Pulling on lead

[sueandtoto]

Teddy is a 6 month old Border Terrier who , when on the lead pulls our arms out ! , any advice on how to stop him would be great .
We did take him to puppy school when he was a lot younger and he walked on his lead perfectly , but as he's got bigger and stronger he's got worse and worse , any ideas ?

 

[Nailed]

every time he pull, change direction.
Lou x

 

[Keltic]

My little terrier did this, it all changed the day i got her a harness instead! it was like a different doggie!. Worth a try?

 

[CorvusCorax]

Ha ha, try it with an 11mo GSD!!! Chucked the harness after a few weeks as he was just leaning on it.

As well as turning/changing direction, you can also turn around in a circle or walk backwards (so if dog pulls, he learns he doesn't get any farther forwards) or if it is a long lead, with hold lead with left hand and with right hand, swing it around in a circle in front of you and the dog so if he passes your side, it gets a tap on the nose.
The last one looks really weird if you do it in public, though

 

[katie_southwest]

Or if all else fails...just walk faster or jog so your going at the same speed. Works wonders for the fitness

Seriously though, the changing direction thing works for me, although it looks funny if people see you!

 

[sueandtoto]

Thanks everyone , we will have a go tomorrow , may take rather a long time to go round the block me thinks !

 

[CorvusCorax]

Yeah, it could take a while, I spent two hours last week trying to sort out my boy and we are *finally* getting there, after months of him totally taking the mick out of me.

 

[foxviewstud]

harnesses are a waste of time and do not stop them pulling it just takes the pressure off of you for a bit, harnesses teach a dog to pull as it goes around the strongest part of the body, halti or gentle leader or cani collar works, changing direction doesnt work with my collie so he wears a cani collar,he also used to walk perfect on the lead until others took him out.

 

[MarleyandDarcy]

I use a Gencon headcollar on mine, I find the Halti's slip into their eyes. They only tend to have them at Agility shows as they get a bit excited and pull like a tank to the rings!
I did try the changing direction thing with both my collies when they were pups, problem with collies is they don't care where they are going as long as they are GOING!!

 

[foxviewstud]

lmao that so sums up my collie i find the halti does that on some breeds hence my collie has a cani collar

 

[mystiandsunny]

You can also try stopping as soon as they pull, and waiting for them to sit down and look at you before walking on. It takes you FOREVER to get anywhere at first, but they soon get the idea - that if they pull to go faster, they'll end up going nowhere at all!

If all else fails, there's also the old fashioned method - every time you feel pressure on the lead, pull back hard to physically pull them next to you or at least a step or two further back. Works very fast but isn't the nicest method. In the long run, better that than them pull permanently which can damage their necks, esp breathing.