German Shepherd Dogs

[strawberry_puff13]

We have a 2 year old German Shepherd. She's such a sweet dog, and very intelligent. There's only one problem--she will not walk on a leash with out pulling with all her might. Ive tried everything I can think of to discourage her from this habbit, but nothing seems to be working! Does anyone have any ideas other than a face leash? Thanks.

[ilovehounds]

Have you tryed a halter ? You can get a plain halter or I don't know if you have them in the states but a halter and the front part (around the neck/shoulder) is a chocker. They work great on my mothers shepherd. Then when the dog walks fine you clip your leash around both the rings and it doesn't choke. Just an idea http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

[Stenograsaurus]

Hello, Strawberry Puff. I had the same problem. I have a Shepherd and a Huskey, both of them are strong pullers. It got to the point that I stopped walking them because every time I did, I pulled my back out. That was just walking them one at a time. I purchased two harnesses called Pro Stop Gentle Harness. These things are lifesavers. I have only used them three times and I am now able to walk both dogs at the same time. If this works, here they are.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=649

[strawberry_puff13]

Thanks you guys, I think Im going to try the Pro Stop Gentle Harness.

[Stenograsaurus]

Hey, Strawberry Puff, have you tried the harness yet? When you do, let us know what you think of it and how it works.

[ownerof3dogs]

Originally posted by Stenograsaurus:
Hello, Strawberry Puff. I had the same problem. I have a Shepherd and a Huskey, both of them are strong pullers. It got to the point that I stopped walking them because every time I did, I pulled my back out. That was just walking them one at a time. I purchased two harnesses called Pro Stop Gentle Harness. These things are lifesavers. I have only used them three times and I am now able to walk both dogs at the same time. If this works, here they are.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=649

That does work? good. I was thinking about getting it but a I didn't want to spend the money if it wasn't going to work. I think I will have to buy it now. Thanks

[Stenograsaurus]

Hello, owner of three dogs. Yes, it does work. I was walking my dogs the other day and I heard my neighbor talking to his wife. He's deaf and talks very loudly. He was telling her how impressed he was at how good the dogs were walking for me. I just smiled and thought, Thank God for the harnesses. The first time my Husky, Dakota, was walking with it on, he kept raring up in the air and yipping because he couldn't drag me like he used to. It was funny. He was sooooo frustrated.

[Sophies Daddy]

Haltie face collars are good, in fact they are the "most humane." Unfortunately, unless the dog is very submissive, there are usually problems with using and introducing them. Many dogs will not accept the wrap-around nature of the "collar" and simply won't walk anywhere. They will spend all of their time trying to get it off and will not have any interest in going for a walk. Other dogs will take personal offense and bark and snap at you that you "muzzled" them. Some dogs will whine, cry, and bark for whatever reason and run around francically. It also gives the unknowing public the impression that the dog is muzzled which will keep many people away from your dog and limit your dog's socialization.

Also mentioned above is the Pro Stop Gentle Harness. It didn't stop my mother's silky terrier from pulling, so I don't see how it would stop a German shepherd. It works by putting pressure on the back of the front legs near the shoulder when the dog pulls, akin to having someone pull your arms behind your back farther than they are supposed to go. This scares the dog and can really hurt the dog, but won't stop the most determined pullers. The jumping and yelping is not out of frustration, but because the dog is truly in pain and wants to get off of its front legs to aleviate that pain. The most determined pullers, like my mother's silky, will simply build up muscular resistance to the harness and choker action over time.

As a dog trainer, I have seen more dogs that do not agree with the haltie collars and harnesses than those that do (and we are talking probably close to a hundred dogs we attempted to fit with the collar in the last five years). They worked for about thirty percent of the dogs, the rest would not accept it and couldn't acclimate to it within the two weeks that most manufacturers recommend. We do not recommend any harness style control devices in our club.

Far more effective for relief of pulling is the prong collar. It works almost immediately. It is more humane and effective than the slip-chain collar (which requires plenty of training for proper usage) and the dog will acclimate to it in minutes. Unfortunately for the prong collar, most people look at it and think that it is a sort of medieval torture device that must be hurting the dog. Used improperly, it will hurt the dog so I will also let you know how it is to be used.

You, as the trainer, should do nothing to correct the dog if using a prong collar. The dog will do all of the work. The first time that the dog attempts to pull on the leash, it will correct itself. The second time it pulls on the leash, if it hasn't learned already, it will learn that pulling on the leash is unpleasant. Usually by the third time the dog tries to pull on the leash, it realizes that if it does it will be uncomfortable again and will stop before the correction. By the end of the first walk, the dog is usually walking right by your side.

As with any collar or harness, however, it can be abused. When the dog corrects itself, it stops before the point of pain. If you, the handler, pull out of anger or because you think that you have to pull back and pull back too hard, you can cause the dog pain.

Choosing a prong collar is pretty simple, though people often choose incorrectly. If your shepherd is short haired and less than about 95lbs., choose a medium sized prong. Only if your dog is a long, stiff haired breed or very heavy (i.e. Newfoundland big and heavy) would you need a large prong. The smaller the prong, the more effective it is and the less likely it is to hurt your dog. Get the smallest prong that will reach through the dog's fur and still be strong enough not to break if the dog pulled with all their might. For most German shepherds, this is a medium prong.

Please try this if the harness doesn't work of if it appears that the harness is hurting your dog.

[Sudilar]

The prong worked very well on my 102lb. GSD, Shiloh.

[shais_mom]

I used a no pull harness on Shai for over a year, until she chewed it on a car ride to granma and grandpa's house, It was wonderful, she walked to nicely with it on. Before she practically had me airborne! She would get so excited when I would get it out she would jump around in circles!!
Now I use the gentle leader, which Shai tolerates, but towards the end of out walk she gets really affectionate, by rubbing her face against my leg, to get it off!! She does get excited when she sees it b/c she knows she is going for a walk!

[Stenograsaurus]

My dogs are now like shais_mom's dog was. Every time I walk towards the cupboard that the harnesses are in, they go ballistic. They are running around in circles, running from door to door and practically drooling with excitement.
With all due respect, Sophies Daddy, I don't believe that Dakota was in pain. He did the same thing on walks before we had the harnesses, yipping and raring with frustration if I stopped to observe something because he wanted to go. The only difference with the harness is that now I don't go flying if I happen to loose my balance (lol). Dakota is a very vocal dog. Anyone who owns Huskies can attest to that. He often jumps up when he wants something and "talks" the way huskies do.

[This message has been edited by Stenograsaurus (edited April 28, 2001).]

[strawberry_puff13]

Hey you guys,
I tried the harness. Ive only used it once so I cant say for sure if it worked or not...She didn't pull as hard. It also seemed to confuse her, but Im pretty sure she'll get used to it and walk fine.

[Stenograsaurus]

Hey, Strawberry puff, who was more confused, you or the dog? I remember when I pulled that thing out of the box, I immediately thought, What the heck. Both my dogs were confused at first but quickly adjusted to them. My shepherd walks without any pulling now. My husky, of course, still pulls but not nearly as hard. I knew there was nothing out there that would stop Dakota (husky) from pulling completely because pulling is in his blood, but at least I can control him now. My arm muscles no longer ache and my back is no longer thrown after my walks. Give it time.

[strawberry_puff13]

Well, when I first got the harness out I had no idea what to do with it ! The whole time I had to hold the dog and the harness--AND READ the diagram on the back of the box! You talk about confused. Ive walked her a few more times since I last wrote and she is doing good and adjusting to it. The only problem now is to keep her still, in one place, and not jumping insanely while I put it on her. The only way she'll be still is when I give her treats. But I guess whatever works...
Thanks again!

[Stenograsaurus]

Hello, Owner of three dogs. I was just wondering if you had purchased the harnesses yet or decided against them.

Strawberry Puff, you're welcome. You can always come to this board for advise/advice (can never get them right) and you're bound to get an answer from someone.

[ownerof3dogs]

Originally posted by Stenograsaurus:
Hello, Owner of three dogs. I was just wondering if you had purchased the harnesses yet or decided against them.



No, I haven't yet but I will be soon. Do you know about how much they cost?

[*LabLoverKEB*]

I think GSD's are cool!! I especially like the ones who do police work!!
It's just sad because the one's who do police work are a lot of times killed. You can buy a bulletpfoof vest, a stab-proof vest, or a combination of both. But, they are very expensive: something like $475 each!!!!!!! That's a lot of money! When my dad was little, he had 5 German Shepards!!! all 5 were black & tan, that's the common coloring for GSD's, but they can also be brown, tan, black, or grey. Some are streaked or spottedwitha darker color. A few are solid white! GSD's are really awesome!!!
http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

[Stenograsaurus]

Originally posted by ownerof3dogs:

No, I haven't yet but I will be soon. Do you know about how much they cost?

Owner of three dogs, if you click on the one post, it will take you right to them with the prices. They vary between 13.50 and 15.00.