Poodles are intelligent dogs that can be trained to do almost anything. Many of them excel as service animals or performance dogs. This means there is no reason why your poodle – no matter his size – cannot learn to walk nicely on the leash. However, intelligent animals can by more challenging to train, as they tend to think for themselves more, and you may have to give them more incentive at first to do what you ask. But, if you are consistent, your Poodle can definitely be taught. Here are five tips to help prevent your Poodle from pulling on leash.
#1 – Start Young
Your Poodle can start learning good leash habits the moment you bring her home. In fact, it’s easiest to do at this age, when they want to follow you around. And for those with a Standard Poodle, it will be much easier to teach them when they are small.
#2 – Teach Self-Control
With intelligence usually comes a strong will. As mentioned above, Poodles can definitely have a mind of their own. If your Poodle tends to be one of these, then you will just have to work a bit harder in teaching him that what you want is also what he wants. You can do this by upping your rewards are first. In addition, teaching self-control so your Poodle can make the right choice – for example staying by your side instead of chasing that bunny – is very helpful. Stay, Go To Bed (mat-stay behavior), sitting for a toy/food/petting, etc., are all good ways to work on self-control.
#3 – Practice Attention
Poodles are hunting dogs and as such, they like to chase other animals. In addition, many of them are friendly and like to visit other dogs or people. On leash, this can lead to you being pulled in whatever direction your Poodle feels like – not fun! A key to stopping these behaviors is to keep him focused on you during a walk. Working on looking at you when you say his name, offering eye contact without a cue, Leave It and Drop are important to leash training.
#4 – Reward Correct Position
Whenever your Poodle is calmly walking in heel position – by your side with a loose leash – be sure you reward him. You can even turn this into a game by trying to move away from your Poodle and seeing if he stays with you off-leash in your house or in your backyard. Start off easy and then increase difficulty (quicker pace, tighter turns) as he learns the game. Rewards can be anything he likes, including treats, praise, toys, etc. As long as your Poodle likes it, it’s a reward. Dogs repeat behaviors that are reinforced, so the more you reinforce him for being in that spot, the more he will do it. It’s as simple as that!
#5 – Don’t Let Pulling Be Reinforced
As mentioned, dogs do what gets reinforced, so make sure your Poodle is not being rewarded for pulling. If your Poodle pulls on the leash and gets what he wants (to chase a bunny or greet a dog) then he will continue to do it and it will get worse. So, if you feel your Poodle start to pull you in one direction, plant your feet and don’t move, waiting until he returns to you. If you own a Standard Poodle who is stronger than you, you can also turn and walk the opposite direction. Once he is walking next to you nicely, you can turn back and go the way he wanted to in the first place. This teaches your Poodle that if he wants to go somewhere, he has to keep that leash loose. I find this method to work really well because dogs get the rules very quickly.
