Pulling
The reason your dog pulls is because he is motivated to move forward to get to something. Sound simple?
Consider this. Your dog's natural response to pressure is to push into it. So, when your dog feels pressure on his collar, his NATURAL response is to, pull!.jpg)
Your dog also learns from experience. If your dog wanted to move forward and you pulled back, he learned that he needs to pull HARDER to get to where he wants to go. As you may guess, this cycle continues until walks are no longer any fun!
The Wisconsin Humane Society has several ways to help you with your pulling dog. Manners classes are offered Monday through Saturday and teach many cues, including how to walk on a loose leash. To help with the training process, our Animal Anitics store offers different training equipment.
The SENSE-ible Harness®
This harness is a no-pull harness that works immediately with no training required, painlessly and effectively, to stop pulling. The leash connection ring is located on the center of the chest strap so that when your dog pulls, he feels a sensation behind his front legs that will cause him to cease pulling. The dog does not need to be wearing a collar. There are buckles that need to be fitted for this harness to work correctly.
The Gentle Leader
This head collar is designed to encourage the dog to sit, stop pulling, stop lunging and prevent jumping. When fitted properly, your dog is free to open his mouth to eat, drink, pant, fetch and bark. Unlike the harness above, this headcollar can not be placed on the dog for immediate use. The dog needs time to get accustomed to how this feels before using it to manage their behavior. The Gentle Leader is NOT a muzzle.
The Weiss Walkie™
This leash is a great tool for dog walkers that want an easy, dog-friendly way to walk their dogs immediately without pulling and 
with no training required. The Weiss Walkie works like a harness to stop pulling comfortably and humanely. It is a simple loop that does not have any buckles to adjust and attaches to a dog's regular buckle collar.
The Martingale Collar
This collar was originally designed for dogs whose necks are larger than their heads, like sighthounds. It is a flat nylon collar that has a short, no slip loop, made of nylon. This is appropriate for dogs that slip out of their traditional buckle collar. This collar is fitted to the exact size of the dog's neck when the dog collar is in the closed position. When the Martingale loop is tightened by the leash, the collar should then be snug, but will not constrict the airway when fitted properly.
To make the best possible fit for your companion and your pulling issues, please stop by the store and talk to one of our trained counselors to have your training equipment custom fitted.
If you are seeking additional support, contact our behavior department at 414-431-6173 or behavior@wihumane.org.
