One of the purest joys of having a puppy is the promise of shared adventures, especially those daily walks. Yet, this vision often clashes with the reality of a determined pup transforming into a miniature sled dog, pulling you along like a racer with an urgent mission. If your walks feel less like a pleasant stroll and more like a never-ending game of “Red Light, Green Light,” it’s time to teach your puppy the art of loose leash walking.
For puppies, not pulling on the leash is one of the more challenging behaviors to master, as they aren’t born with an innate understanding of polite leash manners. It’s a common struggle for many new puppy parents, and it’s completely understandable how frustrating it can be to be constantly pulled. The good news is that with patience and consistent positive reinforcement, every puppy can learn to be a delightful walking companion. You can absolutely teach your puppy to walk on a leash without pulling using only positive methods, avoiding harsh tools like choke chains or shock collars. If you wouldn’t use something on a toddler, it shouldn’t be used on your puppy.
Misconceptions often suggest that a puppy pulls to show dominance or control. This is far from the truth. Pulling simply indicates that your puppy hasn’t yet learned polite boundaries and is currently more captivated by the exciting world around them than by you. This is perfectly normal! Our role is to gently guide them towards understanding what we expect during walks. Unfortunately, these misunderstandings have led some owners to believe their puppies are “being bad” when they pull, causing a lack of patience and sometimes even leading to punishment. As a positive trainer, I advocate against all punitive methods. I’ve successfully guided countless puppies and dogs to walk politely on a leash, affirming that you can achieve this 100% using positive training.
This article is intentionally thorough. Many quick-fix guides promising “5 steps to stop puppy pulling” often fall short, lacking the depth needed for a puppy parent to truly implement effective loose leash training. This comprehensive guide will cover everything you need to know about how do you stop a puppy pulling on the lead and transform your walks into enjoyable bonding experiences. I strongly recommend reading the entire article, as each section builds upon the last to help you tackle your puppy’s pulling behavior effectively.
Understanding Why Your Puppy Pulls on Leash
Contrary to popular belief, your puppy pulling on the leash has nothing to do with dominance, control, or them being intentionally difficult. The real reasons are much simpler:
1. Insufficient Exercise
Many puppies and dogs aren’t sufficiently exercised for their breed, meaning they have an abundance of energy to burn. For some, their short daily walk is their only opportunity for significant physical activity, which is often not enough. It’s unrealistic to expect your puppy to walk calmly beside you if they’re bursting with pent-up energy. To set yourselves up for success, ensure your puppy is adequately tired before starting loose leash training. This could involve off-leash play in a secure area, chasing a ball, or engaging in backyard games. Providing appropriate exercise is a cornerstone of responsible puppy ownership. Research your puppy’s breed to understand their specific energy needs before expecting them to meet your walking expectations.
2. Humans Are Slow
Most puppies naturally walk at a faster pace than their human companions. Imagine trying to walk a turtle—you’d likely become bored and want to speed up, right? To a puppy, we are often the “turtle.” It’s inherently difficult for them to slow down their natural gait. Be empathetic to the significant effort this requires from your puppy and how unnatural it feels for them. Can they learn? Absolutely.
3. The Outside World Smells Irresistible
Think of it this way: if you’re engrossed in work and a favorite TV show is playing nearby, how difficult would it be to resist peeking? For puppies, the sights and smells outside are exponentially more distracting during the “job” of polite walking. On average, dogs possess 50 times more scent receptors and 40 times more brain space dedicated to processing smells than humans. We can’t fully grasp it, but puppies can detect scents diluted to 1-2 parts per trillion. What might appear as a simple patch of grass to you is a symphony of scents to your puppy’s nose.
This powerful sense of smell also means that sniffing can be an incredibly rewarding experience for puppies. If your puppy has been pulling you towards interesting smells for weeks or months, understand that this pulling behavior has been reinforced by the reward of getting to sniff. Changing this behavior will require time, patience, and new, compelling rewards.
How Your Puppy Learns: The Power of Positive Reinforcement
To effectively [Train Puppy To Not Pull On Leash], it’s crucial to understand how puppies learn. In simple terms, there are two primary ways to influence behavior:
- Reward desired behaviors: Reinforce actions you want your puppy to repeat, such as offering a treat for walking calmly or making eye contact.
- Punish unwanted behaviors: Discourage actions you want to stop, though as a positive trainer, I strongly advise against this approach.
As positive trainers, we believe it’s our responsibility to clearly teach our puppies what we do want from them. Training that relies on punishment until a puppy guesses the desired behavior can be highly stressful and ineffective. Imagine if your parents or boss expected you to learn this way—how anxious would you feel? It’s far more effective and humane to teach your puppy directly. Punishment-based techniques primarily teach what not to do, while positive training empowers puppies to learn what to do.
To successfully teach your puppy not to pull on the leash, you must begin in an environment where they can easily succeed. Why? Because you need ample opportunities to reward them for getting it right! For many puppies, this means starting loose leash training inside your home, where distractions are minimal. It can be challenging to grasp how the training environment impacts your puppy’s ability to perform.
Consider this analogy: Can you recite the alphabet? If asked to do so in your head right now, you likely could. That’s the equivalent of asking your puppy to heel indoors—minimal distraction. Now, if I asked you to sing the alphabet on a stage in front of 10,000 people, you’d probably be overwhelmed and forget your own name. This is akin to asking your puppy to walk politely in a highly distracting outdoor environment without prior preparation.
It’s neither fair nor effective to punish your puppy for becoming overwhelmed or having an emotional response in a challenging setting. Similarly, true positive reinforcement cannot occur if your puppy is too overwhelmed to learn, even if you’re dangling a treat. To utilize positive reinforcement effectively, you must start in an environment where your puppy can be successful, allowing for frequent praise and rewards to solidify your expectations. Your puppy can absolutely learn to walk nicely in distracting environments, but this will not happen overnight. Build up the difficulty slowly, providing your puppy with every chance to cement their new skills.
3 Essential Skills to Teach Your Puppy Before Leash Training
Before diving into formal loose leash training, mastering these three foundational skills will save you immense frustration and greatly enhance your puppy’s focus and impulse control. These skills teach your puppy how rewarding it is to pay attention to you. When you eventually transition to more distracting outdoor settings, these abilities will be invaluable for keeping your puppy engaged. (Hint: A focused, engaged puppy is far less likely to pull!). Invest time in mastering these to avoid sore arms and headaches.
I’ve included a brief description of why each skill is necessary below. I recommend practicing these skills for at least a few days before starting any specific loose leash walking training. Get your puppy solid on them!
1. Sit
“Sit” is a fundamental obedience command that every puppy should know. It’s incredibly useful during loose leash training as a transition point between commands, a brief “time-out” in distracting situations, or simply as a way to gain your puppy’s focus before moving forward.
2. Focus
Every puppy should learn the “focus” command. Teaching your puppy to check in with you is a critical building block for all future obedience skills and strengthens your bond. Focus teaches your puppy that wonderful things happen when they look at you, reinforcing the importance of eye contact for communication. In distracting environments, a well-trained “focus” command can help calm your puppy and redirect their attention back to you, which is key for how to keep your dog from pulling on the leash.
3. Leave It
“Leave it” is an essential life-saving skill for puppies. It’s incredibly useful for distraction training, including loose leash walking, but more importantly, it can prevent your puppy from ingesting something dangerous they find on the ground. Puppies are notorious for trying to gobble up random items. A reliable “leave it” allows you to communicate to your puppy to ignore something without physical restraint. “Leave it” is essentially a promise to your puppy: if they ignore the tempting item, you’ll reward them with something even better.
Heeling vs. Loose Leash Walking: Defining Your Goals
The term “loose leash walking” can be interpreted differently by various trainers. In my approach, I distinguish between two distinct ways of walking a puppy: a perfect heel and a more relaxed loose leash walk. Both are valuable, and I encourage using both.
Heeling
To me, heeling means your puppy walks precisely at your side, neither lagging behind nor forging ahead of your knee. I personally prefer puppies walking on my left side, and that’s what I teach. The expectations and boundaries for heeling are much stricter than for loose leash walking. I expect the puppy to be exactly at my left side, matching my pace. During a heel, I do not permit sniff breaks or greetings with other dogs or people. If this sounds strict, you’re right—it is.
Teaching your puppy to heel is an excellent way to establish clear boundaries and expectations early in their training. Its rules are very explicit, and puppies often grasp them quickly. While teaching your puppy not to pull on the leash, I suggest incorporating “heel” about 50% of the time. This communicates clear boundaries. Once your puppy is fully trained, using a strict heel for about 10% of the time or less is sufficient. It’s an invaluable skill for navigating busy sidewalks or highly distracting situations where precise behavior is required. While too strict for continuous use, it’s a vital skill to learn and maintain.
However, I also firmly believe that walks should be enjoyable for your puppy! As your puppy becomes more trained, you should increase the amount of time they spend walking on a loose leash rather than in a perfect heel. Loose leash walking provides them with the freedom to explore, sniff, and truly “be a dog.” Remember, the walk should be as much for your puppy’s enjoyment as it is for yours.
Loose Leash Walking
Once a puppy has learned the basics of heeling, I recommend transitioning to loose leash walking for the majority of your time together. I suggest using a 6-foot leash for walks, as it’s long enough to give your puppy freedom and the ability to sniff and explore. Let them be a dog! However, I strongly advise against retractable leashes, as they can teach pulling and pose safety risks.
So, what exactly is loose leash walking? I define it as your puppy’s ability to go wherever they wish within the 6-foot boundary of the leash, without any pressure or pulling on the leash. If your puppy wants to sniff politely (without pulling), I stop and allow them! Sniffing is a healthy and natural activity for a puppy. If a sniff break extends too long and you wish to resume walking, I expect the puppy to rejoin me with just a verbal cue. Neither you nor your puppy should be pulling each other.
Training Your Puppy to Heel and Loose Leash Walk Using Positive Reinforcement
Training your puppy to heel or loose leash walk requires patience, but the rewards are immense. Imagine taking your puppy everywhere, with them walking so beautifully that you rarely have to think about managing the leash. Being able to relax and enjoy your walks, lost in your thoughts, is a wonderful experience that I sincerely want for you and believe you can achieve!
Every puppy has the capacity to walk nicely on a leash; they simply need time to learn. Your goal is to build a strong association that amazing things happen when your puppy is close and paying attention to you during walks. We use treats to condition this behavior. Eventually, treats can be phased out (or significantly reduced), and your puppy will continue to walk politely out of habit and positive association.
Important Considerations for Teaching Loose Leash Walking:
- Slow, Gradual Progression: We will gradually increase the level of distraction. It might take a few weeks before you can take your puppy on a “real walk” instead of just a training walk. During this initial period, ensure your puppy gets sufficient exercise through fetch, dog parks, or backyard play. Expecting polite walking from an under-exercised puppy is unfair to them.
- Consistent No-Pulling Policy: From the very first day you commit to teaching your puppy not to pull, this behavior must stop being rewarded. This means pulling never results in your puppy getting what they want. Remember, if they pull you to sniff something, that scent is a reward for the pulling. You must consistently interrupt pulling, rather than sporadically giving in. If you cave when your puppy pulls hard enough, it only teaches them to pull harder next time. From day one of training, pulling can never lead to your puppy getting their desired outcome. Puppies learn best with consistent training! Reinforce that good things happen through polite walking, not pulling. This is crucial for when can you start leash training a puppy.
- Start in a Successful Environment: It’s vital to begin in an environment where your puppy can easily succeed. You want frequent opportunities to reward them for doing things correctly. Always start your first session indoors where distractions are minimal.
- Reward Lavishly: You are asking your puppy to learn a difficult skill, so reward their efforts generously! If you feel like a Pez dispenser with treats during loose leash training, you’re likely doing it right! Keep a good supply of tiny, high-value treats in your treat bag for every session. Use treats to clearly communicate when your puppy is doing a great job. To prevent overfeeding, you can slightly reduce the amount of food given at meals during intensive training. Treats will eventually be phased out, but ensure this isn’t done too quickly.
A dog handler holds a treat bag and a leash, ready for a training session
Teaching Your Puppy to Heel: Step-by-Step
Get Ready: Start with your puppy on a leash, sitting at your left side. Hold a small supply of treats in your left hand and the leash in your right. Always give treats with your left hand to prevent your puppy from learning to cut in front of you for a reward. The leash should remain loose at all times; your puppy is learning to pace themselves, not be held in place.
Choose a Movement Phrase: Decide on a clear verbal cue to signal movement. I use “Let’s go!”, but any consistent phrase works.
Gain Attention: Ask your puppy to focus on you, rewarding them with a treat when they do.
Begin: Say your chosen movement phrase (e.g., “Let’s go!”) and use the treat in your left hand as a lure, guiding it in front of your puppy’s nose to keep them precisely at your side. Take 3 steps with them by your side, then immediately reward with a treat. Once your puppy seems to understand this game, start adding the word “Heel” as you begin walking.
Practice: Dedicate time to practicing this! Gradually work up to taking 10 steps in a perfect heel. Once your puppy can consistently achieve 10 steps several times in a row, they are likely ready to move your training sessions outside to your yard.
Remember, every time you increase the distraction level, you need to take a step back in difficulty.
Move Outside: To ensure your puppy’s success, when you move training outdoors, revert to luring for 3 steps before offering a treat. As this becomes easy, slowly increase to 10 steps again.
Phase Out the Lure: Once your puppy masters 10 steps with the lure, it’s time to stop using the treat to guide their nose. Reward your puppy for sitting nicely next to you, then say “Let’s go!” followed by “Heel.” Gradually try to increase the number of steps your puppy can take in a perfect heel position without the lure. If you sense your puppy losing focus, talk to them to maintain their attention. Reward them with a treat every time they make eye contact with you unprompted. Aim to work up to keeping your puppy in a heel for a full minute between treats.
Practice Consistently! If your puppy is accustomed to pulling, you’ll likely need to spend several days practicing heeling in your yard. They are learning a brand new skill, and behavior change takes time and effort. I suggest keeping training sessions short, around 20 minutes twice a day, to prevent both you and your puppy from becoming overwhelmed or frustrated.
If your puppy tries to sniff or pulls sideways while heeling, calmly say “Leave it” and apply the slightest amount of leash pressure (as practiced in leash pressure training) to gently guide them back to your side. Reward them every time they return to your side. Reiterate that pulling no longer gets your puppy what they want. If they attempt to pull ahead, say “Let’s go” and immediately turn to walk in the opposite direction. Reward them when they follow you! This teaches your puppy they need to stay next to you and pay attention. Teach your puppy that you might change direction at any second, and positive things happen when they follow.
I do not recommend adding loose leash walking until your puppy has mastered one full minute of heeling reliably. It requires more effort and mental capacity for your puppy to learn two skills simultaneously, so focus on one at a time. Incorporate sniff and play breaks between heeling sessions to keep training fun and engaging. Once your puppy can easily heel for a minute in your yard, gradually increase the distraction levels of your training location. Start with a quiet street or path without other dogs (the new smells will be distracting enough). Remember to decrease the difficulty (e.g., go back to rewarding every 10 steps) when you introduce a new environment. Your puppy will likely learn faster with each new setting, so adjust the pace to their learning curve. Once your puppy can heel for a minute in various environments, you’re ready to integrate loose leash walking instead of just stationary sniff/play breaks.
Teaching Your Puppy to Loose Leash Walk
Once your puppy has grasped the basic rules of heeling, it’s time to introduce loose leash walking! Again, I define loose leash walking as your puppy being allowed to roam anywhere within the boundaries of their leash without any tension. If I cannot easily hold the leash with one finger, it’s not a loose leash walk. There should be no leash tension at all!
If your puppy wants to sniff during loose leash walking, stop and let them! I do not permit pulling, but otherwise, loose leash walking offers your puppy the freedom to explore and simply “be a dog.” Walks should be enjoyable for them too.
How to Teach Your Puppy to Loose Leash Walk:
Have your puppy sit at your left side. Say your movement phrase, “Let’s go,” and immediately follow it with “Ok!” while pointing in front of you. Your puppy might hesitate slightly, as they’re used to heeling. Keep walking and allow your puppy to slowly move away from you. If they stop to sniff something, let them! If the sniffing lasts too long, say their name followed by either “Let’s go” or “Leave it,” and reward them with a treat when they start walking with you again.
It’s valuable to practice transitioning between heeling and loose leash walking. While your puppy is learning, make it easier by having them sit between transitions. “Let’s go” always signals movement, while “Heel” or “Ok” communicates the boundaries of where they should walk. Consistency in your verbal cues is incredibly important for puppies.
Your puppy will be tempted by more smells and freedom during loose leash walking, so remember it can be a challenging skill to learn.
A few extra tips to [train puppy to not pull on leash]:
- Maintain a No-Pulling Policy: Be diligent that you don’t accidentally reinforce pulling by letting your puppy drag you to a smell. Puppies earn their freedom on walks by maintaining polite leash manners.
- Encourage Check-ins: You want your puppy to want to check in with you and be aware of your location. You should notice them looking up at you more frequently due to practicing “focus” and heeling. Keep rewarding this! Give your puppy a treat every time they look up at you without being cued.
- Observe Body Language: Pay close attention to your puppy’s body language during loose leash walking. Most puppies have a subtle “tell” before they decide to pull. You might notice their eyes lock onto something or their ears shift. If you observe these cues, say “Let’s go!” and calmly turn in the opposite direction before they even start to pull. Reward your puppy for following you in the new direction! The most effective time to address pulling is before it even occurs.
- Manage Unexpected Distractions: If an unexpected distraction arises during training, try to create distance between your puppy and the distraction. This might mean crossing the road if you spot another dog or turning to walk the opposite way. If your puppy seems very distracted, get them to sit and practice “focus” work, rewarding every instance of eye contact. Sometimes, your puppy just needs a brief mental break!
- Handle Irresistible Smells: If there’s a spot with an aroma so captivating that your puppy can’t help but pull towards it, tell them “Leave it” and use a treat to encourage them to switch directions. Then, turn and try approaching the spot again. If they still can’t resist pulling towards it, put them into a “Heel” and use a treat to lure them past. It’s perfectly fine to make mistakes, but never reward pulling by giving in.
- Gradual Increase in Difficulty: Slowly increase the duration and distraction levels of your puppy’s loose leash walks. Remember to build skills gradually! You want to provide ample opportunities to reward your puppy for making the right choices.
Both You and Your Puppy Deserve Enjoyable Walks
It can take time to undo the ingrained behavior of pulling on the leash, but the effort is incredibly worthwhile. Just imagine: in as little as one month, you could be confidently taking your puppy on walks with no pulling! How truly amazing would that be?
Happy training!
