loose leash walking

[ruckusluvr]

Would you believe Lynn is two and still pulls on walks. I let it go on this long, and for that, i am ashamed of. i have been using no pull harnesses and head haltis to walk her. I have just been putting a band aid on the situation.

For a while last year i did the "be a tree" method. she pulls, i stop. so pull=stop.
it worked well at first and then she got more stubborn, and i felt it was easier just to put a no pull harness on her.

does anyone have any links?

what would you use as a tool? flat collar, chain, prong....?

[DaneMama]

Don't even consider a chain or prong because those are just bandaids as well, but they cause pain to your dog.

I've always used the "go the other direction" method, but it works the same way as the "tree" method. If the dog pulls in one direction you *immediately* go in the opposite direction. This will be difficult at first and you will find yourself going in all kinds of directions. But it is imperative that you start in a VERY low distraction environment in the very beginning. And slowly add more distractions in. It can take a dog like 6 months to learn loose leash walking, just depends on how stubborn the dog is.

You have to be more stubborn than the dog is or you wont get anywhere with training. I would keep doing the "tree" method and stay consistent with it. The worst thing you can do is let her pull sometimes but not others. It HAS to be everytime she pulls. Just takes patience and effort on your part. Most people don't have the patience so they just use a walking tool, this isn't a bad thing but it doesn't fix the problem and you have a pulling dog if you happen to not have the tool on the dog!

[RawFedDogs]

The tree method is a good one and effective it you stop walking the very instant the leash becomes tight and don't take another step forward until the dog is back by your side.

Another method I have used is to lure the dog to you with a treat. Begin walking while holding the treat straight down by your side and ever so often give the treat as long as the dog is in the proper position right beside you. His nose should stick pretty close to your hand most all the time. Over time go longer and longer between treats.

After a while just hold your hand down and without a treat and walk having him at your side just as when you had the treats. Every so often, give him a treat from the other hand. He will soon figure it out.

If he walks away from you, just stop and wait for him to come back.

BTW: I have Great Danes so this is easy. It probably won't be so easy with a short dog unless you are REAL short yourself. Anything from a lab or boxer or larger should be easy. Min Pin, not so easy.

ETA: I just remembered ... with a short dog, teach him to target a target stick. Hold the target stick by your side and let him learn to walk by your side by tarketing the stick as you walk.

[cam9910]

I went through the same think with my Vizsla. She's now two, and MUCH better on the leash. I've tried all the techniques and collars (except the pinch) out there. Having a treat helped, and what I would do is every time I stoped, as soon as she sat down knowing I stoped, I would praise and give a treat. With regards to a leash, the best way I have found is to take the leash, and clip it to her normal coller, then wrap it under her stomach and over the back and pull the leash through the loop. Not sure if I am explaining it correctly, but she walks with virtually no pulling. It would cinch her at the lower waist if she pulls, and it really helped to stop any pulling.

Also, can try try to tire her out before you walk?

[RawFedDogs]

... and what I would do is every time I stoped, as soon as she sat down knowing I stoped, I would praise and give a treat.

Try stopping and waiting for her to come back to you and stand or sit beside you before you start forward again. You may have to guide her the first few times but she will catch on to that part pretty quickly. This does a better job of teaching her where she should be.

The mistake you make is a common one. You are showing her when she does wrong but not showing her what is correct. Waiting for her to return to your side shows her where she should be.

[LearnDogTraining]

Try stopping and waiting for her to come back to you and stand or sit beside you before you start forward again. You may have to guide her the first few times but she will catch on to that part pretty quickly. This does a better job of teaching her where she should be.

The mistake you make is a common one. You are showing her when she does wrong but not showing her what is correct. Waiting for her to return to your side shows her where she should be.

I agree with this one. I was having the same problem as you with my dog before and someone gave me advice something like "show your dog what is right, not just when he did something wrong". I was kind of relieved after realizing what he means.

Trying some tips won't hurt you.

[Novox12]

I have had great luck with the tree and backtrack method. I agree that you need to be more stubborn than the dog. I found a writeup with the methods I use and have had great success with for loose leash training it covers why they pull and how to get them to stop as well as tools to facilitate faster training.
Hope this helps.

[Serendipity]

When prongs/headcollars are used properly, they can be great training tools. However, like harnesses, they are just bandaid fixes as well, the and the dog should eventually be weaned onto a regular flat collar. If you have enough success with the tree and backtrack methods, you may not even need any training tools. Ditch all harnesses; they offer more control over the dogs body, but they do not teach the dog that pulling is unacceptable either.

[whiteleo]

I disagree, in my situation with my Bull Terriers which are constant pullers I used the "easy walk" harness for a good while when walking them but now, they can walk on a loose leash unless of course a squirrel runs across their path. This harness was a good training tool for this type of dog that is as equally as stubborn as the owner, and I didn't feel like I had to constantly be putting pressure on their throats to keep them from pulling.

[DaneMama]

The way that I've learned to train loose leash walking is to:

Get to a quiet, low distraction area (like a basketball court at a park).

Have a dog on leash who is familiar with clicker training (or some other form of a "bridge" cue like "yes")

Make sure you have treats no larger than a pea that are of high value to the dog in your pocket/treat pouch readily available.

Decide which side you'd like the dog to walk on, if you even have a preference. I prefer to have the dog on the opposite side of my treat pouch...no particular side.

Start walking with the dog, clicking and treating the dog on each stride. This will kinda force the dog to stick to one area which is right by your side. This is a LOT of clicking and treating...nearly every 1-3 seconds. Once the dog has associated with being right at your side as being the "place to be" start randomizing your rate of clicking and treating. This may take 5 minutes or 5 different sessions, depends on the dog.

If the dog lunges forward or in any direction, stop and stand like a tree with no other reaction. Don't jerk the leash back because that will entice the dog to naturally pull harder. As soon as the dog looks back and "checks in" click and treat, then start walking again.

Start adding in distractions to the mix gradually. Don't have expectations of your dog to preform perfectly right away, this will take time. But it will be worth it because you wont have to depend on a crutch like a gentle leader or harness or worse...coercive tools like prong collars.