It will take some practice before you and your dog start walking as a team with no pulling. You might feel like every walk is a struggle and there might be times you lose your cool and give a yank on the leash, or holler -- or both. I'm gonna say something here that might seem controversial: it's okay. If you have been correcting your dog's pulling behavior with consistent checks on the leash and backing up and he was doing okay at first but now he just ignores you and goes right back to pulling, it's frustrating! Let's think about it from a few different angles:
Mama dogs put up with a lot from their pups. She'll lay there, trying to have some peace and quiet in her life, and those pups will be swarming all over her: tugging on her fur, pouncing on her feet, nipping her ears, yapping yapping yapping -- and she'll put up with it for longer than you'd expect with gentle good-nature. But when she's had enough, she'll put a stop to it with a snap or a bark.
Mama human wants her child to take out the trash. She mentions it at dinner, asks the child to do it before watching tv, reminds the child again when the show was over, and finally hollers and screams until the child gets up and take out the trash.
In both cases, the youngster is learning just how far they can push or ignore Mama. What's her limit? When will she really mean it? Growing up, couldn't you always tell when your mom meant business? She'd have a look, or her voice would get a certain tone, and you knew it was time to straighten up. This "learning when someone means it" is an important part of growing up.
Now let's think about this: would you like to ask and ask and ask and ask, hoping to get a result, or is it better to ask once and be obeyed?
If your dog is confused by what you're asking for, corrections won't help him. Go back to earlier training to help him learn what is expected. But if you know the dog understands what you're asking for, and he's just not paying attention, then you need to up your game. Make those checks on the leash a little more impressive. Add an angry sound or word ("Uh uh!" "No!") to let him know you're not happy.
A quick note: please don't use your dog's name to scold him. Saying "Arthur, no! You bad dog! Arthur! Bad dog, Arthur! No!" will make him think "arthur" is one of your angry words and he won't respond to it as readily. Remember what it meant when your folks called you by your full name? Boy, were you in trouble! Your dog must always associate his name with good, friendly things.
Oof, this is hard work. Let's give your dog a mental break and let him sniff around in the grass. Stop and ask your dog to sit. Say his name to get his attention (Sparky!) so he looks at you (good dog!) then let him know it's okay to relax (Okay, go ahead.) and give him more leash so he can sniff around. You can stand and catch your breath.
Mama dogs put up with a lot from their pups. She'll lay there, trying to have some peace and quiet in her life, and those pups will be swarming all over her: tugging on her fur, pouncing on her feet, nipping her ears, yapping yapping yapping -- and she'll put up with it for longer than you'd expect with gentle good-nature. But when she's had enough, she'll put a stop to it with a snap or a bark.
Mama human wants her child to take out the trash. She mentions it at dinner, asks the child to do it before watching tv, reminds the child again when the show was over, and finally hollers and screams until the child gets up and take out the trash.
In both cases, the youngster is learning just how far they can push or ignore Mama. What's her limit? When will she really mean it? Growing up, couldn't you always tell when your mom meant business? She'd have a look, or her voice would get a certain tone, and you knew it was time to straighten up. This "learning when someone means it" is an important part of growing up.
Now let's think about this: would you like to ask and ask and ask and ask, hoping to get a result, or is it better to ask once and be obeyed?
If your dog is confused by what you're asking for, corrections won't help him. Go back to earlier training to help him learn what is expected. But if you know the dog understands what you're asking for, and he's just not paying attention, then you need to up your game. Make those checks on the leash a little more impressive. Add an angry sound or word ("Uh uh!" "No!") to let him know you're not happy.
A quick note: please don't use your dog's name to scold him. Saying "Arthur, no! You bad dog! Arthur! Bad dog, Arthur! No!" will make him think "arthur" is one of your angry words and he won't respond to it as readily. Remember what it meant when your folks called you by your full name? Boy, were you in trouble! Your dog must always associate his name with good, friendly things.
Oof, this is hard work. Let's give your dog a mental break and let him sniff around in the grass. Stop and ask your dog to sit. Say his name to get his attention (Sparky!) so he looks at you (good dog!) then let him know it's okay to relax (Okay, go ahead.) and give him more leash so he can sniff around. You can stand and catch your breath.
He's learning that walking is walking, and sniffing, peeing, and exploring are different. It's frustrating to walk a dog that insists on keeping its nose to the ground every step of the way, and stops every three feet to mark his territory. You're teaching him that you decide when and where he can do those things -- so be considerate and stop now and then to let him take care of that important dog business. It makes him more willing to go along if he knows you'll let him sniff at his favorite spots. If you walk the same route daily, he'll soon learn the places where it's acceptable for him to stop for a break.
To wrap up all this magic and science of dog walking, I have one last piece of advice: take your time and don't worry. (Is that two pieces of advice? Hmm.) Some dogs learn very quickly, others take a while to figure out what you want. It's all part of your own dog's special personality, unique to him, and as you work together to figure out this whole "walk with no pulling" business, you will be building a closer relationship with each other. That's what it's all about!
To wrap up all this magic and science of dog walking, I have one last piece of advice: take your time and don't worry. (Is that two pieces of advice? Hmm.) Some dogs learn very quickly, others take a while to figure out what you want. It's all part of your own dog's special personality, unique to him, and as you work together to figure out this whole "walk with no pulling" business, you will be building a closer relationship with each other. That's what it's all about!
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