Dog Trainer Shares 3 Simple Ways to Get Pups to Stop Pulling on Their Leash

If you're a dog owner, you know how frustrating it can be to deal with a dog that pulls on its leash anytime you go on a walk. We brought home a puppy a couple of months ago, and this has been an ongoing issue when walking her. Well, this and frequent stops to smell all of the things.

Ethan Steinburg is a dog trainer and in mid-April he shared a video with three tips that will build engagement in your dog and stop the pulling. Of course I immediately watched it and thought it sounded a little too easy. Watch and see if you agree with him when he says that it only takes three steps to train your dog not to pull.

This seems too easy, right! I want to see Ethan do this with an untrained dog like my dog because it definitely wouldn't work for her, I've tried! Although I will admit that maybe the part that I've been missing is the treats - I'm going to have to take her on a walk this afternoon and bring treats along, too.

I'm not the only one who was skeptical that this would work. @mercardo asked, "Have you trained a Husky? Asking because mine does whatever he wants." @Shemyah.X added, "Did this. He figured out we weren't really going anywhere and chose to lay down and not move." I have the same issue @Arun Post has, "My dog has literally no interest in rewards or praises while we are on walks." @Brooke asked, "I love the advice and enjoy your page, but can you do this with a dog who isn’t already trained?!" No response from Ethan, but @Isacc answered, "I just tried it with my girlfriend's puppy who is a monster and by the end of the walk he wasn't even pulling on the leash for squirrels, it 100% works!"

Related: Dogs Think They're 'Parked' When Dad Drops Their Leash and It's Too Cute

Why Do Dogs Pull on the Leash?

Walking with a dog constantly yanking on the leash really makes it difficult to even want to take them on a walk. Why do dogs pull so much on the leash? My first guess is that they're excited to be out and about and want to run free and check things out. Professional dog trainer Garrett Wing offered up the reason why they pull, and it's eye opening.

The main reason is called opposition reflex, "The dog is trying to take steps to go forward, but you are very gently holding the dog back....As the dog got bigger, it started pulling harder and harder, and it realized that in order to overcome the pressure of you pulling it back, it needed to push even harder to go forward." You can read about it here.

So what do you do? There are some different training methods you can use, and you can find them here - they're very similar to what the trainer in the TikTok described. While Garrett says that putting your dog in a harness instead of using a collar is the wrong answer to fixing the problem, I read that the Halti no-pull harness isn't like a regular harness and that it works. It also has 11 thousand plus positive reviews on Amazon - I'm definitely going to be buying it!

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.