Kroki

Question · Dog

How do I stop my dog pulling on the lead?

The short answer

Your dog pulls because pulling has worked for years. Change the deal: walk it in a well-fitting harness, stop or turn whenever the lead goes tight, and pay generously when it walks beside you on a slack lead. Practise in boring places first, and let your dog sniff and burn off energy before the training part of the walk. Prong, choke and shock collars cause pain and are not needed. Kroki, a reward-based training app for puppies and dogs, has an SOS card for lead pulling.

How to do it, step by step

  1. Switch to a harness that fits

    Choose a Y-shaped harness that leaves the shoulders free and doesn’t rub behind the front legs. For strong pullers, a harness with a front ring and a double-ended lead clipped front and back gives you more control without pressure on the neck.

  2. Start a fresh deal for the lead

    Your dog has learned that a tight lead means progress. Make the new rule clear: tension means you stop or turn, and a slack lead means the walk goes on. Be consistent from now on, because each time pulling works, the old habit gets a boost.

  3. Pay well at your side

    In a hallway, quiet car park or empty street, reward with something your dog really wants every time it is next to your leg, at first every step or two. Real meat or cheese beats dry biscuits for a dog that has been rewarded by pulling for years.

  4. Let off steam before you train

    Most grown dogs pull hardest in the first minutes. Start with five minutes of sniffing in the garden or on a long line in a field, then do your loose-lead practice. A calmer dog learns far more.

  5. Split walks into training and free time

    Real life sometimes needs you to get somewhere. Practise loose-lead walking on part of each walk, and for the rest let your dog explore on a long line clipped to its harness, where pulling is not an issue.

  6. Plan for the big pulls

    Squirrels, other dogs and favourite smells cause the strongest pulls. Reward your dog generously for looking back at you, add distance before it locks on, and turn away calmly if it can’t cope yet.

Starting with a puppy instead?

A puppy has no long pulling history, so you can make the harness, the lead and your leg the best things in its world from the start, with short indoor practice and short, sniffy walks for young joints. The page for puppies explains those first weeks.

What the evidence says about collars, pain and older learners

A dog that pulls hard into a collar puts real pressure on its neck. In a study with 26 dogs, pressure from a collar raised the pressure inside the eyes noticeably, while the same pull through a harness did not (Pauli and colleagues 2006). The authors recommend a harness for dogs with eye conditions such as glaucoma, especially during exercise. For a dog that leans into the lead on every walk, a well-fitting harness is the safer default.

Collars and leads used to cause pain are no faster route. A review found that aversive methods can harm a dog’s physical and mental health, and that there is no evidence they work better than reward-based training (Ziv 2017). Prong collars, choke chains and jerking the lead fall under that heading.

Older dogs can still change their habits. In a study with 95 Border Collies, older dogs needed more time to learn a new task than younger ones, but age had no effect on how well they remembered it later (Wallis and colleagues 2016). For a grown or senior dog, plan more repeats and short sessions, and expect what it learns to last.

Why your grown dog still pulls

  • It has been rewarded for years: every time it reached a smell or a friend by pulling, the pulling paid off.
  • You walk too slowly for it: many dogs naturally move faster than people. Walk a little quicker, or let it trot on a long line in open spaces.
  • Teenage dogs between about six months and two years often pull more for a while, even if they had learned to walk nicely. Go back to easy places and generous rewards.
  • Rescue dogs may never have learned to walk on a lead. Start indoors as you would with a puppy, with longer sessions.

Common mistakes with grown dogs

  • Jerking or yanking the lead. It hurts, strains the neck and doesn’t show your dog what to do instead.
  • Training only on the busiest walk of the day. Practise in quiet places until the new habit is solid.
  • Using an extendable lead for daily walks. Constant tension teaches that tension means forward.
  • Expecting a perfect walk from day one. Short sections of good walking grow longer with practice.

When to see a professional

Stop and get help if:

The help pages list services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland only. Elsewhere, ask your vet practice who they recommend near you.

Frequently asked questions

How do I stop my dog pulling when it gets excited at the start of a walk?

Lower the excitement before you leave. Put the harness on calmly, wait at the door for a few seconds of calm, and start with sniffing time in a quiet spot before you ask for loose-lead walking.

Can I stop my dog pulling on the lead without treats?

Yes, you can use moving forward, sniffing and greeting friends as rewards for a slack lead. Treats make learning faster at the start, though, especially for a dog that has pulled for years.

Do no-pull harnesses actually work?

A harness with a front ring can make pulling less effective for some dogs and gives you more control. It doesn’t teach loose-lead walking by itself, and it should not press into the armpits or block the shoulders.

Is a head collar a good idea for a dog that pulls?

Some dogs accept a head collar well, but many dislike it at first. If you use one, introduce it slowly with treats, attach a second lead to a harness and never jerk it, as the head can be twisted.

Why does my dog pull towards other dogs on the lead?

It wants to greet or play, and the lead stops it. Reward your dog for looking at other dogs and then back at you, keep greetings rare, and see the page about barking at other dogs if it also barks or lunges.

Is it too late to teach an older dog loose-lead walking?

No, older dogs can learn it too, though they may need more repeats. Go at your dog’s pace, keep sessions short and check with your vet if pulling is linked to stiffness or pain.

Is it wrong to let my dog walk ahead of me?

No, walking in front has nothing to do with who is in charge. What matters is that the lead stays slack and that your dog checks in with you now and then.

Sources