whack it on and off you go, let the dog wear it in the house, treat the dog for wearing it, normalise it, don't just make it an ordeal that the dog has to bear when it goes out for a walk.

Yes, they make an ordeal of it and prance and do airs above the ground when pressure is applied, but they won't die and you won't put your back out, it's not OK for you to get yanked around.

It is understandable that he is frustrated so try and tire him out mentally as well as physically to take the edge off him.

I am a choke chain, slip lead, lots of directional changes kind of person, but appreciate that this is not for everyone. I also use incentives as mentioned above, my young dog can walk for miles in a flat collar and 1m lead but he learned from early on that walking beside me made his life a lot easier :)
 
We have had amazing success with an Easy Walk harness and lots of treats and praise when our puppy obliges and walks nicely, she is like a tank with just her collar!
 
A slip lead and lots of direction changes.....i had someone show me with arch as he pulled so badly...he now walks to heel of the lead!
 
Oh and just another thing to bear in mind, you don't specify which leg or how it was injured, but my reasoning behind saying bin the harness (apart from not being their biggest fan, although I appreciate they work for some dogs) and maybe stay away from heavy-handedness/lots of pressure via a neck collar, you don't want to compromise his neck, back, shoulders etc and cause him any pain if he is already in recovery.
He is a dog, and if he is as pig-headed as he sounds :p he will not self-regulate.

I used the Gentle Leader on a 40kg GSD who is a tad horse-like, while my mother was in recovery from surgery on her chest/shoulder and he only needed the lightest touch. If he knobbed about, we stopped and did not proceed until he stopped knobbing about.
 
You've had some good suggestions on this one. What makes a pulling dog a bit more bearable is having a "proper" lead! Most are far too short and you are tripping over the dog's heels half the time.

If you have a long lead (6ft+?), you can hold it with your left hand, pass it around your back, and steady it with your right hand. You'll find you can manage a pulling dog much easier like that way and the dog is really working to build up muscle if it still pulls! (Great for going up hills!:D).
 
I would recommend trying a Gencon headcollar. I tried one after posting on here about my dog who can be rude on the lead but won't tolerate a Halti, and it has been nothing short of fantastic. It works like a slip lead in that, if used right, all pressure is completely removed once the lead is slack. So you can use it like you would a control headcollar on a horse: non-cooperation = pressure; cooperation = no pressure. Much more of a 'precise' tool than the Halti imo.

I combined the Gencon introduction with copious amounts of hard cheese or Primula, which definitely helped :D
 
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