I have a two year old dog who is appauling on her lead, she tugs so hard that she no longer is a pleasure to take out. When she is off the lead she is excellent and responds to commands, comes when she is shouted, etc. It is the actual walking when on the lead which causes the problem. There have been numbers of occassions where she has seriously injured my arm with her pulling. I have tried standard leads, working leads, chokers, harnesses, halties, everything but cannot seem to get anything to work. When my partner walks her, he is quite brutal with the lead to try to control her, she will heel on the first tug back but within a second is tugging again. This can't possibly be enjoyable for the dog let alone us, she pants like crazy and starts to make choking noises as her collar is digging in. Any suggestions would be greatly recieved as walks just aren't any fun anymore!!!

What breed is she? The answer has to be training (and being prepared to look absolutely mad to your neighbours). Set out for a walk, immediately she pulls you turn round and walk back towards the house. Only when she stops pulling do you start on the walk again. You keep on doing this, even if it means for a few days you never get beyond your garden gate. An alternative to this is to walk backwards if she pulls rather than turning round, or as a third alternative just stand still, but in any method you do not go towards the park or wherever you go on your walks if she is pulling. If you are strict in doing this and don't give in to her she will soon realise that she gets nowhere at all if she pulls. Couple this with plenty of praise whilst she is walking without pulling.

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

Joan,

She is a German Shepherd cross. We have another dog who is pure GSD and he is excellent, he is younger than her only 3 months old and we have now had to start walking them separately as he is picking up her bad habits but when out on his own is a star pupil. When we've walked them together, we have tried to keep her on her lead and let him off to see if this proves a point, but nothing. I will certainly try your ideas and hope that they work! I have tried the standing still one and she does actually wait with me without pulling - but as soon as we start off again she starts pulling. I'll try the going back to the house and the walking backwards (even though the neighbours will think I'm nuts!!) I don't care as long as I get it sorted!

Thanks for the advice - lets hope it works!

Katey

Welcome to the forum Katey :-)

I have found that I get the best results from walking backwards! You feel daft at first, but once you get used to it ....it does work. The other thing that I do when practising heel work, is to keep changing direction.If you can do it when the dog is least expecting it all the better. This has actually become quite a 'game' with one of my GSP's. It's about the only time that I have his undivided attention :-)
Leigh

Hi Katey, I am just starting with a new puppy, and I know what you mean. I feel as if I'm getting one arm longer than the other with all the pulling. Like you, she is brilliant off the lead, trots along beside me, and sits and recalls well. I agree with the other comments. You need to keep changing direction so the dog is always following you and not the other way around. I feel really silly, and it is time consuming as I have to take the dogs for separate walks, but I know it worked for my older dog (although she does still have her moments). I know lots of people recommend the 'gentle leader' or 'halti' but I always found them a bit fiddly.
Good luck
Lorna

I have found turning (across the dogs path) method works best for mine. It has sometimes meant that I have walked the same 20 yards of pavement for 15 minutes (mine is a stuborn breed) but it does work, then once she gets the idea, any repetition of pulling and you turn again, once or twice and this time you won't have to do it so many times, don't worry about what people think!!!

Hi Katey,
This is a problem I had with my dog, incidently a GSD, He would walk to heel over long distances beautifully but if you clipped a lead on that was it.
One thing is for sure pulling and jerking the lead in response is not the answer.
I did the stop start routine. When the dog pulls you instantly stop. I found this made a big difference. But you need to be consistant. I found that he still had tendencies and when I spoke to a 'nice' and 'enlightened' army dog handler, he suggested a bit of fine tuning. When he pulled to stop saying nothing, and as soon
as he looked at me to praise and and try again, at anytime, no matter how briefly, he was walking nicely to use a specific word ie steady and praise. This praising the wanted and newly labelled behaviour and ignoring the unwanted, made a difference, but again it calls for consistancy and patience.

I have not heard of walking backwards, but I will try it next time he tries his luck as he inevitably will.

Good luck Beccy

HI katey

One of the strange and rather bizarre things about dogs is that, give them something to pull against and they will - its almost an instinct.

i have seen many dogs too pulll out of pain, we have a man near us who has been trying for months to train his GSd, on a choker, pullng back, dog goes to end of chain, gets jerked back,on and on, and the owner doenst learn!!! You would think by now he woud have worked out that what he is doing isn't working but he is so stubborn. The dog is basically scrabbling at the end of the lead which is a classic sign of pain but the owner doesn't want to know. Sad for dog and owner, but mainy for the dog!!

One thing to check is, does your dog actually get enough exercise? I realise that takng him out at the moment is a bit of a struggle, but play lots of games and have some fun to improve the relationship generally. Some dogs are so desperate for a walk that they will do anything for the exercise.

If your partner has been walking your dog on lots of differnt pieces of equipment including haltis and chokers, can I suggest getting a health check to ensure that the dog's neck isn't damaged, not bein gfunny but haltis can hurt very badly as can chokers if used harshly, which in yours words your desperate partner has been doing. Frustratin is understandable but it is a human trait to choose punishment and brute force over brains and training!! Sorry if I sound rude, I don't mean to be.

Finally, as you have had such a problem, how about considerng a good trainer? I go to a member of the Association of pet Dog Trainers, www.apdt.co.uk

They are listed on the website by county and what you may find ratehr fun is that many of them now do clicker training.

This is a great fomr of training, gaining popularity, and can be used amnognst othe rthings for loose lead walking ... as you have a pet dog, I presume, why not relax and choose loose lead walking rather than actual heel work? Unless you want to compete you don;t often need true heel work. I have traiend all my dog s to a loose lead and have been veryhappy wiht the results.

Clicker trainng will also improve the relationshiop between owner and dog because it allows the dog to make mistkaes and to choose the right way for himself. It's marvellous to watch the dog workig out hwere you want him, and later you can use the principles for other training.

Just as importatn, you and your partner can relax and have fun with the dog.

It takes roughly 3 months to get a reliable loose lead walk with a happy dog at one end and a happy owner at the other.

As you have had trouble with so many other ways, I personally would opt for this one.

Well, good luck anyway. Perhpas you will come back and let us kow how you get on.

Hi Lindsay,

Can you please explain to me what you mean by a loose lead. I actually tried a few of the methods that people have suggested on this site last night and will keep this up day after day. It took us 15 minutes to walk past just three houses last night with stopping and starting and walking backwards (just glad it was going dark!!!!) the neighbours would have thought I was going slightly mad, I think the dog thought I'd gone a little bonkers too!!!! - whatever it takes though - no matter how long, we WILL start to enjoy our walks again!

Katey,

I am going through a similar situation to you. I have a Springer Spaniel.

I try to do 10 minutes of heelwork each time we are out, she is getting to be much better. I use the advice I got on this board and change direction often turning left and left about turn across her.
Feilds were a dead loss, she was more interested in the scent of rabbits !! so we use the Drs and pub car parks etc., we do get a few funny looks, but what the heck my arm muscles are a lot less tired ;)

I have also noticed that the more I tug against her, the more she pulls. I try now to always let the lead hang loosely and control her by voice. We are getting there, she is normally happy now to just walk infront a bit with the lead loose. The last couple of times at school, she walked to heel REALLY well.

Good luck,

Alan

I've talked more to the neighbours since getting Gem, than ever before. Lots are showing an interest in her progress!

HI Katey

By loose lead walkng, I just mean that the dog walks by your side on a loose lead, it can be a little in front or behind but must never pull the lead tight. This is the ultimate aim, nothing more elaborate.

I used to walk my 2 big dogs, one on each side like this and it worked very well for us. They both chose to walk literally by my side in the end, and rarely if ever went too far in front or behind.

It may be what you are already aiming at, perhpaps, anyway? Only some owners try to get the"Velcro" heelwork and its not really practical for pet dogs who just need to walk next to their owners comfortably.

It does sound as if you would be very happy just to have a dog who will not pull your arms off! :)

The advice about turning round etc is also good, go with what you feel is best; don't forget praise when the dog does the right thing, even if only for a few seconds.

And don't forget to give the dog lots of exercise and also mental stimulation, Kongs or buster cubes maybe? Or else he/she will still want to pull like a train .....:)

Lots of luck!

LOL .....So I have been loose Lead walking my dogs for donkey years and never even knew that was what I was doing or that it was called ANYthing but heel work!! ;-) They say that you learn something everyday, don't they :-)

Leigh

Thanks Leigh - I think!?!

Lindsay :)

I believe what Lindsay means by loose lead, is ultimately what you want. Does he have to walk by your heel or as long as the lead is loos and he's not pulling is that okay? If you change your standards to be no tugging and accept the loose that may help. clicker training does help as well - as soon as the lead relaxes - click and treat. If he pulls you turn, when he relaxes the lead, click and treat - he will quickly learn. However, like all the other suggestions it takes time and patience.

You say you've tried haltis etc. Have you tried the Gentle Leader (similar to Halti, but I prefer it)? It may be that you need to use it all the time when walking with him on lead - you MUST be tired of having your arm pulled off and he must be tired of choking. We used it for a while with our whippet-x that pulled. Every once in a while we bring it out for a walk just to remind her if she starts the pulling again.

Anyway, hope this helps a little.

Wendy

I appreciate that it's not a training solution, but have you tried a "Halti" collar. The lead attaches to the underneath, under the dog's chin and when they pull all they are doing is pulling their own head down.

It worked with our border collie. She would walk fine on and off the lead, unless she was in a crowd, when she would pull like mad to try and get away from all the people. We use the halti collar for shows, fairs and anywhere where there will be a lot of people and she doesn't pull at all, she walks calmly at my side.

It might at least get you some breathing space to walk him whilst trying training methods as well.

Kumfi dog products do one called the Dogalter for £7.95

http://www.kumfi.com/

Yesterday when walking my 4 hounds on the lead together along a cycle path
next to some woods - Yonnie suddenly saw a squirrel and pulled out to the
right causing me to put my right foot out onto the muddy verge and slip up
and land flat on my back. I got plastered in mud. It's the first time I've ever
fallen over out dog walking. I was more embarassed walking home in such a
state !
On another occasion some months back Kiera saw a squirrel on someone's wall
and pulled sideways sharpley and snapped her Halti, fortunately she came
straight to me as we were walking alongside a road on the pavement.

Pam
& Hampshire Hounds

We must always be ever aware what could happen if our dogs get attracted by something, as ourr reactions to bring them in line are not necessarily fast enough. Yours like mine probably respond to commands, but take the opportunity to do their own thing when you aren't looking concentrating. In the recreation Ground accross the road that we sometimes walk through, some of the bordering gardens have, hedges that are easy to penetrate, so my crafty lot (each has done it over the years) wait 8until I am poop scooping to do a quick dive through, to check on any goodies put out for the birds etc, or just to be plain nosey, they come as soon as called with the, well I came as soon as you called, smart ass look!

Don't worry I have been in the Mud before, but my own shoes slipping, and the dogs stood over me wagging their tails as if to say, what ya doin down there silly!

My 4 month old Lab puppy pulls really badly and I have been tryng all your suggestions with some small success. The breeder suggests what he called a gundog lead. It's like a choke chain but it's made of soft rope and he says they're really effective. I know that choke chains are cruel and can damage the dog's neck but what do you all think about this softer version. My immediate reaction was that it is dangerous, but then I thought if it solves the problem quickly maybe it causes fewer problems than long term pulling like billy-o on an ordinary lead. Thistle pulls so hard sometimes she makes herself choke. Any comments?
Jane

Personally I would suggest a Half slip/Half choke collar. These have a section of normal collar, with a chain section. this means that you can only tighten the collar to the preadjusted width. You adjust the collar part to be really snug around the neck when the chain is pulled tight, just so it pinches slightly, but it cannot choke the dog. I give a sharp tug, and quick release action for best effect! Do not keep constant pressure on any check or half check, as this is totally unproductive, and in the case of full check very uncomfortable/cruel!

One of the best anti pulling inventions is the head collar, I personally prefer the Gentle Leader by Canac. the webbing is very soft, and the chin strap has a clip that adjusts under the chin, which helps it not ride up, and also prevents it being got round the teeth and chewed when slack!

Brainless

Where can I get the head collar you recommended "Gentle Leader by Canac"? My pup has just chewed through his and I'm looking to buy another asap. The one I was using was made by Komfi.

Thanks.

Pets at Home sell them

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

Gundog slips leads are ideal for <U>trained</U> dogs, but totally useless for a dog that pulls!! I agree with Brainless about half checks. You have the benefit of a collar but with the advantage of the check and as long as the collar is adjusted correctly, you can't really do any harm to the dogs neck :-)  Leigh

one thing that is worth a try is only walk your dog next to a fence hedge or wall dont give it any space between your left leg and the wall & dont let its nose get more than 1 inch in front of your left knee ,now to achieve this you have to throw your left foot out in front of your dogs path constaantly it looks very odd to other people & probably done best after a couple of drinks it helps the rythem, if the dog surges & gets past have a piece of chain in your right hand & throw it on the floor in front of the dog or u can use a clicker, also I'v used this method with a piece of light chain threaded through my shoe lace on the left foot for effect this works very well whith puppies but hav'nt tried it on an older dog but it might work u usually only have to do it for a couple of weeks when starting from scratch with & new puppy but always take the chain to throw untill your confidant because dogs are great opportunists & will seize the moment also they are great trainers & can get us humans conditioed to thier bad ways without saying a word & if you have to resort to a halti the dog has defintly trained you but good luck with what ever method u choose Pawla

I have been traiiinng my Terv pup with the clicker, and we are nearly there now, but young dogs can't be expected to concentrate for more than a few minutes of time, which should be gradually built up.

So what to do when it is necessary to get from A to B and there's no time to train?I didn't want my pup getting into bad habits so I tried the Gentle Leader which is normally great, but she hated it even when introduced very slowly; she is incredibly sensitve/reactive, she even shrieks in shock if she is asleep and her foot accidentally touches something <g>.

So i have got her a Stop/Pull harness made by Kumfi which is great, it doesn't chafe on the legs and is easy to put on once adjusted. This is making a big difference to us for the A to B bit!!

If anyone is interested it is available from www.kumfi.com

Best wishes
lindsay

Hi Kate,

I worked with GSD's for years in the army and for the past few years the Thames Valley Police with the police dogs on all aspects of training, everyone has their own ways and means of training their dogs, obviously one method way work on one dog and not on another so we all rave about the methods which worked for us individually, the only small piece of advise i can give you is try to change your times you take your dog out and each time you go out change the way you go! Not teaching you to suck eggs but we all know that dogs are anything but stupid and doesnt take them long to realise that at 8am every morning we go out turn left at the end of the drive, go down the road and take a right etc, straight to the park! They know where the end result is so the quicker we get there the better:)This also applies to going to your destination in the car, change the way you go, the suprise on your dogs face is a picture when they get so used to going the same way, assuming you turn left at the end of the road, and you decide to go right and take an alternative route, shock!!!This is only a small part of the trainimg you have ahead but every little helps, i hope you dont think i'm teaching you something you already know, but my friend was so astounded with her dogs change in behaviour from just starting out doing the above, good luck with your dog and fingers crossed with any luck, soon you will be able to enjoy each others company out for walks again!:)
Debbie

The walking backwards and forwards thing really works, constantly changing direction and try to vary your walks too. My dog used to pull, this is a dominance thing, she's playing leader. By changing direction you are letting her know that she's not making the decisions. Routine is great but the same walk all the time getting off the lead in the same place no matter how they behave up to that point appears also to encourage pulling so try to use as much variety as you can and don't let her off if she's been pulling directly before you unclip her, this seemed to exaserbate the problem when my dog did this. You will look a right wally doubling back on yourself and your neighbours may think your mad but the end result is worth it!

HELP!!!!!!! my friends 10 month collie cross is with us for 2-3 weeks.  he's a lovely dog, fabulous calm energy and comes back when called etc, but is a nightmare on the lead.  can anything be done in such a short amount of time so that it can become enjoyable for both of us? As I dont have a garden, he HAS to go on the lead to get to the beach and being a country dog he won't pee on concrete! 

Anybody else tried a Canny Collar?
I've got a BC/Staffy cross and it has worked wonders on him.

http://www.cannyco.co.uk/home-of-the-canny-collar/home-of-puppy-training/welcome-to-our-site.html

I use a canny collar when fireworks are expected and think it is great.

I've tried it on my dobe girla nd it was hopeless - took her two minutes to figure out how to twist just so to get the nose loop off and pull again.  But a friend uses them on her GSDs and they work brilliantly.

I use haltis and have just started using them again with halti harnesses (on double lead) - works wonders, I'd forgotten how well!  I walk all four dogs together (so a combined weight of 126kg and two can be strong pullers), and with the two worst on halti/harness walks are bearable again. :-P If I walk two at a time - puller + non-puller - I can also work on their walking using the double lead and it is very effective.

With just one dog I would always recommend clicker training loose lead walking - but with four I struggle to find time and motivation!