leash training

[lovemyshiba]

Ok, Abbey weighs about 43 pounds, and walking her on a leash is like walking a moose. I can hardly control her, and it's gotten to a point where I dread even taking her out if I'm tired. She has to be on one, because we don't have a yard, so I'm looking for your suggestions as to the best method for her.
With Kito, we used a choke collar--I didn't want to, my husband bought one and insisted that's what he had used with his 2 rotties, and it took Kito about twice to learn to walk nice. Now he walks great on the leash. Abbey pulls and pulls and pulls. She doesn't respond to the choke collar, I really didn't think that she would. So which is better, a harness, or the collar that goes down over their nose kind of--I think it's called a halti-collar??

[primabella]

i don't know the name of the one your trying to think of but i would suggest a harness. also, start training on "heel" right away. i've seen this situtation on "Good Dog U" on APL, and the host always recommended "heeling". but hey, what do i know? ;)
good luck! :)

[Cincy'sMom]

Everything I am going to say here is merely my opinion, some trainers will agree, some disagree. Both my girls were pullers. We tried and tried to teach them to talk with no assitance (regular collar). We tried a nylon slip collar (similar to choke, but safer. We used food, toys etc. no luck. With sadie we then tried a Halti. Wored great! She immeditaly improved, and does well without it now. When we need to remind, we put it back on and she remebers what heel means, although she sometimes tries to rub her nose on the back of your legs to get it off her nose.
Cincy was another story. We tried the Halti...she chewd through it while walking. we tried a gentle leder...she could pull it off her nose. We tried a harnees, but if you want a dog to pull, youget a harness...this only encouraged teh behavior. Finally we tried a Prong collar and what a differnce. many people think these are cruel, but truley, if used properlly they are not. They are actually safer then a other collars, because rather thent he constant pressure on the treachea, which can do long term damage, they give a pinch to the skin, more of a short term, surface level feeling. Try putting one around your upper arm and pull on it...it really doesn't hurt, it is just uncomfortable.

Both are girls walk well now. We still have our trianing tools and use them in high distraction situations, but the rest of the time we use the nylon slip collars (Premier).

Good luck! Teaching a dog to walk properally is a time comsuming, patience requireing thing. It took us almost a year with Ciny! Once you ge there it is great!!!

[Dixieland Dancer]

I would recommend trying the halti. I have never used it myself but numerous people have and had great success with it. I personally do things the long way but it really teaches the dogs to walk nice on a loose leash.

I do the stand like a tree method. If the dog is pulling I stop dead in my tracks and won't move. The dog is pulling to get somewhere faster, right? When you stop dead in the tracks they don't go anywhere. When the let up on the leash and look at me, I praise, give a treat and then walk again. At first you don't go very far. I mean sometimes we don't even get 5 feet in 1/2 hour. Eventually they learn to associate that it is the pulling that stops the walk!

This method takes a lot of patience but once the dog learns you will have the nicest walking partner around.

[wolf_Q]

What we were taught was when they start to pull say "Uh-uh" and immediately turn in the other direction. It looks pretty stupid in public, but I think it helps. Also have treats and praise them when walking nicely, and keep the treats at your side to get them to walk like that.

Sometimes I also do the standing still method like Candy mentioned. I do this when it's too embarassing (or time consuming) to be walking back and forth. :rolleyes:

My friend's german shorthair was a MAJOR leash-puller, and she used the halti....it has worked wonders with her dog.

[micki76]

ITA with you Cincy'sMom - try all other methods and if they don't work, go with the pinch collar. Nice to see someone other than me has had to use this. It looks so much crueler than it is. Our late Westie was a puller from day one and we used the pinch collar on him, with looks of hate from others. If someone said something I would take the collar off and demonstrate how it felt on my, and then their arm, adding that the dog also has a coat if fur between it and the prongs! And yes, harnesses only encourage pulling. What do you put on an animal that you WANT to pull? A harness! :)

The kind that goes over the nose is called a gentle leader. Didn't work for us either.

[Tanya&Fritz]

I swear by the Halti collar.

[Stenograsaurus]

I have never tried the Halti so I can't comment on it. I have two nice sized dogs, an 80 pound Husky and a 70 pound shepherd/collie mix. Both loved to pull. Anytime I walked them I would have to visit the chiropractor a couple of times to get my back adjusted. And that was walking one at a time. I decided to purchase what is called the pro stop harness. The link is below for it. I am now able to walk both dogs at the same time without any injury to myself. I was even able to hold them back when a squirrel ran in front of us and when they saw the deer in the field. Everybody is amazed when they see a girl my size walking my two dogs. They can't believe how much control I have over their pulling.


http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=12&pCatId=649

[Tanya&Fritz]

Knowing me, I could probably never figure out how to get it on them :D :D :D

[Stenograsaurus]

Originally posted by Tanya&Fritz
Knowing me, I could probably never figure out how to get it on them :D :D :D


LOL. Yeah, it was pretty funny trying to figure it out the first time, but once you figure it out it's not too hard. If your dogs act like mine when they see a leash, do not try to figure out how to use it the first time when they are in eyesight. I nearly got trampled to death before I could figure it out. :D

[ownerof3dogs]

I also use the Pro stop Harness on Hercules. He weighs 110lbs and used to be able to pull 115lbs me all over the place. But with the Harness he cant pull me, and believe me he has tried!!!


It is sort of confusing to figure out at first, but once you get it fitted it's not hard at all.

The Halti/head harness didn't work on my dogs. They could slip out of it in a flash, and that was just to risky for me. Also it always seemed to push their skin up into their eyes. I just didn't like it very much.