Why do dogs pull on leashes during walks?

Dogs are naturally curious animals. They do their exploration almost entirely through their nose. They are always looking for different scents to explore. Especially if you have a working dog. These dogs have a seemingly endless supply of energy.

Combine their curiosity with a lack of impulse control, then you have a dog who wants to constantly move. And we have the audacity to put that type of living being on a leash. Unfortunately for them, they live in a human world, where we have safety laws and regulations.

Mastering the Leash

So they must learn to walk on a leash. We always want to teach dogs to follow us first. We want them to know that we are the coolest most exciting thing on the planet. We are after all their leader. As a good pack leader we teach our dogs that all good things flow from us. Love, pets, treats, as well as structure.

We teach dogs that we only walk in the direction that the leash handler is walking. Whenever our dog is passing us, we change direction. The longer our dogs walk with us the more we give them praise and the less we change directions. Our dog will learn that the more they walk next to us the less we need to redirect them and it becomes a moment of self gratification by choosing to do the right thing.