Hi, I have a 6 month old GSD that is pulling when I walk him. I know Shepherds are known for pulling on the lead but it's at the point where my hand is in agony! I have tried numerous padded leads and even a gencon that worked at first but just won't work at all now as he paws at it constantly on the walk and flips about (which is even worse to control ) and the treats to try and calm or praise him don't seem to do much for long. He has also completed his puppy training with the KC and we are discussing his next training. I think the world of the dog  and want to find a solution asap, as I don't want to get to the point where only my partner can walk him. (he doesn't seem to pull so much for him, so he says, which is even more worrying!) On the flip side he is a good dog in every other area, so any suggestions very welcome!

Have you spoken to your trainer as they should be able to show you different ideas to help train him. This isnt a gsd thing its a dog thing :) I have gsd and use a headcollar as its the only way  I feel secure in walking a 45kg dog who will pull even as an adult.( Training fail on my part) It may be the gencon isnt comfortable, I found they rubbed and cut into the dogs face , I have worked through a lot of headcollars as I have found each dog is different. currently I use a fleece lined martingale hc but dogmatic is also very good and canny collar was reasonable but fiddly , halti and gentle leader both went into his eyes

You may need to train him to wear one with loads of treats again you trainer should be able to show how to breakdown getting him happy to wear it

Another option is harness but not one with just a back attachment  one with an attachment on the chest and on the back then you have control . tellinton touch or mecuti are examples although there are lots more. must be two attachments or you will be skiing ! my fcr wouldn't wear a head collar whtever I did but is great on a mecuti harness. we actually look relaxed rather than a dog who just laid down with a headcollar

what ever one you choose it is  also necessary to continue training to walk nicely as in an ideal world you want him to learn to walk at your side without pulling an dhe or you being uncomfortable

I agree with furriefriends though I prefer a harness as it doesn't twist their necks like a head collar.  I found a big difference using a Mekuti straight away.
As he's only a pup, so not a totally entrenched habit, would it be possible for you to drive to an off lead area for walks whilst you retrain him as they're usually too excited on the way out?  Failing that, if you did some training and/or mind games before taking him out, it should help take the edge off him.

Kikopup on YouTube has some great videos on leash walking.

with regard to the head twisting which is a very valid point. different collars act differently. all have downside though. some attach from behind so pull the neck backwards and some pull to the side. both have their downsides. I think debbo198 suggestion of  mekuti ( they have a 30 day return if you don't like it btw)  or similar is the place to start and yes take him someone he doesn't need to walk and run off the energy before training to walk nicely might help you. mine always walk better coming home . having said that I know people who argue any form of attachment be it harness , head collar or flat lead has its downsides
. safety and comfort of both of you is paramount

I use a front fastening harness on my dog and it does stop her pulling, but like all these anti pull devices dogs can work out away of still managing to pull if you are not careful. What I like about the front fastening harness is that the dog finds it difficult to actually pull to any degree and that allows you to get your dogs attention and work on loose lead walking without the struggle of either the pulling or a dog fighting a head collar that it doesn't like. A lot of front fastening harnesses have a back ring as well for use when you want the dog to have some on lead freedom such as using with a flexi lead or long line, but they can be used with a double ended lead clipped onto the front and back in order to stop the back end from swinging out. I have a six foot double ended lead with a 'handle' on a ring which can slide from one end of the lead to the other so that it can be used as six foot lead or clipped to both harnes rings with the sliding handle in the middle.
Hope that makes sense and you can understand what I'm talking about.

it does and I agree . mekuti comes with a lead but for any others I would use a halti double ended lead. They are the only leads I use now, soft and have lots of rings for different uses . I do think you need the hardness attached at both points or you end up skiing or at least steering from the wrong place or as you say the dog swings round.

You're right again furriefriends, lol.  The breeder of my Pap doesn't like harnesses as she says"they throw their fronts out".  I think this would be with the type that go across their chests rather than in a Y shape.  I know with the Mekuti it can be attached so it  does go right across their chests, but this is only supposed to be used to slightly throw them off balance.

Perfect Fit and Ruffwear seem quite popular with big dog owners too, as is the Tellington Touch.   I think Ruffwear and Julius K9 have handles on too - 'handy'  for a big dog.

don't think julius is double attached or I havnt seen it used that way. I don't get the suitcase handle bit it wouldn't work with mine I would need an extra pair of hands although I have seen a rotti owner who was big chap using it with his reactive rott as a carry bag for a second!. I use brookes mekuti with it attached across the chest and to the left.  she seems to think I am serious then and behaves lol
I have heard of pom people who say the same thing as your pap breeder but I wouldn't use a collar on a toy breed . cant do right for wrong lol

I think you're right about the Julius and, IMHO, the double clips, front and back, are a must especially with big dogs or, as you said ff, there'd be skiing .

I definitely won't use a collar on my Pap, I don't even like one on my JRT X day poodle - I bought him a beautiful leather lurcher collar and lead, but I don't even like using that.  I've even got a tiny Mekuti harness for Pap.

I still had my Elkhound when I first got these harnesses and she was a 'on the way out, excited puller'.  It made a massive difference straight away, like you, she seemed to know the front cross lead meant business.  

I use the back clip like Jodie (?) says, with a long line or even just the full length of a double ended lead to giving a bit of freedom and sniff time.

I think the handle is useful for big dogs off lead as an emergency restraint/grab handle  rather than holding their collars.  It could be useful for littl'uns too, but they don't do them small enough.

Heidi had a great scruff I could grab - miss that girl so much.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I will explore the harnesses you mentioned. He does have a harness which he doesn't mind at all. It's padded and has the grab handle, but he still pulls on that. But the front fastening harness sounds interesting, as does the Mekuti. I will explore. It's going to cost me a fortune, but anything to go on pleasant walks together...and put the blood back in my fingers!! Thanks again.

Def speak to your trainer or find one who will help ,kindly no jerkng etc and have a look at those videos they could really help. Now is the time to work on this much easier while.they are young.try finding some higher value treats to help

I use a Halti front clip harness.  Actually he's only a puppy but i'd rather he doesn't get into the habit before i train him properly.  Basically the more he pulls, the more he's facing me.  It works well.  I use it with a halti lead and if he's off lead to practice recall i clip my house line to the back ring so he won't get painfully whipped round if i have to step on it or it gets stuck on something.  It came from Amazon and definitely was NOT a fortune!

Have a look at the 300 peck method for training, it can be excellent for training loose leash walking.

http://www.druidalegsd.karoo.net/300peck.htm

> I use it with a halti lead and if he's off lead to practice recall i clip my house line to the back ring so he won't get painfully whipped round if i have to step on it or it gets stuck on something.

Just a word of warning about stepping on a long line - depending on the weight of your dog it can be disastrous to step on the line as I know to my cost. I only made that mistake once and it was a painful lesson to learn

If at all possible I would always grab the line with a hand - I have a long line that I use for one of my dogs on some occasions but it is very, very long so he can run around and I can still hold on to the end of it. I think it is 45m long but due to it's length it's only really good for wide open spaces.

Haha he's only 14kg just now, but even so I try to brake him gradually and not step down hard (as even 14kg could throw me posterior over bosom if I'm off balance  on muddy ground!). I have a 3m line I use most of the time, and a 10m line I use if there are a lot of distractions. Though at the moment I'm trying to minimise off-lead when there's loads of distractions. Hrs only 15weeks, I want to go slow and steady and polish his recall until it shines.

I was going to suggest a head collar - early on with our Whippet who is a tad 'squiffy' and would spook (and she's stronger than you might think), so risking injury to her neck, we bought a Canny Collar and it worked like a charm for her.   To the point she no longer needs to wear it.   I have a wide (Whippet type) martingale collar for her.    I have also seen GSDs on harnesses, but to my mind, dogs that are meant to pull, wear harnesses after all.

Dogs that are meant to pull wear specifically designed harnesses for that purpose, to distribute the forces appropriately so as to prevent damage to the dog.  They enable proper pulling.  But many of the harnesses mentioned already are designed as a training aid for an owner to help teach the dog not to pull.

Most of mine wear normal walking harnesses and only one pulls - the one I haven't trained not to (I rarely lead walk my dogs now so it isn't an issue for me).