At some point in time most dog owners will encounter the problem of their dog pulling on the leash. This sometimes happens at the most inopportune of times and can become both an issue for the owner and the dog as well.

The best procedure for putting a stop to leash pulling is to start training your dog for the leash at an early age. When you first start taking your dog on walks try not to be predictive with where you're going and what you're doing. If you notice that your dog is about to head out to the end of the leash, turn direction and go in the opposite way he or she is doing.

Make sure that when doing this that your turn of direction happens before the leash gets tight. Doing this consistently and on every walk, especially in the beginning, your dog will learn to pay attention to what you are doing instead of going his or her own way. Thus, you'll be putting a stop to leash pulling problems before they even become a problem.

One of the most effective methods for putting an end to your dog's leash pulling habit is the start and stop method. The real beauty of this method is the simplicity of it. When your dog begins to pull on the leash, stop walking and have him or her heal. That's it. There is nothing more to it than that.

Continue doing this every time your dog pulls on the leash and over time the leash pulling problem will become less and less. As with all aspects of training a dog, consistency and repetitiveness is important. Dogs are creatures of habit so use that habit to your advantage to putting an end to your dogs leash pulling.

An important thing to remember when leash training your dog is to not allow frustration guide how you react when things aren't going as well as planned. Your dog will feed off of your negative emotions, in turn adopting a similar frustrated attitude and can easily become nervous. At which point, anything you're trying to teach will not be learned and most likely turn into a set back.

Regardless of what method you use when trying to put an end to leash pulling or trying to prevent it from happening, when your dog does something positive, reward him or her positively. Positive reinforcement via treats, praise or a combination of both will go a long way to improving any training you're trying to accomplish.

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Matt operates the dog information website A Happy Dog