Loose leash walking

[Pip's mum]

Hi,

 

I have a 5.5 month old border collie.

We've been taking him out for walks since he was 3 months old. We would take him when we're going to the park, etc.

I feel he wasn't doing too badly (not pulling much).

 

However, in the last month he's gotten a lot stronger and started to pull really hard on his walks.

So, I stopped taking him for 'a walk'. Instead I tried to focus on training him: taking him out, then stop whenever he starts to pull.

I think he's starting to get the idea(?). He automatically sits and wait until I start walking again. Am I doing the right thing?

 

Another bad habit of his is he would start biting the leash in playful manner (as if to play tug). Or he would start to have a go at my shoes.

I'm not sure what to do in these situation. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

We're not doing so well on house-breaking, either. But that's another topic 

[RuralPug]

Sounds like you are doing well with the walking. Another trick is the rapid change of direction whenever they start to pull - do an about face and walk the opposite way or go off at a tangent. Forget about how it looks with you stopping, starting, U-turning and zig zagging LOL you are teaching the dog what is expected of him and once done, you will both be happier for it for the rest of your lives. With some sensitive pups, if you keep up constant praise when they are walking nicely next to you and then stop the praise when they pull, it can be enough to train them.

For the chewing of the leash if you can get a chain leash that stops it instantly because it is not fun, but if you want to teach with the same leash then treat the leash biting exactly the same way as you are dealing with pulling (stop and don't proceed until he has let go off the leash). Never pull on the leash when he has it in his mouth - tug of war should be for special toys only and never the leash. 

Puppies biting shoes, trousers, feet etc. should be distracted and offered a chew toy. If they refuse the chew toy and continue play biting clothes or body parts you should use Squeal: Choose Stop or Time Out method. You squeal to indicate that the chewing on shoes or clothing is "hurting" and if puppy stops all good. If he does not stop, then he gets time out.Time out is simply moving the dog, without fuss or fanfare, to a safe area where he can longer reach you. This might be a puppy pen, or his crate, or another room. If he is out of doors being walked and chews on your shoes I would squeal, look horrified and change direction to distract him, remembering lots of praise when he is actually doing the right thing - walking on a loose leash beside you.

As you are probably aware, typically a border collie pup, being an intelligent working breed, does need a lot of stimulation and interaction to avoid becoming destructive or naughty from boredom. Other respondents can give you better detail on that!

[Dogsfevr]

Actually toilet training and other issues often have things in common.

 

I would do short walks with more fun/learning .

Walks can be boring or they can be fun .

All my showdogs at that age get short walks but it's all about fun,focus ,reward and pleasing not just going for a walk 

[KobiD]

 

Actually toilet training and other issues often have things in common.

 

I would do short walks with more fun/learning .

Walks can be boring or they can be fun .

All my showdogs at that age get short walks but it's all about fun,focus ,reward and pleasing not just going for a walk 

This

 

I've found that most of the pulling happens due to excitement, generally as a result of entering a new area. More to see, more to smell, etc. It's a process of generalising what you expect in a variety of situations. By keeping the focus off walking, and more along the lines of keeping a relaxed nature and loose leash in a variety of environments your pup should begin to learn that it is expected everywhere, including when moving between them.

 

For instance with my puppy (now 6 months), she used to walk great in the back yard, and pull as soon as she'd see the front yard. Working slowly she now has no issues there. Going down the street she'd get distracted and the behaviour would fall apart, so I'd stop and return to where she could. Each day, quick walks to somewhere new, and see if she can comply. If she does we continue, if not we move back.

 

Same if I load her in the car and take her somewhere. It takes time for her to get over the initial excitement, and I make time to show her that we don't go until she settles. It's a right pain and takes the fun out of things like going to the beach for a walk.. as you end up going to the beach to take 3 steps this way, 3 steps back and so on.. but it will pay dividends in the future.

[katherineaw]

Wow - I've had exactly the same issues with my 5 m/o cavalier, she loves chewing the lead and really really loves pulling on the leash.

 

My theory with walking is that she gets far far to excited by all the new smells, people and things to see.  So I try not to get too fussed by her pulling while we're outside (sometimes I want to tear my hear out).  She didn't respond so well to the walk in the opposite direction, because that was just as exciting.  She also didn't respond to the lets stand still, because there were plenty of exciting things and people keep coming up to her (despite me saying "DON'T TOUCH MY DOG" or "CAN YOU NOT?" quite frequently).

 

We have, however, made some serious progress recently.  I bought a couple of frankfurter sausages and cut them up really small.  She absolutely falls over in raptures when she sees it.  So now we have been doing some short walks from my apartment up and down the hallway, and she will happily walk along on a loose leash for quite a way, provided there's a sausage in her future.  Now, even when I'm not carrying sausage, the pulling in the hallway is nowhere near as bad - and she keeps looking at me like, "sausage, please mum?".  

 

My longer term plan is to take her into the lift next, and teach her to sit quietly in the lift while people come and go.  Then we'll practise loose lead walking out the front door (new textures, smells and more distractions) and finally in a few weeks, we'll probably actually focus on loose lead walking more generally.  I know she'll get it, but it's definitely taking time! I do want to get it pretty under control before no 2 arrives in 4 weeks, though!

 

In relation to chewing the leash, I agree with all the other comments about not tugging it.  Mine has stopped, but I worked out she was chewing the metal clips because they were cold and soothing on her gums while she was teething.  You might want to see if a swipe of bonjela helps with the teething issue.  I also purchased bitter apple spray to coat it.  That has sort-of worked, but her interest was the metal clips which don't exactly absorb it, so it didn't last all that long.

[KobiD]

High value rewards help big time for a food motivated dog!

 

The family and I went for a walk together this afternoon and it was trying! only using kibble and the added excitement of the whole family walking ahead was a bit too much. Not pulling the whole way, but a definite step back from the usual stroll through the same area.

 

This dog of mine teaches me patience daily.. as do the kids and wife!

[Roova]

Sometimes it helps to see teaching loose leash walking in action so this is a pretty good video showing one way to do it

Help...my dog pulls!

[Pip's mum]

Thank you for the replies.

 

I watched the video, and there're a couple of things I'm not doing right:

- Currently I let the dog walk in front of me instead of beside me.

- I do one long-ish walk/training (30 minutes) instead of a couple of short sessions of few minutes session

 

I have some questions:

- Does this mean I shouldn't take him out unless it's for a few minutes training session?

- The video is showing heeling(?) How do you incorporate a more relaxed walk where he can sniff around (but without pulling on the leash).

 

KobiD, yes, I have had some 'what did I get myself into' moments. 

This is my first puppy as an adult. My other pets are two cats (indoor), and they are so easy compared to my puppy 

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

This is kikopup on loose leash walking...

She's much more relaxed about her criteria... (playlist of videos)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7287C737FB745168

 

One of the rewards for loose lead is "go sniff"...

 

The dog doesn't have to be near her leg unless she asks for that - you could have two cues eg "heel" for next to your leg and "with me" for loose lead (those aren't original to me).   I use the word "yes" instead of the clicker or I just shove a treat in their mouth, and if I treat - it's next to my leg on the same side of the dog - if you treat in front or reach across your body - you risk your dog cutting in front of you and tripping you up (don't reward cutting in front).

 

Maybe start with this one.

 

[RuralPug]

 

Thank you for the replies.

 

I watched the video, and there're a couple of things I'm not doing right:

- Currently I let the dog walk in front of me instead of beside me.

- I do one long-ish walk/training (30 minutes) instead of a couple of short sessions of few minutes session

 

I have some questions:

- Does this mean I shouldn't take him out unless it's for a few minutes training session?

- The video is showing heeling(?) How do you incorporate a more relaxed walk where he can sniff around (but without pulling on the leash).

 

KobiD, yes, I have had some 'what did I get myself into' moments. 

This is my first puppy as an adult. My other pets are two cats (indoor), and they are so easy compared to my puppy 

Bottom line is, it is your dog and you should be training him to walk the way you want him to walk. If you are okay with him walking in front of you, then as long as it is a loose leash and he is not pulling then why not. But he does need to be close enough to you to be able to anticipate your changes of direction etc. and it is easiest for him to do this at your side. But you don't have to go for the obedience trial winning heel closely on leash - he can take a pace or two to the side to sniff at something interesting as long as he doesn't walk too far in front and as soon as the leash goes taut, he should hurry to catch up or stop and wait for you. Keep the leash fairly short while you are training so that he can't move too far away.

When training, you can choose an area where you are going to be more relaxed with him: for instance you can choose a destination 5 minutes walk away and spend 10 - 15 minutes getting there with full on loose leash walking training, but when you get there (say a park or wide grass verge) relax the training and do fun stuff - run with him on leash back and forth a bit, then dawdle along letting him sniff his way - play tug with him or let him pounce on a ball (all on leash) so it is playtime. When returning home, concentrate on the loose leash training again. Really this is a 10 -15 minute training session, then a break, then another training session.

When you can do the 5 minute walk in 5 actual minutes without constantly having to redirect him, he is pretty much loose leash trained and you can venture further afield! 
Personally I think that is is nice for the dog if they can always have a few minutes play/fun stuff at some stage during a walk. You can choose a word or words to describe the play time and he will soon work out that it is only when you use those words that he can leap about on leash!

[KobiD]

 

KobiD, yes, I have had some 'what did I get myself into' moments. 

This is my first puppy as an adult. My other pets are two cats (indoor), and they are so easy compared to my puppy 

We're in the same situation. Have an indoor cat and I don't think I've ever trained him other than to sit to eat, and to keep his claws out the furniture (which he still needs reminding of at times!)

 

The dog is on another level.. not quite as challenging as the little humans, but due to them developing so quickly it seems that there is so much to do and such little time!!

 

I've been using a somewhat longish leash (maybe 1.5M) and let the dog pretty much use all of it. I'm happy for her to meander around in the same manner I'd like her to if she wasn't on a leash.. I figure that really I'm taking her for a walk for her well being more than mine. It's for her to investigate sights, smells, sounds etc. In exchange all I want is a loose leash and for her to effectively still follow cue. Mind you we're not walking down busy streets or the likes where I would expect her to hold much closer. As above.. all depends on what you want

[Pip's mum]

Thanks again for the replies.

It's a good idea about using destination that's 5 minutes away as training.

What I would like to have is a dog that I can take for a pleasant walk. I don't mind him sniffing around as long as he doesn't pull my arm out of its socket 

[karen15]

my dogs are taught to walk two ways. Heel, means they are beside me with the leash loose. Ok means they can walk to however much lead they've been given, but can't dawdle. It's a bit like a dressage test with the difference between medium walk and free walk LOL they need to quickly and softly be able to move between heel, free walk and back to heel when instructed. Returning to heel promptly is very important when cyclists or other dogs approach. I use the free walk as reward for maintaining heel.

 

the cocker pulled like a demon when I got her, so much so she'd give me blisters. I hate dogs that pull. I ended up putting a chocker chain on her as she was just leaning into a normal collar or harness. A couple of well timed corrections and that fixed the problem. I need to be very strict when walking out of the house and ensure she is obedient. I have found stopping at park before our walk seems to be the best way to get her beans out and have her listening for a proper walk. She happily walks on a loopy lead these days at both heel and free walk. At the beginning of a walk, if she pulls, she sits and waits. The more she pulls, the more she sits. She's smart when it suits her and these days one or two sits reminds her that she's going nowhere if it continues, which is not what she wants, so she remembers her manners and off we go.

 

the westie is a rascal on loose leash time. Bounds around like a bunny and will run to the end of the lead and pretend it's a slingshot and zoom back in. He never pulls though.

[corvus]

There are two keys to LLW: 1) consistency; 2) meaningful signals. 

 

I teach leash pressure signals, because it doesn't need food and most dogs pick it up super fast because it's relevant. Pressure on leash = go nowhere. No pressure = go wherever you like. But if you just stand there, the dog has to figure out for themselves what they have to do to make you go again. Instead, give a little tweak on the leash - enough to pull the dog back towards you just half a step. It's supposed to me more like "ahem" than "BAD!" It creates slack in the leash, so the dog has the opportunity to choose whether they leave the slack or take it. If they take it, the go nowhere and you create slack again. If they don't take it, you say "GOOD!" or whatever and walk on. Works best with a long leash - at least 2m. The more steps a dog takes on a loose leash before they hit the end, the more practice they are getting LLW, so longer leashes facilitate more success.  You can help them accumulate more success by walking faster, and using light tweaks on the leash and verbal cues to coax them into changing directions slightly. Not u-turns, but tangents. You can also steer them around obstacles on the go to get them thinking about staying with you and paying attention to where you're going instead of just plowing forwards. 

 

I think it's a bad idea to have walks where they can pull and walks where they can't when they are still learning. How are they to know when it's a walk and when it's a training session? Just be consistent and they will learn it faster. The first few walks take a long time and you don't get very far, but my clients usually find they come good within a few walks, even if they have been dedicated pullers for a long time. I've had dogs that have pulled for years walking on a loose leash in 10 minutes this way. They want to go forwards, so you just have to make it clear how they get to go forward. You want clear contrast between leash pressure and no leash pressure so they can learn more easily what the criterion for going forwards is.

[Kajirin]

Another good thing to teach is when they can sniff around 
 

 

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

funny how "go sniff" doesn't work very well when you've got a bag of roast chicken in your pocket...