Hiya, I could do with some advice, my lab pup is now 6 months old and is developing really well, but we have problem. No matter what we do we can't seem to manage to get him to walk on the lead nicely, he strains and pulls and gets distracted by everything. We've tried so many different things and have persisted for ages with no improvement, we have tried stopping each time he pulls, walking along with food and giving him a treat evey now and then but nothing seems to work. He is a big boy now and I have problems walking him, also he scares people by lunging at them, he just wants to say hi but people shouldn't have to put up with it. Is there anything else I could try? Eventually I would like to get to a point where he would walk to heel off the lead (in safe places)

Sarah

You could try a gentle leader or a halti but I am not sure what age they start from.  Also, do you take him to training classes? 

Hiya,
yep we took him to training for a 6 week course, it's the only one in the area and there aren't any other classes he can go to till he's a bit older. I'll have to look into a gentle leader thingy, if he learns to walk on that can you then put him on a normal lead?

sarah

Courses usually run from puppy right through??...

I took Henry to class when he was 8 weeks old and I still go now.  We do competitive obedience now together.  I really really believe that taking him to classes at such a young age helped with his walking on the lead and his socialisation not just with dogs but with other people.

It's easier to train in a class where other people are learning the same as you.  So if your dog has a propensity to jump up or lunge at people, then 9 times out of ten if he does it in the class, the people will know that ignoring the dog or squeezing his paws are a couple of ways to deal with this and then your dog will learn in time how to greet people.  If you are out walking on the street and your dog jumps up at someone, then your average Joe Bloggs on the street won't know what to do about it unless you warn them of course and tell them how they should react but of course that's not always gonna be possible.

Gentle leaders are leads that go over the dogs face and under the chin and apply pressure to them when they pull.  I am not sure whether they can be classed as a training method tho and whether after using one your dog will be "cured" from pulling.  I suspect not.  I think going back to training will do that.

Em

I will look around for another training class but they are very few and far between in South Wales, the puppy course was meant to be a 6 week socialization course and I wanted to keep on going but the only ongoing course was at 9.30 at night which was not possible for us and it was full of adult dogs so the trainers suggested we come back when he was a bit older. To be honest I wasn't massively impressed with the 'training' course, it was chaos and we got very little done.

I will keep trying with the techniques we're using now and hope that one day he understands!

Sarah

ahh I Hope you find something suitable.

You look like you pretty much know what you have to do to stop the pulling.  i.e walking backwards and stopping when he pulls, using treats etc. 

Good luck.

What colour lab have you got by the way?

He's a beautiful black lab, completely mad, our trainers thought he had a very 'choccie' personality. His name is Kobi. We are thinking of getting another when he is old enough (another year seems a long wait!) How about you, what labs do you have?

Sarah

He is a working type lab?

I have a gorgeous yellow lab, he's so so handsome.  He is such a character.  So laid back and so funny.  His pedigree is Poolstead and Lejie.  How about yours?

Em x

Dear Smurggle, you might be surprised by his behaviour off-lead.  Our GSDX, a rescue dog, *hates* being on the lead and puts up a wonderful display involving lots of barking, whining, frothing, writhing etc. (which has twice got me threatened with the 'RSPCA' - ha! bring it on!).  He has a particular problem with traffic and while it is slowly abating I don't think he'll ever be perfect.

Bit he is WONDERFUL off the lead! Brilliant heeling, recall etc, no socialisation problems with dogs or people.  I'm sure you know your own dog best but he might just be anti-lead.  Who knows? Good luck whatever happens.

Hiya,
his mum definatly has working lines in her background and it is coming out in his behaviour, but his dad is from the lougin kennels (lougin loomis) and is definatly show. Kobi is looking good at the moment and I am thinking about showing him (I have only ever shown when I was very little in junior handling so I think it would be a shock for me!). But this depends on getting the lead thing sorted, and finding a ringcraft class within a few miles of Cardiff.

And Missthing you are right to a certain extent, in training class he was a perfect angel, standing properly, being really attentive and walking properly it just seems to be in the real world he's a bit of a monster!

Sarah

But the real world has so many smells and so many things that need looking into and there is no time to walk slowly and properly, that's boring!! ha ha 

I hope all goes well with him.  He sounds lovely.

Good luck if you do start to show him. 

I used to do that and we won lots of BPIS's but then I went and got his manhood removed so we couldn't show any more.  It wasn't really our cup of tea.  We much prefer the obedience.

Em

Can recommend the gentle leader.  I find it has made my boys' walking on a normal collar better.  At first we used the GL all the time, then gradually lessened the use of it but just carrying it in our pocket.  If they pull it goes on but is not connected to the lead, if they pull again it gets connected.  That seems to have done the trick.