How to Stop Your American Pit Bull From Pulling While on the Lease

By Nathaniel Rhine

More often than not, one’s American Pit Bull will pull like crazy when he is taken for a walk. Usually, this will occur when another dog (or cat) is spotted by your dog. Even when you do not see another dog or cat around, your dog surely can and will inform you of that by their pulling you towards that dog or cat.

Before one set out to teach one’s American Pit Bull leash manners one should first understand why one’s dog pulls in the first place. The majority of dogs that pull do so because one of the following three reasons:

1. One walks the same direction and visit the same place daily. One’s dog knows this and wants to get this monotonous task over with as fast as possible.

2. One’s dog has never been given any boundaries. In other words, the dog walks you and they have been allowed to do this.

3. They are rarely walked so when they are the excitement causes them to pull.

Moreover, the dog owner’s responsibility now is to find out which of the above mentioned reason(s) is the main motivator behind your dog’s pulling and eliminate it.

One method of teaching your American Pit Bull from pulling on the leash is to teach your dog that if they pull, they lose their reward. Their reward in the case of walking is moving forward and progressing. Whenever, one’s dog begins to pull, the owner must simply stop. It’s that simple, yet for most owners, very hard to do. It defeats the purpose of walking the dog. Exactly! That is the whole point of stopping whenever the dog pulls. One want to send the message to the dog that in order to enjoy this walk, you must not pull.

One’s goal is to out last one’s dog. The dog will definitely get frustrated and start to pull. One can not and should not allow then to do so. You are the alpha dog; the one in charge. When they stop you do not move. Wait for a moment. Let the dog know that you mean business and that he will not enjoy his walk if he continues to pull.

Of course, there is no need to have a conversation with your dog for he will not understand. Unfortunately, I hear some dog owners talking to their dogs as though they are humans and can understand what is being said. On the contrary, the dog will understand what you want to convey to him via your repeated and consistent actions. In the case of the dog pulling, one’s action is no action at all; no forward movement.

Furthermore, after the dog has stopped for a short period of time due to pulling, one may start walking again. By doing that, one is saying to the dog, “Yes, you are now ready to start walking again.” As soon as the dog begins to pull again, simply repeat the same procedure; stop, wait, say, “Yes”, and start walking. Throughout this training process, there is no need to talk to one’s dog. You may only confuse him. Simply give the command, “Yes” and begin walking.

Keep in mind that positive results do not come overnight. Therefore, I encourage you to repeat this training method daily. Eventually, with daily practice both you and the dog will enjoy your walks together. I wish you all the very best success.