Why does my dog pull?

Is it excitement, reaction, sniffing? All of these are correct, but are symptoms. The simple answer is that they walk quicker than us. Even a small dog uses four legs, so they are more balanced than us on two legs. That’s why dogs are so successful when playing tug of war with us.

If you want to stop your dog from pulling, the first thing you must not do is drag them back, unless the situation absolutely calls for this action. Turning around and walking the other way each time will only make you dizzy and will create a behaviour where you may end up with a dog that will run around the back of you when you pull on the lead.

The best method is positive reinforcement. It is up to you to let your dog know where and how fast you want them to walk. Make it worth their while staying next to you rather than running off and pulling - praise your dog for being by your side. When you have that connection, then you can start by taking a few steps. If they pull, call them back to your side and start again. Always start in the home and garden where there is the least distraction, setting yourself and your dog up to succeed.

Don’t practice for the whole of the walk, stop and let them sniff, and remember, it will get better the more you work on it.