Who is walk who here?! Please, help w/ leash pulling!!

[CoyoteMagic]

I started all my dogs with a Halti which I like better than the Gentle Leader. After a month or 2 I could walk them on a regular collar with no problems.

 

[redhen]

Heres how i control my dogs (if needed)..
A Saint Bernard rescue lady taught me this trick with the leash...
And it WORKS!.. They cant stand the way the leash pulls on their belly when they try to pull on the leash...
Really really works...I can control a 170lb dog this way if needed.
Take the leash and bring it down their back....
then bring the leash under their tummy/groin area...
Bring the leash back up on the other side of the dog and bring it through the leash on the back...

Um... its hard to describe...
Heres pics of it... step by step. Dont mind the dirty dogs.. Its winter and muddy here. *sigh*
And yes..Duke is skinny.(and shaved cause i cant take the hair anymore ) .. Hes been to the vets recently and she said his weight is okay... dont know WHY hes getting skinny..
He eats 10 cups of TOTW... he did have his stomach stapled... she said it could bethat too. But that since hes got arthritis in his hips to keep him on the thinner side cause the extra weight will be bad for him.
Anyways.,..

Daisy Mae.. Leash down the back..

And Duke.. just cause i think hes cute..

What i do is... when the dog pulls..i give a light tug on the leash..and say "No pull!".. or whatever command you use...
Eventually they will stop pulling when you walk them and you wont need to use the leash that way.

 

[EsLunaEs]

I have a very large, strong willed leonberger, who outweighs me by thirty or so pounds. She is STRONG! To stop pulling, first get a harness or gentle leader. Both of these tools make it physically very difficult for your dog to pull and do not use pain. Then, once your dog is comfortable with wearing it and you are out on a walk, the moment there is tension on the leash, you must come to a complete stop. Just stand there and wait until you feel even the slightest release of the leash, praise, then move on. Stopping teaches your dog, that pulling gets them nowhere and it is pointless and counterproductive to pull. At first you will be waiting for a minute or so, but dogs catch on and soon you will be stopping for only a few seconds.

I would strongly advise you against prong, choke or shock collars, because I don't think it makes sense to use pain to teach your dog if you can get around it. I also don't think that leash corrections (even with a flat collar) are good for this, as it mostly just gets your dog to stop pulling in the moment, right after you corrected them. Leash corrections (only with a flat collar) can be used well in other ways.

 

[greenbottle27]

Ditto Luna and a couple others regarding the choke collar, prongs or not. Any distribution of pressure around the neck is bad on many levels.

A correct fitting harness with positive, persistsnt, reinforcement training will work. Wiggles, Wags & Whiskers has a no pull martingale harness. It's patented as well - it works. the harness goes around the head and thru the legs, under the belly. Your leash attaches to a D ring on top. As your pup pulls. The entire harness pulls around the body as if the harness is hugging your pup. So now that pressure is evenly distributed around the dogs entire body, not solely the delicate neck area, like a choke collar.

There is no way- 99.9% .., for a dog to back out of this harness because of the integrated martingale. I was running one nite and a lab on a Gentle Lead backed out the head harness. It was scary and crazy.... I'm not saying it's not going to work, just saying be aware. Halti collar same thing... Just be aware.

I also like the clicker method.

Try a couple things. What's working for me might not work for you. But circle back with what you end up trying

Good luck!!!

 

[redhen]

A harness helps the dog to pull... sled dogs wear harnesses...
The Saint rescue told me to NOT use a harness to stop a large dog from pulling... and i've found that to be true.
But every dog is different and different things work for each dog.
The gentle leader is GREAT though!!!

 

[redhen]

This is an old thead(someone must have brought it back up..)...
I was suprised to see my Duke again... I miss him so much. Wow it still hurts..

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Quote:
A Cattle Dog in a harness is like your own sled dog team rolled into one!!!

I admit that I do have a harness on my girls, I also have also attached an extra leash point to the center chest of their harnesses. If they pull against the point, they will be just spun around to be facing me. Katie knows if I pull out the Halti, she has really messed up. Usually I just have to put it on her and take it off to get her back in focus. Remember Katie is only 18months old and still in training.

 

[dainerra]

going through this right now. Yes, prongs are awesome, and much safer for your dog than a choke collar, HOWEVER! not for puppies under 6 months old. They are babies and need to learn WRONG before being corrected for doing WRONG.

We start this the day the puppy comes home and is much like the technique described in the first couple posts.

1) we always let the pup drag the leash around the house (short nylon one). This serves two purposes 1) makes it easier to grab the puppy 2) puppy gets used to the leash and won't fight it when you go for a walk. *ALWAYS SUPERVISE*

2) use your happy voice because your puppy should think that walking close to you is the greatest thing on earth.

3) don't wait until the puppy starts pulling. Decide where you want the pup to be (not a heel position, but a nice loose leash walk, usually a foot or so away from you) When puppy starts to put a little tension on the leash, happy voice says "hey where ya going??" and start backing up. The pup will look at you and you get super happy and start walking the other way. It also helps if you are using treats in the beginning. Give a treat for coming back to you. Little tiny pieces can be giving while walking are the best!

4) keep walks with you interesting. I wouldn't want to walk with you either if you spent the whole time on your phone or wrapped up in your MP3 player. so don't be boring! Talk with your dog, have him do a couple sits or downs here or there. Change pace! The pup is going to naturally look at you while walking, so use that to your advantage. Say "yes!" (or use a clicker, any word you want to let the dog know that he's done something right) and give a small treat any time you catch him looking up at you. He will learn that paying attention and being close to you are great! So, pay attention to him and take advantages of his natural tendencies.

5) make sure to allow him time to be a dog. give him a chance to sniff around, to check out all the smells, do his business etc. Then once YOU decide to move on, then happy voice, get his attention and go! Remember that a pup (and most larger dogs are very much pups until at least 1 yr old) has a short attention span. Keeping it interesting will help a lot, but give him another break to sniff and mess around as a reward after he has been good. Again, treats are useful.

6) be consistent! even if you are just taking him out to potty, the same rules apply.

Now, in the beginning you are going to be walking backwards, in circles, and talking like an over-medicated idiot a LOT and the neighbors will worry about your sanity. But, if your like me, my neighbors already worry because I talk to my chickens, so....

It will be worth it in the end!


Same method works wonders for an older dog too. Just give a slight collar pop to get his attention and the rest will follow!

 

[Inkheart]

Gentle leaders are the way to go - trust me - they work like a bridle on a horse and put tension on the areas that a mother dog might use. The difference is amazing. Takes them a bit to get used to it but honestly - the ones that protest them the most are the ones that need them. I have shown dogs - and have had hundreds of foster rescue dogs over the years - the gentle leader is a miracle - jsut make sure that it is fitted correctly or else you will lose the benefits

 

[ladyride]

Quote:
this one I use alot with rescue dogs & yes it takes awhile but ever so worth it .

It is the most humane method I know of I have used on everything from poms to rottweillers. I hate choke & prong collars they both dig in & pinch.

I had done it for years only to find out Victoria Stillwell uses this method as well.