I’ve utilized three methods for dealing with Ellie when she refuses to stop pulling on the leash during walks:

  1. Some success: keep the leash shorter than normal and require your dog to sit every time they pull. Do this continually until improvement and then slowly lengthen the leash. I would avoid giving treats after they sit so they don’t accidentally equate pulling to sitting + treat = good.
  2. More success: stop walking and wait for your dog to give up trying to move forward. Shorten the leash any time they move closer. Use boredom to regain their attention and require them to do something obedient like sit next to you. Require eye contact before moving forward again.
  3. Most successful: stop walking as soon as they pull and use a “back” command to turn and reverse direction. I’ve noticed consistently that Ellie walks more politely in a sudden reverse of direction. She wants to go the other way and so she doesn’t pull in the new direction. We do this back and forth until she’s thoroughly confused about where we’re going and then tends to walk more politely.