10 Top Tips to Improve Your Dog’s Loose Lead Walking

If your dog pulls on the lead, walks can quickly become stressful and exhausting—for both of you! Here are my top 10 tips to help you enjoy walks again, without feeling like your arm might be pulled out of its socket.

1. Be consistent
I’ll be honest—teaching loose lead walking can be frustrating and slow. It takes repetition and consistency, which can feel boring, but it’s 100% worth it. The main mistake I see is handlers only asking their dog to stop pulling sometimes—usually when their arm hurts—and then giving in later. This teaches your dog to be persistent and pushes your progress further away. The more you practice, and the more consistent you are, the faster your dog will understand what you expect.

2. Give yourself a break
I get it—sometimes you’re in a rush and can’t be consistent. A simple hack is to have two lead attachment points: one for training loose lead walking and one for when it doesn’t matter if your dog pulls. This could be two clips on a harness (front and back) or a flat collar for training but a harness for managing pulling when you’re in a rush.. Your dog will quickly learn the difference between practice time and “off-duty” walks.

3. Be clear in your criteria
What counts as “too much pulling”? Your dog can’t read your mind, so make it simple: no lead tension. That’s what your dog needs to understand—anything else just confuses them.

4. Start in an easy environment
Before expecting your dog to walk politely past squirrels and other dogs, start somewhere with minimal distractions. Begin in the house, then the garden, and only later move to a proper walk. This gives your dog the chance to understand what you want without extra pressure.

5. Use rewards to make it worthwhile
You wouldn’t work for nothing, and neither would your dog! Use treats or toys to make loose lead walking something they actually want to do.

6. Know what motivates your dog
A reminder—don’t offer salad if your dog’s expecting chocolate cake! Find out what they love and reward them with that. Motivation is key.

7. Reward in the right position
Reward your dog where you want them to be. If you hold the treat across your body, they’ll creep in front of you instead of staying by your side. Keep the reward in the position you want them to maintain.

8. Start small and build
Reward your dog for simply being by your side, then for staying there for a single step, then two, and gradually increase the distance. Small, consistent wins build big results.

9. Have realistic expectations
If your dog has been pulling for a year, don’t expect an overnight transformation. New skills take time to become habits, so be patient and stick with it.

10. Keep yourself motivated
Remind yourself why this matters—your arms and your dog’s neck will thank you! The only way this fails is if you stop trying. Keep building your skills one step at a time.

If you’d like extra guidance, check out our Basic Manners Program, where we can work on loose lead walking and many other skills together.