Tips for walking a dog who PULLS
We've been walking him for a half hour to an hour twice a day since Monday, and he is getting much better, but I just wanted to ask some experienced dog-walkers for any tips. We started with his flat buckle collar, but he's so strong (it's like having an 85 lb. puppy on a leash) that he's hard to control, and he chokes himself until he coughs. We got a choke chain at the suggestion of our rescue person, and he is doing better-- he doesn't cough with it, and if he veers off, it's easy to give it a short, quick jerk, and he comes right back. However, that doesn't stop the pulling. We're also trying to stop when he pulls and make him sit, but when we are really conscientious about that, we stop every three steps. I'm just afraid that he'll hurt himself pulling while he's wearing the choke chain. That said, he is getting much better, and it has only been four days-- I'm not expecting a miracle, but I do want to make sure that what I'm doing is right and that I'm not going to worsen the problem. We're going to keep up the 2-3 walks a day, and we're thinking about starting to walk him to the park on his regular leash and then once we get there giving him a 50 foot leash and letting him run however he wants (away from where people are of course) so he uses up some more energy, and then walking him home normally again. I'm looking into obedience classes, too, but I think we need to give him a couple more weeks at least to adjust to his new home and to us as his humans  before we go into a class. He does much better with "sit" and "down" when we are alone without distractions.
Right now, though, the walking is the biggest issue because he's full of energy, and it is hard on our arms to control that much dog. We also don't want to cut back on walks because I know it's the best thing for him right now when he's trying to adjust and he's so full of energy and excitement. Any suggestions would be appreciated!! P.S. We are VERY happy with Harley-- we would have been willing to work through much worse problems in a rescue dog, but I just thought I'd ask for suggestions, since that's what this site is here for. |
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| Obedience classes will probably help alot.
One suggestion...if you have the time...when he pulls you stop and don't move. Once he releases the tension on the leash you can start walking again. When he pulls...stop again. A lot of people say this helps, but obviously it can be time consuming  |
| I find the easiest solution for any big dog that pulls is a halti/gentle leader. It immediately solves the problem of pulling and makes the walk enjoyable. ...at least for the owner. It can take awhile for the dog to get used to it. My dog rubs across theg round to try to get it off, but I pull her up and keep walking. They say having it w/o attaching the leash around the house helps. The best part is it doesn't hurt the dog at all unlike using a leash and pulling on the dog Good luck! It's something I struggle with! |
| You may also want to check into the Illusion Collar on Cesar Milan's website (to find it, type in "cesar milan" on Google. When you get to his site, go to products). Grannie Annie, the placement director of New England Old English Rescue mentioned to me that she had tried it and really liked it.
Good Luck Jennifer, Baxter, Cassiopia and Sharkey |
| My dog is also 85 lbs. When we went to obedience school, they suggested a pinch collar. I viewed it as some type of torture device, but learned that they are actually safer than a choke chain. This is what we use and it works great. |
| I would definitely give a halti/gentle leader a try... good luck These things can take time... |
| My daughters dane is 160lb and did the same thing while walking. to keep him from pulling when walking i trained him with a gentle leader. once he got used to walking on my left side I had no problem walking him.
Maggie my OES rushed the door when we first adopted her. I spent 20 minutes a day with her repeting the same steps on comand. With her leashed (she likes to escape) I would put her in a sit/stay 4ft from the door and open the inside door. If she rushed the door at any time I put her back in the sit/stay. when she didn't rush the door I would open the outside door and put her in a sit on the patio and praised her lots. No problem now it just took patients and 20 minutes a day. You need to be firm with the commands. Make sure not to excite the situation with your tone of voice. Soft low and kind. if that soesn't work add a growl to the command. LOTS of PRAISE You are the Alfa in the pack, don't forget that because they may. |
| What is a gentle leader??
I have a problem with George pulling (so much so he can pull me over and he is only 18 weeks!) I am tempted to get a halti although I know he will hate it. I have just bought a quarter choke to see if that helps. |
| Thanks for all the tips-- I will check into the gentle leader-- I'd heard about those, but I've never used one.
We had a small breakthrough yesterday on the excitability-- we waited for 15 minutes in the driveway until he was calm and got out of the car. We've done this before, so like the other times, I thought he would go back into the excitement as soon as I opened the car door, but he didn't! He stayed calm even until we got to the back door of the house, and sat down at the door like we've been practicing. I was so proud of him! Once they learn to walk next to you with the gentle leader, can you go back to a regular collar after that, or do they generally learn to behave only when they have the leader on? |
Vicki & George wrote: What is a gentle leader??
I have a problem with George pulling (so much so he can pull me over and he is only 18 weeks!) I am tempted to get a halti although I know he will hate it. I have just bought a quarter choke to see if that helps. Halti and Gentle Leader are pretty much the same things, just different brand names Halti- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009YS5S6?tag ... B0009YS5S6 Gentle Leader - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002H3ZJO?tag ... B0002H3ZJO I use the Halti for my dogs, they don't like it when I first put it on, but they get used to it.....eventually. It really makes quite the difference. My dogs are no longer dragging me down the street. (Unless we are arriving at the Dog Park, then there is just no controlling them  ) |
| One thing to start with, make sure you don't let him get out ahead of you. I think of the best things that Cesar Millan stresses is that you have to exude confidence as the owner. Stand up straight, head high, confident strides. The dog walks behind or next to you. If that means choking up the leash and making it shorter, so be it. Keep the leash loose, except when a correction is necessary and then, it's more for the sound than an actual jerk. I know it's hard, but you almost have to make the correction as soon as you can see the wheels turning that he's going to start yanking. Cesar also does this thing where he taps the dog with his opposite foot on the butt to distract him (think of the old joke kids did where you tap someone on one shoulder but when they turn around, you aren't there). The distraction will pull him out of the pulling mindset (no pun intended!) enough for you to gain control again.
I walk all three of my dogs together at once and usually just use nylon chokes. Lately however, I've found that a Halti on my big Komondor works well when I have all three of them because he's gotten so big now, that when he wants to chase something, I don't have much of a choice. I only outweigh him by about 25 pounds and that's not including the other 2 dogs! I just find it easier to control him in case he sees something cool, the choke collar lets him pull from the shoulder and I can't compete with that kind of strength! Also, with him being a guard dog, I think I have an added responsibility to keep him under control. He's a sweetie but if he thinks someone is going to hurt us, I know that person won't be walking away on his own.  |
| Loki is a sorta puller.. he wants to go faster than I am when on heel. (yes, he does heel. The sitting when I stop is still a work in progress, but hey.. ) I got a choke chain, but his hair seems to get the chain stuck in choke mode and I hate that, so I have been using his nylon buckle collar. But I think a halti would help. I want him to learn to pay attention to me and keep my pace. i hope it helps.. |
| All great advice.
Mojo too was a puller. We went through obedience classes. I was using a 25 foot retractable leash which the trainer recommended against. Having the extra length doesn't stop them from pulling. They just go to the end and pull. Then, they are 25 feet out and you have much less control. It was hard at first to get in the mind set of "I'm the boss". Our walks were for Mojo. I wanted him to have fun doing it. But, when he is ahead, he is the one in control. We learned the stop and start method. Like you said, you make it about 3 steps and have to stop. We worked and worked but, he just didn't seem to get it. It wasn't bad if nobody was around. Oh, but if he saw kids!!!! As he got bigger, there were a couple of times he tried to bolt to kids and I thought he was going to pull my arm out of the socket. That's when we went to the Gentle Leader. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! It immediatly stopped the pulling. I used it for about three months. After that I felt comfotable going back to a short leash. Mojo still has his moments, but it so much nicer now. |
| Hey,
You are not alone; I feel your pain. Fred is a puller and I look ridiculous walking him, (being pulled by him) Apparently, he also managed to pull my uncle who weighs close to 300lbs. I am beginning to wonder if he has aspirations to enter the Iditarod race and give those malmutes a run for their money. I have found that using the Gentle Leader Harness has been a great help to us, our obedience instructor recommended it. First we tried the Gentle Leader head harness but, that did not work for us. Fred fought the head harness big time and the obedience instructor said it was not going to be the correct tool to sway him out of his pulling nature. A class would be fabulous and do wonders for your dog and you. Everyone call it obedience class but, I sort feel like it is the time I spend with my dog improving our relationship. There are dogs that are over a year old in Mr. F's class and they are doing beautifully. -Dawn |
| I've actually watched a lot of Cesar Millan myself-- we have season one dvds. We are using a lot of his methods for walking-- that's why we take him out so often. The problem with the choke chain is that it falls from the top of his neck, and I can't find one of the nylon loop leashes anywhere. I'm thinking about trying to make one somehow to see how it works. We're also concentrating on being the boss and making him work for his food-- I make him sit and stay when I feed, and then I let him have it. He's does so well with the "sit" command there that I think he knows it but just lacks the motivation to obey other times, so he's probably still testing us sometimes.
Good news, though-- I took him on a walk last night, and he did so much better. This time I concentrated on doing the leash-jerk correction BEFORE it got into an all-out pull. The minute he picked up his pace and started ahead of me, I gave it a quick pull, and he fell back beside me-- so much more enjoyable. About halfway through our walk, he was even trotting along just behind me. He's getting much better about the excitability and door/car rushing as well-- it's only been a week, so if we give it a month or so, he should be doing well most of the time. We're still going to check out the gentle-leader, too, though to see how he likes it. We might switch back and forth a little, too. Something I discovered this weekend while visiting my parents (who have a shih tzu)-- their little dog does the same things Harley does-- excitability, door rushing, jumping on you, etc. but because she's so little, she gets away with it easily because people don't notice it. When a big dog does the same behavior, it's a problem. I think that's why some little dogs are just out of control-- it's just not as noticeable. |
tkdtara84 wrote: I've actually watched a lot of Cesar Millan myself-- we have season one dvds.
We are using a lot of his methods for walking-- that's why we take him out so often. The problem with the choke chain is that it falls from the top of his neck, and I can't find one of the nylon loop leashes anywhere. I'm thinking about trying to make one somehow to see how it works. Just take the end of a regular nylon lead and make the end into a slip. It'll work the same way. Lots of places like JB Pet and other retailers sell them online, too. |
| I tried the gentle leader out tonight-- huge improvement. It's actually somewhat similar to Cesar's collar, I think. It fits tightly around the neck, high up, just under the ears, and when he pulls, the nose strap thing tightens the neck collar-- similar principle to a slip lead, really. I hope to eventually go to a slip lead (once he learns to walk by my side, and if that training will transfer to a different collar/leash), but for now this is working for us. I stayed out with him for an hour and a half without even realizing it-- we just went a little slower, at my pace, and he wasn't able to yank my arms out of their sockets, so it was much more enjoyable.
He tried to get it off once, but other than that, not too much struggling. Thanks for the help! Tara |
| I am glad the Gentle Leader worked for you.
It made such a difference for us. Our walks too were so much more enjoyable. I do want to check with you to make sure you are fitting it properly so you get the maximum benifit. You memtioned that when he pulls, it tightens. There shouldn't be any tightening as in a slip lead. What makes the Gentle Leader work is that the leash fastens under the chin and stays there. When the dog tries to pull it makes his head turn toward you, making it impossible to pull in a forward direction. |
Quote: It fits tightly around the neck, high up, just under the ears, and when he pulls, the nose strap thing tightens the neck collar-- similar principle to a slip lead, really.
I'm not sure if it is on right, either. There shouldn't be anything around the neck at all, only around the back of the head, from the nose piece, That is to hold it in place. It should look just like a horse's bridle. When the dog pulls his head comes around towards you, just like a horse's would. Nothing gets tighter.. Maybe you can post a picture? |
| I don't have a picture, but I do think it's fitting properly-- I just didn't explain it well.
In the video it said that when the dog pulled, pressure was applied to the back of the head, so that's what I meant by "tightened." I'm pretty sure I have it fit right-- the "collar" part is very tight (only one finger can fit beneath), and it's just under his ears in the back. The nose loop is looser (can go to the black part of his nose) but it can't come off (at least, it wouldn't come off when Harley went into his fit of pawing at it last night. )
I'll try to take a picture and post it within the next couple days just to be sure, but I think it's okay. I'm going to take him out with it today, so I'll get a picture while it's on him.Thanks for checking about that, though. |
| OK. It sounds like you have it on correctly. And with a video you can see how it is to fit.
You don't want it so tight that it is uncomfortable, though, but if you can fit a finger without forcing it under, you should be OK. Glad you are finding it helpful. Both my dogs use them....So I can walk both at the same time! When we get the GL's out they come running and sit nice because they get a treat once it is on.... Good luck! |
| Good luck on getting it on LOL, At first I had to hold Dutch between my knees backed up to something solid so she couldn't wiggle free and get it on that way but now she is beginning to realize that something good happens when it's on ... walks or puppy play time and she is accepting it much easier now |
| Harley loves to go outside, so anything that remotely resembles a collar or a leash makes him start wiggling. He's not so fond of the thing over his nose (paws at it some) but he lets me put it on him easily because he knows he gets to go for a walk. I used it again today-- worked great again. |
 Glad it's working for Harley |
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