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How to stop my puppy from stopping and pulling on walks to sniff?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Bichon Frise | Male | neutered | 5 months and 10 days old | 7.8 lbs

Puppy walks with leash but will often sit in the middle of the road and or pull me in one direction or the other so he can sniff and mark his territory. How can I get him to come with me consistently rather than stopping in the middle of the road till I follow him where he wants to go? I currently use “let’s go” as a way of having him move forward but sometimes it seems as if he is too curious to move on without giving the area a sniff.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Daniel Fonza, DVM

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 26th, 2018

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend using a Gentle Leader collar to help control him better. When he stops and you tug on the leash, it will pull his entire head to the side you are pulling making it uncomfortable for him to the point that he should respond to your command. Be persistent with this technique and don't give in to him stopping in the road. Dogs test us and will continue to push boundaries to find out what they can get away with. It is your job to make him understand who is in charge. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
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