Hi I have a 4 yr old lab/corgi mix. She Knows the sit command and the stay command And the down stay command We are working on Heeling. She does good walking by my left side in the house. But once we get outside its a different story. Does anyone have some suggestions I might try to get her to not pull on the leash?

I use a choke chain for the first time or two outside on a leash. The key to the choke chain is a quick jerk, then release until the dog starts going ahead, behind, or in front of you again. If you do not have a choke chain (some dogs don't need it), just do the same thing with a normal collar. I just trained another giant puppy to heal a couple of days ago. All it took was one time out and he is doing great now!
Good luck!

Try removing the leash if she is behaving and put it again if she disobeys your command. That way she will know that she is doing the wrong thing. It is still best to put a leash on dog when you walk them.

There are several training tools that you can use to assist in good walking habit, every dog is diffrent though, so what works for one dog may not the next, trial and error of the tools you use really the only way to detirmin which will assist the best.

I like to consider these training tools as just that, for training, with the aim to achieve your desired result without having to use them in the long run.

You have the choker chains, which if used correctly, are a great tool for correction. It is important that the chains fits correctly and is the right size and weight for the dog, sometimes it may mean removing links to go between sizes. The choker works by means of applying pressure around the neck when the dog is not acting in an acceptable manner, the correction and pulling this chain should be very short and brief, if the dog insists on walking in a way that the chain is constantly tight and pulling, then it may not be an appropriate tool for that dog, in actual fact, if the dog pulls against it too much it can cause some damage around the neck and throat. It is also important in useing a choker that they sit on the right place, hanging low towards the dogs chest means that it is going to be ineffective, dangerous and likley that the choker is too long, Idealy a choker chain should appear to sit high on the neck only a very short distance from the bottom of the dogs ears.

Halti, or head collar can also be a good alternative to teach good walking manners. It is important that whatever head collar you try (there are many brands out there all varying slightly in style) that they are a good, snug fit, without applying to much pressure. Pros to the head collar is that very little correction movement is required, they not only apply a pressure around the nose but are also good at assisting in physical turns and change of direction. You turn the dogs nose to the left its body will follow. Dangers of the head collar is overcorrection or hard jerking, it can cause hard, sudden movement risking neck problems.

The training harness is another type of training tool which looks a little like a safety harness but is not. (In general I would not reccomend a normal car saftey harness, they are not really a training tool, but a safety tool for travel.) the training harness however, clips on the dogs back like the safetey harness, but the pieces of material that run under the dogs front legs (under the armpits to you or I) will pull up and apply pressure under the leg pit. Personally I found these not so effective, but once again, each dog is diffrent, and im sure there are many dog owners that have found these to be a very good alternative, there are fewer risks with the training harness, it does not apply pressure to sensitive areas such as mouth and neck, and applies pressure in relatively strong areas of the dog. This can be a disadvantage to a very eager or easliy distracted dog, who may very well be able to ignore the pressure that this tool applies.

Food/ praise. If you have a dog that is highly driven by food or praise reward, this may be the best gift that you have, and can use these to help the dog understand your expectations when walking. For a food driven dog, a couple of treats in your pocket can lead him/ her exactly where you want him/her to be following the smell, nose beside your preffered walking side (left is the most common) when he/she is walking well following the smell and where you want the dog to be, a little treat and reward should be given

There is also the pinch collar, I will not give advice on this one either way. It can be an outstanding tool, but should only be used with proper one on one instruction for starters, until you know how to use it properly..........too many get this one wrong and it can cause some problems. This one is vital that it fits perfectly and almost always requires removal of links to make it the perfect fit.

Whichever tool you use it is important to use alot of verbal command, asking your dog to heel. the best time to say heel, is at the moment of correction with your slected training tool, and the moment a good heel placement is made a reward, verbal, food or pat should be given. Patience and fun are the key, keep it short for starters and do not let your dog fall out of the habit, once you begin heel training, you should expect your dog on all walks to abide by this walking habit.

Good luck with it.