Check Chain For Training

[arjay]

So far day of obedience training tonight,

My rottweiler has finished puppy school nearly 2 months ago.

The trainer tonight reccomended a check chain for training. He told us how to use one properly

My puppy does pull when walking. Im hoping he will get the heel command right.

What do you guys think?

I know not to use it anywhere else but when im training my dog =)

[Agility Dogs]

So far day of obedience training tonight,

My rottweiler has finished puppy school nearly 2 months ago.

The trainer tonight reccomended a check chain for training. He told us how to use one properly

My puppy does pull when walking. Im hoping he will get the heel command right.

What do you guys think?

I know not to use it anywhere else but when im training my dog =)

I think you are going to get a whole heap of conflicting answers that won't give any clarity at all. Training methods seem to be a bit like religion - everyone has their own opinion and it is always right.

You need to make a decision about wehther you are comfortable using a check chain on your dog and if it is the best method for you. OR put another way you need to make a decision about whether you are comfortable NOT using a check chain on your dog and whether that is the best method for you.

[Kavik]

More than the tool, the important thing is your timing and what method you are using, and your use of rewards/correction. Was your obedience at a club? What is your aim - pet manners, competition? Did you like the behaviour of the dogs in the higher levels/the trainer's dogs? Do you like the way they train? There are many things to consider :D

[megan_]

Are you trying to teach heeling (which is a very formal thing) or loose leash walking (which "normal" people often call heeling, but it isn't what training people call heeling)? What methods have been taught to you to try and stop him pulling on the leash?

If it is the formal "heel" with the dog walking perfectly straight, looking at you, turns exactly when you turn etc then all the people that I've seen do this WELL don't use a check chain to teach it.

I've also seen many people teach loose leash walking without a check chain. As Agility Dogs says it is all in the timing if you go down the check chain path. My timing is always crap and I'd land up correcting the dog when they were doing well, so it isn't a path I'd personally pursue.

Edited August 23, 2011 by megan_

[arjay]

Yeah trying to get my dog to heel. Ive used treats to try and make him stay beside me while walking, walking opposite way, walking and making him sit if he pulls. Bascially want my dog just not to pull when walking. He just get real excited.

[arjay]

Would a martingale be more suitable? Other trainers last night said he was big and strong for his age.

[fuzzy82]

So you're not trying to train "heel", you're trying to train loose leash walking. Search on youtube for "silky leash", IMO it's the best method out there for teaching it.

For a formal heel, I wouldn't use a check chain, because it's inherently not a very interesting behaviour for the dog, so you'd be better off using favourite rewards and games etc to teach it. If you want to use a check chain once the dog has learnt the behaviour but for whatever reason doesn't cooperate, then that's a different matter.

[arjay]

At the dog club we are training the command heel. for the dog to stay beside our left leg.

[megan_]

If you're trying to teach real heeling, then I'd suggest two things:

i) take it really, really slow. Most people at training classes want to see fast progress, so trainers squish heeling into a few weeks training. Don't worry if your boy takes much longer than others to get it. Getting it right slowly is better than getting something half-baked quickly. Setting the foundations is the key.

ii) You need to build value for the position. Make being by your side, focused on you the best place in the world - the thing he values most. This can be done a number of ways - it all depends on what motivates your dog. I went to a seminar with Uta Bindel (an obendience world champion who trains malinios (sp) so she knows her stuff). She taught me two foundation exercises:

- build flexibility in your dog. Basically she did lots of luring with him, getting him to do figure of 8's through my legs etc.

- build value for the position. lure your dog into a sit in exactly the right position. Reward (using a reward marker to show him what you're rewarding. I use "good".) Release. Repeat a few times. End the session. Do a few short sessions and then, try getting him into the position and don't release him straight away. Reward marker and reward. Then he'll sit there a bit confused and eventually look at you with a "what is going on?". Reward marker that very instant. Reward. Repeat a few sessions etc. Eventually he'll get he position and realise that focusing on you = I get rewards. Then, and only then, you start adding steps. Uta advised to take a few months to build these solid foundations!

I hope it all makes sense! If you're just trying to go for a nice walk without your boy pulling you over, have you tried the "dea tree" (ie you pull, I stand still and give you a no-reward marker? when you stop pulling I tell you how good you are and reward you) method?

[Kavik]

What is your aim? "Heel" may be the command you are using, but the goal of people with having their dog at heel varies. For pet people (and security etc) heel is walking by left side without pulling, for competition it is much more precise, and I would teach the precision heeling for competition a different way than walking without pulling. So a lot will depend on what your goal is.

[Nekhbet]

listen to your trainer. A 6 month old Rottweiler is fine to have a check chain used on him. As long as you're not just correcting constantly with no rewards and ripping the dog off its feet for no reason I say stick with your schools advice.

Otherwise you'll sit here for months trying to sift through information that in all probability will confuse you before help you.