I've said all good things about Cass here, but this is one of the things that she really, really needs work on. She pulls. I can handle it, and my mom can't walk Cassie because she can't handle the pulling. She knows how to sit, lay down, leave it, and is learning "wait" for when the door opens.
I take her for daily walks, stopping every time she starts to pull. My mom's boyfriend, the only other one who dares to walk her (he loves her a lot) does the same thing. It is especially bad when she hears another dog though, because she is starting to calm down on a leash, but when she sees something? Training goes out the window, she whines and tries to bolt away. If it's an outdoor cat, she'll tug towards it.
When she is in this state, treats do NOT work. She won't eat when she is stressed out, and I can't get her attention on me. So usually what will happen is I'll try and walk her past calmly and if that doesn't work, turn around until she is calm, then try again.
I'm getting a clicker today, hoping I can train her to get her attention back on me. She's stubborn, but so am I! I WILL find the right methods.
Any advice?
Background: 2 year old boxer mix, found wandering around a city. Was O.K. with dogs, but started getting too excited after she was spayed (tell me, how in the world does that happen? -_-). Was in a kennel for about a week before we adopted her.
Oh, she wears a collar at all times, and I used to hook the leash onto it, but she pulls so hard she hurts herself and she even figured out how to get OUT of the collar while on a walk. So switched to a safe, fabric, no-tug harness that goes around her front and back and belly. It just rears her up on her back legs, but doesn't really deter her.
And please, I only use positive reinforcement on my dogs.
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