Why does my dog suddenly pull on the leash when we walk in new areas?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes dogs can get scared even when there does not appear to be anything scary in sight. Remember that they can hear and sense much better than us so he may be perceiving something that is near which you may not. This can improve but it can certainly become a bit difficult at times. I recommend that you start taking him out for longer periods but very slowly over the next several weeks. Encourage him to stay out with treats and positive words. Also, in the beginning just take him out without walking initially just to get him used to his surroundings. Eventually little by little he will learn that going outside equals getting treats and attention and will improve with time but it does require time and patience. You can consider using the Thunder shirt for him which you may find online and can help a lot in these cases. Good luck and have a great day!

I recommend a group obedience training class so he will learn to listen to you with other people and dogs around. In the meantime find a friend with an older confident dog that walks well on the leash and plan your dog walks together. That way your dog will learn from the other dog and not be as anxious. Please reward him when he relaxes and goes forward. I would also start with short walks where there are minimal distractions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Tucker.

It sounds like your pups may be a little under socialized and may need some extra help. Tugging on a extra short leash can just create more tension and stress which may encourage the barking and aggressive behavior. It is best to contact a local trainer or behaviorist in your area who can work with you on dog on dog aggression, usually with a training technique of BAT or desensitization to get your dogs used to being around and positively interacting with other dogs. It is important to work with someone in person that can be there to step in if there is a problem and observe/teach what behaviors are happening. If your dogs are able to, a basic obedience class may also be useful to teach some loose-leash walking manners, and help you and your dogs understand and work better together.

Poor pup! It sounds like you both would benefit from a basic training class for working on some leash manners, and to work with a trainer about desensitizing your dog to fearful things (such as cars on the road.) A harness such as an Easy-Walk no pull harness or a Gentle Leader is also a good idea so that she can't pull or tug you places or get herself injured. Starting walking on quieter trails that are low distraction and gradually increasing the amount of distraction and noise on walks can help as well, but it will take time. If she becomes too scared, going back to the walking bath she was less fearful on and working up from there is best.

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear about the pulling troubles with Zurrick. It can be very frustrating to try to go on nice, long walks with our dogs if they pull a lot. I have the same problem with my dog, especially in new areas, so we have been working with a trainer. We have been using a special type of harness that applies tension from the front of the chest as well as at the shoulders, to give us more control. Walking with a fanny pack with some tiny bits of treats (I usually recommend very tiny pieces of cooked chicken, like literally giving a pinch when the dog does well) so you can easily reward the good behavior. If Zurrick has any food sensitivities, use treats that she tolerates well. I would start by walking in a familiar area, even the back yard. You want to start in a familiar area as she will likely be excited in a new place and want to explore right away. Once you have more control, you can take her to new places, and you will be better prepared to handle her bursts of energy as she acclimates to that area. Pick the side you want her to walk on. Practice your verbal command, "heel", is a good one, so she is learning that you want her to walk beside you. If you pick the left side, she will stand there. You will take the leash and put it behind your waist, and hold it in your right hand. You can give her treats with your left hand when she does well. You may have to start with showing her the treat and making her walk closely to you. Eventually this can turn into her just getting rewarded while walking beside you intermittently. If she pulls, you can give her the command and change directions, applying the light tension and making her follow you. When she does, treat. It is very daunting at first, but the more you do it, the better she will be. You have to just do it over and over. With the harness that we use, you can put two leashed on at once, and it will give you more control initially. As I mentioned above, I am currently working with a trainer who comes every other week to work with my dog, and once a month to work with me and my dog together. In the interim, I practice with him on our own as long as it's going well. If we have a bad day, I'll usually stop and address what happened with the trainer before trying again, so I don't do something wrong. You may need to have a trainer come and work with you if you really cannot get her under control. Walking should be fun, and you shouldn't have to worry about her dragging you all over the place. Here is the link for the harness. I love chewy.com and get a lot of things for my dogs on the site. They have great prices, and I'm happy with the quality of everything so far. https://www.chewy.com/petsafe-easy-walk-dog-harness/dp/48923 Here is a link with some tips for dogs that are stressed when walking on the leash. The late Sophia Yin was an excellent veterinary behaviorist. I feel very comfortable with you using some of her advice to help guide you. https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/proper-walking-technique-turn-an-anxious-dog-into-a-calm-dog-in-just-minute/ Again, a good dog trainer is a always a great idea. You can always call Zurrick's veterinarian and get some recommendations. A good trainer's experience and knowledge is invaluable in helping you have a better relationship with your dog. I had no idea that my high energy hunting dog would like to play with puzzle toys so much and do scent work. It actually exhausts him more than physical exercise. I can literally tire him out by hiding his kibbles around the yard or the garage and then have him look for all of the pieces. If I tried to get this same result from physical exercise it could take hours. Something you could try would be a pickle pocket with her breakfast or dinner before his walk, to help quiet her mind ahead of time. (Also found on chewy). I will mention too that spaying Zurrick may help calm her down too in addition to its other health benefits. I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck!

He's a puppy and just being bratty! You are doing well to have him walk on a loose leash most of the time. I would bring treats with you and when he starts this behavior don't pull on the harness just say 'let's go' and lure him forward with the treat. Give him the treat when he stands up and starts walking again. He will improve as he gets older. On your walks you can mix up walking with some 30 second trotting intervals to keep him interested and paying attention to you. You are doing a great job training, ignore this behavior, don't fight with him but give him an alternate behavior to perform instead and reward that. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Paxton.

A lot of puppies striggle with the concept of walking beside people at first, especially when a lead is introduced. If you have him on a lead this is likely the issue. What I usually find helps is getting him to follow you round a safe environment first such as your garden or home. You can do this on/off lead. Never ever pull him if he isnt walking as you will make him fear the lead. If yiu have a favourite toy or treats you can coax him to walk alongside you and praise him when he does. I would focus on this for a while befire trying to get him out into the world. When he is walking well in the garden try him on the street. He will likely take a bit if a back step so be prepared to work with him again. If he continues to plant his bum when you go outside he is likely scared of all the new things going on. Try not to force him, keep coaxing him and making it look fun outside and he will eventually realise it is ok. A friendly older dog can be a great help in guiding a young pup so you could borroe a family member or friend's dog to try and show him tbat outside is fine. It can be very frustrating with a pup, but persevere and eventually it will just click with him. Good luck!