How I Get Any Dog to Stop Pulling, Even the Most Stubborn Ones

Last month, on a dry trail outside town, a Labrador pulled his owner clean off her feet.

She sat in the dirt, looking at her scraped hand. I knelt down next to her, my German Shepherd Ranger waiting calmly beside me.

“Hey, are you okay? I can hold your dog so you can get up.”

It’s not his fault, and it’s not yours. There’s a really simple fix for this, and I want to explain it to you.

I’m 62, and I’ve been walking dogs for 12 years. About 20 a week. Dogs who had never walked on a leash, some small, some heavier than me, others that had dragged their owners for years.

I only get 45 minutes per walk, so I don’t have time to train any of them. And I’ve never once had an accident with a dog that pulls.

I’m done watching good owners give up on walking their own dogs, when the fix is this simple.

They looked completely defeated. They said they see me every day, never with the same dog, and always with the same ease.

Their husky had been pulling for four years. They’d stopped going near other dogs altogether.

The only thing she could walk him with on her own was a prong collar, and they both hated it. So her husband always had to come along.

I told them it wouldn’t stop the pulling on its own, but I wanted to show them something.

I grabbed a spare out of my bag, put it on their husky in about five seconds, and handed the leash to her. She hesitated for a second. Then we walked.

Two minutes in, a squirrel crossed the path. Before she could even react, the husky bolted… and then turned around and looked back at us.

I showed them the harness, explained why it’s different, and they went home with it.

Remember how he pushed back when you pushed on his chest?

That’s his opposition reflex. Every dog has it. When he feels pressure, he leans into it. He can’t help it. It’s his biology, not him being stubborn.

So when you pull back on the leash, he just pulls harder. And a leash that clips on his back is right where you’d put it if you wanted him to pull.

That’s also why the front-clip harness they tried didn’t work. Most front clips sit too low on the chest, so the leash just twists them sideways. And a collar, prong or not, puts the whole pull on his throat.

A harness that clips high on the chest, on one single strap.

Clipped there, it breaks his train of thought and actually redirects your dog toward you. It’s the same principle horse riders use.

The leash has a bungee section in it. So when he does go, it stretches and absorbs the shock. It never reaches your shoulder.

I use the matching Tailo bungee leash, in the same colour as the harness. You can add it in your cart.

Every dog walker I know uses the same one, because it is that good. It’s called Tailo.

• Clips high on the chest. Every pull turns him back toward you.
• Nothing around his neck. The force lands on a wide, padded chest strap.
• On in five seconds. Over the head, one buckle.
• His name and your number stitched on.

Sometimes both of them, sometimes just her. But always with the leash loose, other dogs going past, and the husky staying by her side.

Somebody just had to tell them. So now I’m telling you.

I’ve been clipping dogs high on the chest for over 10 years. I’ve watched it work on pullers nobody else could walk.

Tailo is a small company, so popular sizes sell out fast. My neighbor had to borrow a spare of mine until hers arrived.

Right now they’re taking orders with a 90-day guarantee.