Walking on the leash

[Yoladybug]

Because many of you are so smart when it comes to training, I'm asking for yet another piece of advice. I hardly take Abby on walks anymore because it's such a painful experience. She pulls me down the road, and it's miserable. Someone told me to keep treats in my hand or pocket to keep her nearby...that didn't work. I read a suggestion about turning and walking the other way everytime she starts to pull on the leash...this hasn't worked because she immediately pulls, so we end up turning around in one spot and not walking anywhere. The only time the pulling stops is towards the end of a long walk when she's tired out. I don't really know what to try. I don't really know how I feel about those head collars, they just look so much like muzzles. Maybe it will come to that, but I was hoping there was more of a behavioral answer to my problem.

Thanks in advance!

[drjeffrock]

To curb Dex's pulling I did a couple things. First, what you mentioned: the quick turn around and walk the other way. This worked for me in conjunction with a few other things. Perhaps the timing is off, thats why it doesnt seem to be helping. Basically, you want to turn around sharply and start walking the other way. Your dog will feel the jerk and spin around. In essence, you are trying to make the dog uncomfortable. However, you should take at least 10-15 steps before turning around. This kind of makes your dog "forget" about being at your side. That sounds confusing, lol. That method wont really work if you spin around every couple of steps, it will just confuse your dog. Another thing I did was when Dex was pulling like crazy, I would get tangled up in the leash and pretend that Dex made me trip and fall. When I got up from my fake fall I would limp like crazy for the rest of the walk. Dex would no longer pull cause he thought I was hurt. It seems a little silly, but over time it has worked.
FYI, this was done with a choke chain. I wouldnt recommend a halti, from experience they work, but dogs seem to forget not to pull when they are not used. Good luck!!!

[rotten_two]

the snout collars are very effective for some dogs and not so much for others. i know when people are having problems with control that is one of the things i recommend. pairing the snout collar with the proper training is imperative for the collar to work. however you really shouldn't let the dog hit the end of the leash with the snout loop and sometimes you can't react that fast. the other thing is called a front clip harness (like sense-ible or premier has a good one too). it works on the same premise which is where the shoulders go so shall the rest of the dog.

if you have tried other methods (targeted walking, stopping when they pull, and abrupt direction changes) then maybe it is time to try a harness. why does abby pull? are there too many other distractions?

[imported_Kat]

This is copy and pasted from the training forum from someone who asked about the same thing. I'm in a lazy mood tonight so copy and paste is on the agenda! :P

When I am teaching my classes lead pulling is the most common problem that owners have to deal with. We start off by getting the dogs attention using food, with the dog always on the left leg of the handler. The handler steps off on the left foot and walks fast. If the dog isn't interested at all in food and is pulling way ahead then a fast direction change is done calling the dogs name.

This is continued up and down the training hall until the dog starts thinking whoa I'm getting no where pulling like this, and the dog will then start paying attention to the handler to judge when the handler is going to make the turn. It then turns into a catch up game with the dog keeping pace with the handler to attempt to judge when the turn is going to come. This exercise keeps their brains active (both dog and handler!), and is a great way I have found to prevent dogs from pulling. The important thing to remember is not to support the dog and a tight lead, as this encourages the dog to pull.

[Yoladybug]

Thanks so much for the suggestions. Rotten_two, what is targeted walking? Maybe with the turn around method I need to be quicker and more abrupt about it and start off walking faster so she's trying to catch up with me. I'll try that again. I think she just pulls because she's so excited. Abby is probably the happiest dog I've ever seen, and even though she's almost 2, she still has that excited puppy curiosity (even though we take the same route every time we walk...go figure). It's usually such a cute trait about her, but on walks it's a pain! Anyway, I'll try doing a better job with the turn around method...it seems to have worked for lots of other pulling dogs. Thanks again!

[rotten_two]

targeted walking is where you try to keep her by your side with treats (she targets(touches) your left hand as you walk 1 step, then 2-3, then 5, etc) basically you make it very lucrative for her to be near you.

i will say if you choose abrupt position changes that works best when she is a maniac all over the place and the changes must be done very sharply. you want her to think you are more of a maniac than she is -- let her learn that hey i don't know where she might go next so i better pay attention to her.

the stopping when she pulls method is best suited when she is focused and pulling toward one particular thing -- like a squirrel or another dog. here you want her to learn that as long as you walk nicely we can go toward the "reward" but you can make us stop if you pull.

pulling in and of itself is a very rewarding behavior. the only real way to teach a dog not to pull is to not allow them to pull. in other words you have to be quicker than abby. don't let her get to the point of pulling. change direction or get her attention right before she pulls the leash tight. sometimes if you goose them on the butt and back up and call them (right before full throttle) they will come to see what you are doing. the other thing is that any time she is walking nicely (and i don't mean formal heel position -- i mean leash has slack) praise and treat her, a lot! big fuss!

try to practice in low distraction areas at first and yes walks will take 10 times as long for a while if you use these methods. try to keep practice sessions short so she doesn't get so overly stimulated. we always want to set them up for success -- so they learn how to win the game :)

good luck let us know how you do!

[Yoladybug]

Thanks again to everyone. I live near my college campus, so there is a lot going on for her to be excited about when we walk. I think this weekend I'll drive over to my parent's neighborhood and try these things out...it's a lot quieter there. Hopefully we'll be able to improve this!