How can I stop my dog from constantly pulling on the leash?

Question

I'm asking if anyone has any tips on lead training for my case? My dog is a golden retriver puppy, and she's about 8 months old, I got her about 2 months ago and she's had two homes before us. She's great at home but when anyone takes her for a walk, she just pulls so much. I've tried what alot of online people say to do such as:

• Stop walking when they pull and wait for the doggy to come back - she doesn't ever walk back to me or look at me.

• Give the doggy a firm pull whenever they pull forward - she just keeps pulling even when I keep pulling her back.

• Giving the doggy treats - she'll eat it but she's not driven to be good for a treat, she not a very foody dog.

So I'm wondering if anybody has any tips on what to do here? Any help would be appriecated, thank you!

Answer 1

We've had a similar case here, even though a Siberian Husky is capable of pulling way more (even as a puppy). Here's what worked for us and given the fact that Golden Retrievers are amongst the more intelligent breeds, too, I suspect should work, given enough time:

• Note this approach requires some extra time and might extend your walks by at least a few minutes.
• Don't directly punish the dog for pulling too strong (i.e. no negative enforcement).
• I'd avoid rewarding not pulling as well, because I think it's way too easy to "miss the mark" and having the dog associate the treat with something else ("If I pull now and stop, I get something!").
• Instead, if you happen to know Tractor Pulling, try to mimic exactly that:
  • The stronger the pulling force, the stronger the resistance.
  • If the dog doesn't pull, just walk along, try to have no resistance on the leash.
  • The stronger the dog pulls, the slower you follow.
  • If you think the dog pulls too strong, just stop. Don't move at all.
  • Optional: Let the dog sit down a few seconds before you continue walking (both with a command of your choice).
• If there's a certain place you know other dogs do their thing and it's interesting to sniff around, give your dog a few moments. You can even make this its own reward kind of thing:
  • If the dog just pulls to get somewhere to sniff, apply the strategy above. Slow down, stop, and possibly even skip that place/area.
  • If the dog moves slow enough/doesn't pull, give it a few moments to just sniff around. This will not only act as a kind of reward, it will also tire the puppy out pretty fast.

Over time the dog will be able to somewhat understand the whole loop and associate walking slower with getting around faster (or more time to sniff). Note this won't change things over night, but over time. My Husky will still start pulling if he smells something interesting that's out of the ordinary (like a new dog around, especially if female), but regular walks there's essentially no pulling anymore, the leash is slightly stretched at most, but that's about it.

And obligatory note: If the puppy is pulling, also try to figure out why that's the case. It might be just curiosity etc. but it could also be fear or maybe even exhaustion ("I just want to get home!"). If you can, also try to alleviate or eliminate the specific cause, where possible (like the dog being scared of machines at a construction site and the like), and make sure to not overdo the length of your walks (rough ballpark number: walking time = 2 minutes * age in weeks; with 8 months you're past the time where this would be significant, but adding it just in case).

Answer 2

First you need to identify the root cause of the problem. Typically this is simple: "The dog isn't paying attention to you."

Best way to fix this, is to teach it that when it's walking, it has to pay attention to you. There's a youtube channel I've started watching as I was learning ways to teach our Golden lab pup - and his techniques work wonderfully - mostly because he explains things soooooo well.

Beckman Dog Training. The following video he shows a Golden Retriever that's very distracted, and he explains how to go about getting his attention. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnOaPw-SlPw

If you search his videos, I recall a video in past about loose lease walking, and teaching your dog to walk beside you. I've applied his techniques to our dog, and she's improved a lot.

The main points I picked up from him:

Walking is more about training than "walking" .. especially as a young pup. Don't take a walk with a physical location or time as your goal. Often you won't get past your front doorstep! ;)

Be patient, take your time.

The interesting thing he explains for your specific problem (as I have interpreted it), is to walk "unpredicatably". That is, if the dog gets too far ahead of you, turn around 180 degrees, and walk the other way. Be firm (but not too hard) on the leash, force him to follow. Once you get going, if they charge ahead again, ... 180 .. walk the other way. Keep doing it ... you'll notice a distinct change in your dog's behaviour VERY fast.

The second part of this he does, is sudden 90 degree turns away from the dog, or into the dog. If the dog is walking beside you, turn towards them and walk "through" them (don't kick or hurt them of course), but "push" through them ... make it awkward/uncomfortable for them.

The goal here is for them to learn to pay attention to you because "wow this guy is crazy, I have to pay attention .. he's all over the place!" ... kind of thing.

No verbal cues needed, no rewards/treats needed .. although after the dog walks alongside you, loose leash for a few strides, giving them a clear reward of "good boy/girl" and such can be a good reinforcement as they start understanding what's expected of them.

Good luck!!