Lead Pulling

My dog pulls on his lead !!

It’s a very common complaint that I hear from clients and really, it comes as no surprise.

We often take the same route on our walks. That route often ends up at the park or field. Once there our dogs get a glorious play time, romping off lead, meeting other dogs and generally enjoying life.  I’d pull on ‘my lead’ if I knew there was going to be a  bottle of wine waiting for me.

A dogs natural walking speed is faster than ours. As a result there is often a mismatch between how fast we want to get to the park and how quickly they think we should.

In the ‘bad’ old days we would have used a choke chain or slip lead in an attempt to stop our dog pulling. All these achieved was a dog on the end of a lead choking as he still tries to get where it wants to.

Some people will still advocate the use of choke chains and I’ll admit they ‘can’ work, but at what cost? They work through pain and restriction, the dog doesn’t learn not to pull on their lead, they learn how to avoid the pain. Why would we want to hurt our dogs when there are kinder ways to achieve the same result?

There is a lot of evidence available now that show that a flat collar or check chain on a dogs neck can cause damage of they pull.  Have a look at this blog and infographic which explains it well.

I am an advocate of harnesses.

I recommend (having personally used them for my own dogs) the Perfect Fit Harness for comfort.  They come in 3 sections and are fully adjustable to achieve the ‘perfect fit’. They are also fleece lined for comfort.

I would also try the Mekuti harness.  It has two points of contact (the lead clips on in two places) which can help realign your dog if they pull on their lead.

Harnesses are a great long-term management option for dogs that pull. But, the best solution is working with your dog so that they happily trot along at your side regardless of what they are wearing.

If you want help with lead pulling get in touch and we can work with on your loose lead skills. We offer a rental service of harnesses for you to try before you buy (they are quite an investment).

I’d love to hear what works best for you and your dog.  Share it in the comments below.