My mastiff mix pulls. How to safely walk a strong, reactive dog?

I would recommend consulting with a trainer to use your commands so he follows your guidance so you're not relying on your strength to hold him. You could also work on using a gentle leader or a no pull harness/gentle walker which requires less strength to hold your dog. Your concerns are very valid and I would be concerned as well about him getting hit by car or injured by another dog this behavior continues.

Have you tried a gentle leader or Halti? These go around there nose and mouth and clip behind the ears then connect to the leash below the chin. Whenevere the dog pulls, it puts the pressure on their nose and forces their nose between their front legs so they loos there strength and cannot pull. If that does not help then you need to consult a trainer for one on one sessions and then add group sessions with other people and dogs to hel keep him focused.

Using a Gentle Leader will help prevent her from pulling and lunging on the leash. You are going to have to do some training to try and solve this problem. First, you should teach her the "watch me" command so that you can get her attention when you needed. Next you should take her in situations that have very few distractions and use the watch me command when you see something that will possibly distract her. Once she makes progress in those situations, you can gradually increase to busier environments. Hopefully, with some patience and time you can get this problem under control. If not, you may need to get the help of a professional trainer. http://www.pet360.com/product/50230/petsafe-gentle-leader-headcollar-for-dogs http://www.abetterdog4u.com/articles/teaching_watch_me.htm https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/training/managing-leash-reactive-dog

I would consider looking into a gentle leader head collar. It looks a little strange but many find it effective with their dogs who have issues pulling if you follow the instructions closely (you can get a dvd to explain the use of the product). You can find out more at https://www.petsafe.net/gentleleader If you prefer to not use a gentle leader collar then I would recommend following the advice of veterinary behaviorist Sophia Yin as she explains in detail in this article: https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/walk-on-loose-leash-part-1-choose-the-right-walking-pace-and-make-it-clear/

I highly recommend you buy a Gentle Leader or Halti Collar to walk him. These are both head collars and when your dog pulls, lunges or jumps it will move his head back towards you which prevents him from pulling you. It will take a little bit of time for him to adjust to walking with this type of collar but it will give you a lot more control. I use one with my own dog and walking is so much nicer!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend using corrective collars like a pinch collar or gentle leader. These can help stop the pulling behavior. You may also look into the low voltage shock collars. These collars emit a small shock that is similar to being snapped by a rubber band. You can use this to correct the behavior and these collars can all be found online or at your local pet store. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Yes, this does sound very scary. I would look for a collar that he cannot get out of like a pinch collar or a harness that is properly fitted. This could be a liability to you if your dog is running into another person's yard and being aggressive. I would also consider talking to a behavioral specialist to help train him so he doesn't do this. You could also talk to your vet about starting him on a anti-anxiety or calming medicine like trazadone that you can give before your walks. Finally, you can be safer by either not walking him if you have a backyard or try to walk him when no one else is around. I hope this helps!