husky keeps pulling

[Giselle]

I'll be the voice of dissent here. I don't like head collars and I don't use them (gasp)

I'm a firm believer that one can train a dog to heel with a flat buckle collar and a leash and some treats if desired. I am positive reinforcement through and through, but loose-leash walking is one of those things where I'm a staunch advocate of the "bare bones" equipment.

With dog on your left, begin walking. Dog pulls. IMMEDIATELY say "AH!" and quickly turn around and walk the other way. Dog pulls again. Immediately, say "AH!" and quickly turn the other way. Dog pulls. "AH!" and turn around. Dog pulls "AH!" and turn around. You'll probably be doing this for a good 5 minutes. This is normal. Until this point, your dog has been sure that pulling is an acceptable behavior, so you need to wait your dog out and let him know that pulling is NOT an acceptable behavior and it won't work.

Eventually, the dog will stop forging ahead. At this point, you can slow your pace and click/treat/reward the dog for walking more calmly. You're not asking for perfection at this point. You just want a dog who understands that strong pulling is not acceptable. Over time, you can refine the behavior.

For the first few days, you will have to repeat this stop-and-turn-around until the dog really gets it. But remember: YOU are human. YOU have thumbs. YOU have to be MORE consistent, MORE firm, MORE stubborn than your dog. You can do it!

[Dariesh]

Giselle,

I don't mean to cause a ruckus, but more for my personal use to make sure that I am doing the right thing with my dogs.

I was wondering about your opinion on head collars. Why exactly do you not like them? Other than you only believe in the bare bones methods.

Like I said before I am not trying to argue just make sure that I have the right information.

[Giselle]

I don't endorse head collars for several reasons:

1) I think head collars are unnecessary --> For example, +R methodology is based on two things: positive reinforcement (reinforce the desired behavior to increase its prevalence) and negative punishment (remove what the animal wants to decrease behavior). Ergo, to stop a dog from pulling, you simply have to remove what the dog wants (by stopping it from forging ahead) and reward it for staying close. If this is the basis of teaching a dog leash manners, then I believe that this can be taught solely with a flat buckle and a leash. A head collar, then, is unnecessary, in my opinion.
2) A head collar is constant positive punishment. The head collar is essentially supposed to make pulling uncomfortable/physically impossible. That is positive punishment, albeit a gentler form on +P. That's why I think it's odd for +R folks to endorse head collars so heartily and readily. If +R folks can be so quick to utilize pos. punishment in the form of a head collar, why not simply use the stop-and-turn-around method? It's much more direct, the punishment is painless, and it teaches the dog self-control by blocking what s/he desires. It's akin to teaching a dog to "wait" by constantly shutting the door everytime the dog tries to bolt. With "stop-and-turn-around", it's a very direct method of teaching the dog self-inhibition.
3) As well, head collars are often misused because many people get the illusion that the head collar is training for them. As stated in #2, head collars are meant to act as punishments. After the dog pulls and receives its punishment (tightening head collar), the owner is supposed to redirect the dog to an appropriate behavior i.e. turning around and walking the other way on a loose lead. Instead, what I *always* see is people continuing to walk forward. The dog pulls again and is physically stopped by the head collar. But the owner doesn't redirect the dog. The owner just continues walking ahead. That's not training the dog. That's rewarding the dog for forging. It just doesn't feel like pulling to the owner because the dog cannot pull as strongly on a head collar as on a flat buckle. But the dog is still pulling.

In the right hands, head collars are useful tools. But I have not yet encountered a situation in which head collars are *absolutely* necessary tools, which is why I don't endorse them and why I prefer to go as "bare bones" as possible

[bckrazy]

I 100% agree with Giselle... as always.

Head halters are a bandaid on a training issue/lack thereof, only a temporary solution. The dog is not willingly obeying, he is being forced physically into obeying. I would recommend a head halter as a LAST RESORT, but the vast majority of dogs can be trained to loose-leash walk and heel on a flat collar using only praise, patience, and most of all consistency. Head halters and no-pull harnesses are much more humane, IMO, as a training tool than chokers and prongs. However, they still aren't altering any behavior, the dog is not getting any mental stimulation or training. The dog will revert the moment the head halter/harness is off.

From this day on, don't ever allow your Husky to pull. Fozzie used to be a ridiculous puller as an adolescent because I was not completely consistent with his pulling. He knew how to heel, and knew what loose leash was, but he was not in the habit of always walking politely. You have to make walking politely the ONLY way to walk, in your dog's mind. I used the "be a tree" method, in which you stop dead in your tracks the instant the leash is taut, and only procede when the dog looks back to you and loosens the leash, then repeat, repeat, repeat. Giselle's method works very well, too, and is based around the same principle (removing the reward - moving forward - when the dog is pulling). The key is consistency. Fozzie is incredibly stubborn (and possibly part Husky), but after a good month of this the pulling was nearly non-existant. I walk him daily, and almost never have to stop any more. He will just slow down when he senses he's near the end of the leash. Bring treats along on every walk, and offer your pup lots of treats and praise the moment he is at your left side. He will soon learn that walking at your left side (in a heel position) is very rewarding, and he'll hang around your left side on his own because of that positive association.

It also helps - A LOT - to give your boy some good, intense off-leash exercise before each walk or training session.

[Dariesh]

Thanks for the info! It is much appreciated!

[Jags mom]

i have a husky that used to pull really hard, we got him a special harness the consists of ropes and rings, we got it from walmart(its either red, blue or green depending on size, im not sure what its called). if put on correctly it will tighten under their armpits which stops the pulling immediatly and loosens really fast, which is the main thing for me. after 2 pulls he got the point real fast. we now use a pinch collar to deter him. most people dont like them but i tried it on myself and it doesnt really hurt, its just more of a reminder to not pull. keep it at the top of the neck you will have way more control. if i have him on a choker or a regular collar he will pull again. i find that harnesses are the worst as they were made for pulling and thats just what the dog will do while wearing it