You are likely to enjoy the walk with your dog only when your dog knows how to greet other dogs politely. When your dog meets another dog in a slightly raised state, pulling or wading you, the dog interprets this as an attack. Watch your dog when he’s approaching another dog for the first time. If the dog seems stressed or shows any aggression, avoid having the greeting. Try to avoid nose to nose greetings and keep your dog in a loose position. Don’t let the dog play on leashes as this teaches poor leash behaviour. Keep your own body language calm. If the dog gets stressed, use the ‘leave it’ command to take control of the situation. To teach your dog to greet a person properly, have a friend to greet and meet the dog at your backyard and put your dog in ‘sit’ position. Teaching to greet people is to correct your dog in case it breaks the SIT command.

It’s a common problem of dog pulling on a lead and the owner being dragged down the street. However, never stop his regular walks just because he drags you while walking. Socialize the puppy with the lead. Never allow the dog to walk in front of you. Let the dog walk beside you or slightly behind you. Keep the leash loose. Start the training in an area where there are only few distractions. Never use retractable lead as it allows the dog to move around freely. Start walking so that the dog stays in heel position, but don’t say ‘heel’ as this is not the heel command. This is the stage for pattern setting so that the dog will automatically move to your side while walking. Remember to correct every time your dog tends to move past your leg and stop as soon as your dog starts pulling.