Preparation

• 1). Select an appropriate collar. Buckle collars work best during training as they have less chance of harming your dog's neck and are the most appropriate collar for puppies under six months of age. According to PetDoc, your collar selection may depend on your dog's behaviors. Prong or choke collars may be appropriate if your dog is very big and has an established habit of pulling.
  
  
• 2). Measure your dog's neck and purchase a collar that fits securely enough to prevent slipping off over the head but without choking your dog. Read the collar instruction for placement as some, like the prong or slip collars, should be located high on the neck behind the ears.
  
  
• 3). Use a leash that is a maximum of four to five feet long in order to keep your dog close to your side.
  
  
• 4). Select a command word, such as "heel" or "by me" to use for training. Instructions will use the word "heel" but you may use any word.
  
  
• 5). Find a location that has limited distractions for beginning training. Your own fenced yard, a vacant lot or any area where few people or animals are located makes training easier.
  
  

Training

• 1). Cut treats into very small portions to prevent overfeeding your dog during training. During training, place treats in a small plastic bag and carry it where you can easily retrieve it, such as a pocket, or use a clip-on treat bag.
  
  
• 2). Put the collar and leash on your dog. Stand still until the dog sits or stands by your side. Say "heel" and start forward slowly, with loose leash.
  
  
• 3). Stop walking immediately when your dog pulls on the leash. Do not jerk the leash. Say "heel" and remain in that spot until the dog stops pulling. Say "good heel" and immediately give your dog a treat. Move forward slowly and repeat instructions when your dog pulls. Lengthen the number of steps your dog must go to get a treat when not pulling from immediate to two steps then four steps, using praise instead of treats as walking. After three or four times when your dog hasn't pulled at four steps, require six steps before treats are given.
  
  
• 4). Train for a maximum of fifteen minutes at a time to prevent boredom. Stop after a successful treat. Continue with training twice a day if possible until your dog has stopped pulling during the training session. Most young dogs learn not to pull in three to six lessons. With older dogs that have been pulling, training may require ten or more lessons.
  
  
• 5). Select an area to walk that has some distractions such as people or other animals. Repeat training steps until your dog does not pull. It may be necessary to change directions and force your dog to walk away from the desired distraction to teach it that pulling will not get your dog to where it wants to go.