Mistake No 5. 

Consistency

Even IF you are teaching it the correct way, sometimes you really concentrate and work on the training, sometimes you are in a rush because its a quick walk before work or the school run and you let him drag you round – am I right?

If you don’t have much time and you are in a rush to walk your dog before work, do a shorter walk (or get up earlier !!). If you sometimes put the work in, and sometimes just let him pull this will not work. If it is a long way to the park and you can’t possibly do this all the way pop him in the car to take him to the park for his run to burn off some energy then do some lead practice up and down the street when you return.

When you let him drag you around you are rewarding the behaviour of pulling – he pulls, you follow and you get to the park faster, if it works for him sometimes he will always try it.

Your dog needs consistency, praise, and rewards for getting it right – on every single training session otherwise he will not work. He will just learn that he can sometimes get away with ignoring you and do his own thing.

Put him in the car and let him off lead to burn of his energy before a training walk so he is calmer and not bursting with energy.

Use different equipment: Practice your lead skills with a lead and collar, and on other walks when you don’t have time to train then he is allowed to mooch around and pull, clip the lead onto the back of the harness. Dogs can learn what their ‘job’ is by the equipment we put on them; dogs who do mantrailing or tracking as a sport know that when the tracking harness goes on with a long line on the back they are allowed to pull. When the harness comes off and a short lead is fastened on the collar they don’t.