dog pulling on leash

[HoneyBev]

I have a very strong, 120 lb PUPPY. He is barely one years old and getting bigger by the minute. He leads and drags me absolutely everywhere. My husband will be leaving for a couple of months for training (military) and won't be back until I'm 8 months along.. Any ideas on how to get him to stop pulling and dragging me? I feel like I've tried everything shy of sending him to dog bootcamp for a month (too expensive). I'm worried that as I get bigger it'll become dangerous for him to pull me all around and I don't know if I'll be able I deal with it, especially since I bring him on walks daily and plan on continuing to do so throughout my pregnancy.

P.S.-Getting rid of him is not an option. He is as much my child as my unborn baby is.

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[AussieChick]

I was/am in the same position. I have 2 x dogs under 18mo each 20kgs+ I had to stop walking them at about 14wks or so, they would set my SPD off.

Only way I can exercise them now is to put them in the car & take them to off-leash dogpark at odd hours (park is not busy) and walk alongside them. They run/jump/play have a great time & I don't have to hold onto them - at all. Our park has a huge pond they swim in & alot of room to throw a ball & run about.

I'm at a loss of how to stop them pulling. Unless you can call in Cesar Milan or put him on your treadmill!

 

[HoneyBev]

I was/am in the same position. I have 2 x dogs under 18mo each 20kgs+ I had to stop walking them at about 14wks or so, they would set my SPD off.

Only way I can exercise them now is to put them in the car & take them to off-leash dogpark at odd hours (park is not busy) and walk alongside them. They run/jump/play have a great time & I don't have to hold onto them - at all. Our park has a huge pond they swim in & alot of room to throw a ball & run about.

I'm at a loss of how to stop them pulling. Unless you can call in Cesar Milan or put him on your treadmill!

I forgot to mention, we live in an apartment building and don't have a backyard.. So I HAVE to bring him on the leash outside for him to relieve himself also.. :/ horrid situation really. Hopefully it gets better soon. That's a good idea though, the dog park that is. That should make it better for him to get his energy out.

 

[AussieChick]

I forgot to mention, we live in an apartment building and don't have a backyard.. So I HAVE to bring him on the leash outside for him to relieve himself also.. :/ horrid situation really. Hopefully it gets better soon. That's a good idea though, the dog park that is. That should make it better for him to get his energy out.

Ohh right, I worry as you get bigger (not to mention when lo comes along) that is going to become near impossible.. Hopefully you can sort something out!

 

[shmunster]

Sounds like he is just over excited to be going out, which is really common. Consistency is the biggest thing, when he pulls, stop, it'll be hard cos he is big, but plant your feet so you have a good footing, move forward once he also stops, it will take a long time the first few times, but if you can do it every time it will help. The biggest problem is that even letting him get away with it once or twice will set you back. The other thing you can do is use treats and give him treats for being good and not pulling, use this combined with stopping when he is doing the wrong thing.

You can get no pull harnesses but for a really determined strong dog they dont do alot, the front clipping harnesses can be ok as when the dog pulls they swing them around

 

[MoominJ]

We have a a great Dane x Alaskan malamute and a husky x lab...


The only way I can walk them is with a figure of 8 lead! It's got a bit that goes over there nose so when they pull it pulls there head under taking away the power. There a god send!

U can do the same thing with one of them rope leads if u just twist it under the chin but this lead had a little metal thing on it. I've tried other head collars but cos the clip is under the chin it pulls round and rubs there eyes!this is the one I use.... It doubles up as a slip lead too if they manage to pull it off or there being good

https://www.dogsandco.com/figureof8doglead.html

 

[paintrider89]

Similar to what MoominJ has said...you could try a dog halter. I'm a big believer in 'if you control the head, you control the animal' I've had my fair share of time around large animals. It may be worth reading and looking into to see if you and your OH may want to try.

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/introducing-your-dog-head-halter

 

[Lauraxamy]

Sounds normal, my Mums Labrador was like this as a puppy, she was just getting really excited about her walk. It takes a while but the only thing you can do is train the dog. Take a bag of treats, hold one treat in your hand by your side to try and get the dog to walk by your side, if they do so for a while, give them a treat and fuss them.. if they pull, stop, pull the dog back, be firm and obviously don't give a treat. It took a while but this worked for my Mums dog.

 

[Zenypenny]

Hi , I walk my St Bernard x Irish wolfhound who weighs over 10 stone on a Dogmatic head collar , it looks very similar to a horses head collar , they come in different breed specific sizes and are adjustable at the back. Don't know if there available were you live or if you could order one from the uk? Just checked their website and They have a facebook page as dogmatic uk Ltd and it's saying they now ship to the USA. This head collar has stopped me being dragged into bushes after a cat , which had happened before lol

 

[Kassy]

Everytime he pulls you need to stop in your tracks. The thing is you're rewarding him by carrying on walking when he pulls ahead. Only move when he stops pulling and comes back to your side. This worked for my 70lb German Shepherd. He seems to be one of the few dogs around here that doesn't pull their owners everywhere. You are the boss not the dog.

Haltis don't completely stop the problem, only training does.