HELP! We are at the end of our leash (literally)!
This has been an issue since last fall and I have tried a pinch collar which works great. But in certain situations he is not wearing it and I want this to stop. I have read the recent posts and we started trying the stop and don't move when he pulls. I also referred to the chapter on this in Cesar's book and he agreed with this and mentioned that the dog can get to the point where it ignores commands. That is Harry! Last week we started 15 minute fun sessions in the house, on the leash and with treats. He actually did very well and by the end of the week he was doing great. This week we started outside. He did good Monday morning but it has gone downhill as of Monday afternoon! And I look like an idiot standing there in the street not talking to him just waiting until he stops pulling and loosens his leash. Then I walk again - but I wait for him to stand by my side. If I start before he is in "heel position" then he is off to the races. It is taking us 20 minutes to walk a quarter of a mile! I have switched directions but if I go in a direction that he thinks he knows then he pulls again. NOW when I stop because he is starting to pull he just stands there on a tight leash (he only gets about 3 feet of the total 6) and looks around at the world going by.  Oh and then after 30 seconds he meanders around me and back to heel position. Sometimes he will walk for a couple of minutes on a loose leash and then he just gets in the zone and is pulling ahead again.
I am using treats (intermittently) and he loved this exercise when we were doing it in the house. I am curious at what point if ever it is going to kick in. He is a smart dog and knows what I want without me ever saying a word. But he seems as unhappy at the end of the walk as I am. |
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| I am not expert at this topic yet, but my pup Finnegan is in the middle of puppy class right now and we are currently going over loose leash walking. The trainers recommended a front loop harness for stubborn pullers. The idea behind them is that most collars and harness transfer the dogs pulling force to their chest or neck which makes them want to continue forward because if you were to let go they would simply fall forward. The idea behind the front loop harness is that when they try to pull they are actually directed into a turn towards you. I haven't tried one yet as I know Finnegan will just grow out of it, but here is an example.
http://www.petexpertise.com/item--Halti ... _harn.html Good Luck!  |
SheepieMommy wrote: This week we started outside. He did good Monday morning but it has gone downhill as of Monday afternoon! And I look like an idiot standing there in the street not talking to him just waiting until he stops pulling and loosens his leash. Then I walk again - but I wait for him to stand by my side. If I start before he is in "heel position" then he is off to the races. It is taking us 20 minutes to walk a quarter of a mile! I have switched directions but if I go in a direction that he thinks he knows then he pulls again. NOW when I stop because he is starting to pull he just stands there on a tight leash (he only gets about 3 feet of the total 6) and looks around at the world going by.
Oh and then after 30 seconds he meanders around me and back to heel position. Sometimes he will walk for a couple of minutes on a loose leash and then he just gets in the zone and is pulling ahead again. That's exactly what it was like to walk Maggie. Exactly. But I stuck with it and now, almost 18 months later, she walks great. I don't know when it kicked it but eventually it does. I found stopping more effective as a learning experience than switching directions. I still need to stop periodically but she recognizes much faster that she needs to stop pulling in order to keep moving. Don't worry about looking like an idiot or how far you go. You might need to supplement with additional exercise since these painfully slow walks might not wear him out. I also found it is great to practice on the way to a dog park (because they need to learn what to do in order to get in) and then afterwards when they are tired. I would walk Maggie towards the dog park and everytime she would pull, we would go back and start over. That really helps it click. For times when you really need him to get somewhere, just hold the leash really short so he cannot lunge out in front of you. As for training, I highly recommend My Smart Puppy. It is filled with fun training exercises that are really practical too. |
| I guess I should have made myself clear. I am not interested in any sort of alternative collar because there are situations where he is not allowed to have anything but a buckle collar. (Therapy, agility, going to the dog park, etc.)
What I am really wanting to know is will it eventually "click" for Harry? Or am I doing something wrong? |
| I have something similar what Finnegan's dad recommended. It worked for a short time only and then they decided to pull was more fun than to not pull. The gentle leader works wonderful with my dogs. But this weekend I found that putting a collar like those used at dog shows works just as well as the gentle leader, the trick is the collar has to go high behind the ears and under where the neck and jaw meet. The strongest part of the dog is where a normal collar sits, so Harry pulling doesn't bother him at all.
But even if you stick to your new routine, he will get it. Stopping when he pulls will give him the idea that this is not what he is supposed to do. It just takes time....good luck |
Thanks that is what I wanted to hear and not what I wanted to hear - I don't know if I have that much patience. 
But Harry likes to work and play games. We did some agility work last night to make up for the lack of exercise and I got on the treadmill to make up for my lost workout too. In the meantime I have Barnes & Noble holding My Smart Puppy. It is kind of expensive but I will look at it and if it has some fun exercises then we will get it. Thanks guys! |
| I am not sure if this will work for you but at my training class we reward with food/treat for being in a "heel" position with more treats (jackpots) for tough distractions. You might try a treat reward for when Hary does finally loosen the lease as an added bonus.
Good Luck Becky & Miley |
| I have the pulling problem with London as well. I am going to try some of the tricks you guys listed. |
| Hi mu sugestion is:
this is easier method 1. take colar with metal rings (they make sounds when you pull) 2. dont alow him to lead 3. with strong pull with colar (wen he go to end of leash) bring it back to you and pet him imidietly and relise colar 4. wen he go near your leg give him treat and pet him my dog learn to go in 4 days (not to pull and still learning to walk beside mu leg ) Most important collar must be ((relaxed) i dont know word for that  ) all time, and work 10 - 15 min for start combine with sit, change your direction make circle itd
and harder method take som treat in your left hand (no leash neded) say near or some other word and walk repeat near, near after 5,6 steps if he go propertly give him treat. Most important is to vork with your dog 5-6 min combine with sit and lay I hope that you understand what i want to say becouse of mu english |
| I too, felt so silly taking three steps and having to stop. Mojo was a puller.
I even had people ask, "Why do you only go a couple of steps and then stop?" Took us forever to go around the block. I switched to the gentle leader because safety became an issue. Mojo is so strong that he about pulled my arm off if he saw kids. And I was afraid if he bolted I would lose my grip on the leash and he would bulldoze right into someone or traffic. I used the leader as a training tool for just a couple of months. It made our walks so much nicer. I liked it too because there was no more pulling at the end of the leash when you stop. They can't contiue to pull. We are back to a regular collar now, walking with a loose leash. He still wants to run after a child but, is so much better about getting back in line when I stop. |
We're working through the same problems with Harley. We're in an obedience class, and this week we start working on loose leash walking, so if our trainer says anything fantastic,  I'll let you know.
One thing our trainer did tell me last week was that you can start training with a gentle leader or pinch, or whatever works, but you have to wean him off it-- for example, if he is very well behaved with the pinch (meaning you don't have to give him hardly any corrections while he's wearing it) then just put his pinch and his buckle collar on, and attach your leash to the buckle collar. Just the fact that he's wearing it will make him think he's still "under control." She said that if he gets out of line, use your hand to give the pinch a yank, but just try to slowly wean him from one or the other. If he has problems, take a step back. However, if he's not completely trained with the pinch, then go back to using that until he is. (She uses treats, too, though, so that can be helpful as well, like others have said). Again, she just described this in answering my question, so we haven't tried it ourselves yet. I'll let you know how it works. It can be a real pain to teach this-- we also have to stop all the time, but it will be worth it in the end, I know. |
| Judi, I can only tell you that it will click eventually....Panda pulled for what seemed forever, then one day...she didnt...and hasnt since! |
| Harry is starting to get the picture and while he is not perfect all the time he is getting better and better. One thing I noticed about this exercise is that it is translating into other areas as well and he is minding me better. We had a very successful day at agility school yesterday and I think that is based on our working on not pulling and that I AM the leader. |
| Maggie May is just the same, she loves to pull. She'll allow a loose leash for awhile, but as soon as she knows where she is it's back to pulling. When we stop, she just keeps pulling! I've been changing the route on her with every walk (well as creatively as i can, homestretch is still a pulling-party for her) But walking her consistently is helping. I couldn't help but laugh when you mentioned changing directions, i could never make that one work with her! Gentle leader sounds like a good option, i've only heard a little about this...any details you guys have on it??? Good luck with your sheepie, hopefully soon we're all bragging about what well behaved dogs we have!
~leigh |
| Okay, I'm a little behind here, but Boo & I learned a great trick in our latest obedience class. When he's getting to the end of the leash I warn him with an "easy" and then when he keeps going I snap the leash BELOW the level of his shoulder. That's the key - he's expecting you to be pulling from above, not below. Then I get him to come to me and talk him up before starting to move again.
It only took a couple of times before he started slowing down whenever I say "easy" and I've only had to snap a few times, for different situations. Is is sad that it tickles me every time he slows down or looks back when I say "easy?" |
| I have a 2 yr old sheep Frisket who used to pull as I walk and I can say that rarely happens now. I did the stop and wait routinely and it works. I always always start with her sitting before I go out the door and she knows to wait at the yard gate sitting before I leave the yard. If she pulls I tell her to wait and she sits and we start again. OES are head strong and smart -- they want it their way! At obedience class they are perfect models and show off their training but at home they want to be in charge. Once you repeatedly show them you mean business they are loveable and want to please most of the time. Don't give up. I have had 3 of them (25 years of wonderful friends). I do talk to my dog and she responds better to that than anything else. I did the different collar thing but talking work better for me. A quick pull down or to the side with the leash when walking will help when needed during initial training; they are strong so pulling up only hurts your arm.
I am working on the jumping up with excitment on friends now--talking still works best. Sometimes I keep a leash on her as friends enter, to stop her I stand on the leash and remind her not to jump as friends slowly greet her. |
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