Naughty Puppy Thursday: Leash Pulling

I will admit it, I'm the mother of a naughty little leash puller - a most undesirable behavior. We go for a walk every night when I get home from work, and every night, I am dragged down the driveway and the sidewalk by a little 12 pound dog. How embarrassing. Most nights, we only make it around the block before going home. Why you ask? Well, we would make it farther if we didn't have to constantly stop so I could say, "No pulling" and try to get that point across before starting up again.

We must be quite the sight, Chester and I. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Sometimes we even make it a few feet down the sidewalk before having to stop, but usually it's just a few steps. I thought this routine would teach him not to pull as he doesn't get anywhere doing it. But no, of course not, it only succeeds in giving me whiplash. This has been going on for weeks.

This is what we look like on a typical walk.

I don't know what to try next. Chester LOVES going for walks. As soon as you get out his blue walking leash, he gets all excited and sits by the door eagerly waiting for you. If you aren't getting ready fast enough for him, he will whine. So not going for walks anymore isn't an option, but the pulling is getting ridiculous. He always wears a harness, but he's still managing to choke himself with the ferocity of his pulls.

He used to be a good little walker last fall, but we didn't go much in the winter due to the cold and ice. He seems to have completely forgotten good leash behavior in the meantime. I thought about buying a Gentle Leader to try, but will probably wait until his Obedience class in two weeks to see what they suggest first. It's so frustrating! I want to enjoy walks with my little buddy, but the pulling is making it somewhat miserable.