Are you using the wrong tools to train?

As owners we really are spoilt for choice when it comes to buying stuff for our dogs. I’m sure you’ve been into your local pet store and likely seen all matter of tools out there now that "guarantee" to stop your dog pulling. Such as non-pull harnesses, head halites, choke chains, slip leads etc.

But what one do you buy? It is so confusing for any owner and can be overwhelming. Store clerks will try to help, but I find most don’t actually know themselves (not their fault of course) and generally recommend harnesses that tend to be too big.

Harness for dog walking?

The thing is none of these tools actually work to stop your dog pulling. Now some owners will claim that what I just said there isn’t true, but let me explain. Usually what happens is when an owner puts something new on their dog the dog feels a bit nervous of it and because of this they behaviour differently, so they stop pulling as much. At which point the owner is amazed, they relax themselves and act differently sometimes rewarding their dog. So in fact they just trained their dog without even knowing it and thought it was the tool that did the work for them.

However, most of the time what actually happens when using the tools above is after a while your dog will become use to the equipment and instead learn how to pull against it.

The amount of times I’ve gone out to help an owner with their pulling dog and find them wearing a harness with a lead clipped at the back of them is crazy. Why? Well a harness actually gives your dog more pulling power cause they can use their whole body to pull against it.

If I told you to think of a sled dog team what comes to mind about the equipment they wear? A harness right? This is because the pressure when pulling is on their entire body, not their neck making it easier for the dogs.

Now there are front clip harnesses (clipping the lead to the chest area) which I’ve recommended in the past when training puppies to take the pressure of their necks, as they are still growing and we don’t want to risk injuring their neck.

So what tools are needed…

Well you can learn about that in my next blog where I share the ‘Right tools for the job’ so you can get your dog to stop pulling on lead.