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My dog pulls on leash and won't listen. How do I improve obedience?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 11 months and 26 days old | 78.8 lbs

How can I get my dog to walk nicely on a leash I've tried changing direction everytime he pulls but even when I change direction he still pulls he doesn't care much for treats or toys he also never comes to me when I call him only when he feels like it he will come he even almost got me hit by a car by pulling me onto the road a dog trainer even gave up on him and told me not to waist my money I'm at my whits end with him what can I do to improve his obedience?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 7th, 2017

I highly recommend you buy a Gentle Leader or Halti Collar to walk him. These are both head collars and when your dog pulls, lunges or jumps it will move his head back towards you which prevents him from pulling you. It will take a little bit of time for him to adjust to walking with this type of collar but it will give you a lot more control. I use one with my own dog and walking is so much nicer!

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
I'm sorry that you're having problems with Spring! I see that he's a young dog, so it's normal that he has lots of energy and may not always pay attention to you - it takes lots of time and effort to work on these things :)

In many cases when owners say that their dog doesn't like treats, I find that this is because they have not tried really tasty things like chicken, roast beef, cheese, etc. I would suggest trying lots of different things, including very tasty "human food" and various types of meat, until you find something that he gets excited about - this will make training much easier.

When you're on a walk, carry treats with you and reward him frequently for staying beside you. If he gets distracted and starts to pull, just stop and wait for him to look back at you - then praise and reward with a treat, and continue on your walk once he's beside you again. Over time, if you're consistent about this, he will learn that he gets lots of treats for walking nicely beside you, whereas he doesn't get treats and the walk stops if he starts to pull. This is a difficult skill to master for most young dogs, so you have to be patient and very consistent with your plan while he learns.

If he doesn't reliably come when you call him, he should never be allowed off-leash in an area where you can't catch him easily. Practice calling him to you in the house and in your yard on-leash at fist - praise and give him a handful of very tasty treats as soon as he comes to you. Once he's good at this in the house, you can start to practice in other places. Use a long-line (a very long, lightweight leash) for safety until he's 100% reliable.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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My dog pulls on walks and hates her Halti. What else can I try?

A lot of dogs don't like the head harness to start, but over time they may become used to it. Try putting it on at home and distracting her with treats. Let her wear just the Halti not attached to the leash when you are at home and can watch her and she can get used to feeling it on her head. You could also try a gentle leader harness where the leash clips to the front of the harness by the chest. When they pull their balance is pulled off to the side. https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=33614&cmpid=sc Continue with obedience training. It takes time and lots of practice to teach a dog to walk without pulling!

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