Consider why puppies pull when they are walking:
- they want to investigate their surroundings
- they want to move forward.
Our job is to alter that natural instinct and teach them to walk nicely on the leash. It takes time but patience and practice will work perfectly.
The best approach with a young puppy is:
- Stop walking as soon as puppy starts to pull which results in a puzzled puppy who will look at you
- As soon as puppy looks at you, take a few steps back and engage puppy to follow you (through kissy sounds, small bouncy steps and relaxed shoulders) not by pulling the leash;
- As soon as puppy comes towards you, reward with a treat or a kind word and immediately continue walking.
Puppy will soon realize that tension on the leash stops forward movement and as soon as he approaches his handler, the tension is released and he gets to move forward again.
Don’t ask for heeling at this early stage but practice not pulling…it’s lots of fun!
Leave a Reply