A dog that walks nicely at your side is a pleasure to take with you anywhere you go. The problem is that most dogs don't walk nicely. They pull and drag their owners, making walks less than pleasant. If your dog is like this, there are ways to reduce this problem.

Notice that I didn't say "eliminate." That's because with an adult dog who is a confirmed puller, it would take dedicated work and the ability to avoid allowing the dog to pull at all. That would mean no relaxed walks and no walks just for exercise. Every walk would have to be a training session, which means walks would have to be frequent and short. Most people don't have the time or the patience for extended retraining. Fortunately, with some training and the use of some specialized collars and harnesses, owners can manage their dogs fairly easily to allow comfortable, enjoyable walks.

Dogs who pull on the leash do so for many reasons. This is the way many dogs have been taught to walk. Early in life the owner put a leash on the puppy and the puppy walked to the end of it. When the owner felt tension in the leash, he or she probably moved in the direction of the puppy. Viola! Pulling on the leash began!

Dogs are also really, really excited about walking, and by nature they walk faster than we do. These reasons also contribute to the pulling phenomenon.

If you have a puppy and you are patient, you can avoid the entire pulling scenario by using the "Be a Tree" method. Go outdoors with a leash, your puppy, treats, and a lot of patience. Begin walking. When the puppy pulls, stop. Be a tree. Stand there and stand there and stand there until the puppy moves in a way that slackens the leash (your puppy may turn around to look to see what is wrong with you). Praise your puppy and continue walking. Repeat. You will not get very far this way, but you are working on a lifetime of pleasant walks.

Use your treats and your voice to encourage your puppy to stay near you. Feel free to reward a few steps of non-pulling with a small goody.

This method may work for an adult dog too, but only for dogs that do not need to be walked for exercise or to actually get any where. Tiring your dog out in the yard before a training session may make your sessions easier and more productive.

In tomorrow's entry we will discuss training methods to avoid.