You're not alone. I've seen you out there. Heck, I even join you on a regular basis.

What am I talking about? I'm talking about being on the end of the lead attached to a dog who's hell bent on getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible and doesn't care whom he's dragging along behind him. It's no fun. It can make the thought of taking your dog for a walk a chore instead of a joy. And it's incredibly common. One of the most common issues among dog owners.

First a little note about body mechanics, since even the most well-trained dog will occasionally pull when taunted by a cheeky squirrel or some other equally enticing sight. Dogs, with their four legs and lower center of gravity, have us over a very large barrel once they throw themselves into their collar and go for it. If you can get your arm back so your elbow is bent at about 90 degrees, keep it close to your body, and keep the fist holding the leash so that the thumb is on top, you'll have far more control while you work on training your little darling to behave.

There are many ways to train a dog not to pull. There are also, nowadays, lots of gear you can use that nix the pulling by using the dog's body mechanics against him. While these are a cheat, and don't really teach your dog a thing, if it makes the difference between going for a walk or staying home, I say use the cheaters. The best solution is to combine the two, since sometimes you just need to walk the dog, you may not have time to train every single time you go for a walk. It's vitally important, though, that if you're going to use a combination approach, you use a no-pull harness for general walks, and a flat collar for training polite walking. Eventually, you won't need that harness. You'll be able to just clip the lead on the collar and go!

Since every dog and human combo is different, here are a couple of ways to teach your dog not to pull when walking. No matter what method you choose, it's going to take time and energy. You're going to have to dedicate yourself to working on it every day for awhile. The great thing about training is that it gets easier every time you practice. Work diligently and you'll have a dog who walks politely most of the time more quickly than you ever thought possible. I'm a firm believer in using treats when you train, so if you're going to use one of these methods, plan on having a pocket full.

Method one involves simply stopping when your dog starts to pull, encouraging him back to your side with a happy voice, giving him a treat when he's in position, and starting to walk again. This may mean taking one step before you stop and go through the routine of getting him back by your side, but your dog will soon realize that the only way to get to wherever he's going in such a hurry is to be polite. Essentially you're using forward movement as the really big reward.

Another way to go about this is to simply make an about turn, call your dog, slapping your thigh to get him where you want him, and move in the other direction until he's back under control, then turn back once again to your original direction. The important thing to remember here is that you need to keep your tone upbeat and use a high rate of reinforcement (give treats frequently) when your dog is walking as he should. Your dog, believe it or not, doesn't KNOW that you don't want him to pull. Being fair means keeping things pleasant since correcting a dog for something he doesn't know he's doing wrong is, most definitely, not fair. The training to stop a dog from pulling is actually pretty easy. It's the dedication it requires that's hard.

One of my very favorite methods of teaching a dog to walk politely is from Karen Pryor. Here are some beautifully done videos by Helix Fairweather, which illustrate the method very well. They also illustrate what I mean when I mention using a "high rate of reinforcement" very well.

Here are links for part 2 and part 3 of the video series.

I started Rocket when he was 8 weeks old, learning to walk beside me, completely off-lead. I used treats, starting with a very high frequency (almost every step), gradually reducing the rate at which I gave the treats. He learned very quickly to speed up and slow down. To stay beside my leg. Gradually we put a lead on and started walking around the block.

He's almost 8 months old now, and walks pretty well, 90 percent of the time, although every time I make it more difficult - walking around other dogs, walking through a crowd, walking along Main Street - I have to raise the treat frequency and pretty much start all over again. It's taking time, but the reward is huge. I now have a very large dog who is a breeze to walk and he'll just get better. You can, too.

And to help you out, Dogma Catmantoo is taking 10 percent off the price of their harnesses for the month of August. If you bring your dog in, they'll help you find the no-pull harness that's just right for you and your dog. You can even take your dog on a test walk to make sure you've got the right equipment. They'll also be giving a demonstration of various harnesses and how to use them from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Aug. 7, so take your little friend in and get fitted. You'll be glad you did!

Amy Samida was a professional groomer prior to her career in veterinary nursing. She began training dogs as a child and has continued training and working with problem dogs through it all. Amy is now the owner of Naughty Dog Cafe in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at amy@naughtydogcafe.com or 734-276-3522