Training a strong dog

[Rebecca]

Hi. I have a 3yr old staffy who is very strong and loves to pull on walks and gets distracted at everything and anything and would like to train him myself but don't know what the best training method and techniques you used to train your dog? How you got your dog to not focus on everything and ignore them? What Training equipment you used? (headcollar, front harness,etc).

 

I would like to get a idea of what worked for different people and dogs so I hopefully have a idea of what might work for our boy.

[tdierikx]

I use a check chain with my dogs, but not recommended for a dog that likes to pull hard on the lead, or in inexperienced trainer hands ... maybe a martingale style collar would work better for your dog? They are limited slip, so tend to tighten less on the neck.

 

As for getting your dog's focus, you will need something he values higher than the objects he's excited by... yummy treats usually work well - the smellier the better - and let him know you have them by showing them to him often. Reward him with one when he's focusing on you, and whenever he does what he's asked...

 

Start with small things, like just getting his attention when he's doing something else - can start off doing this in your own yard with few distractions... and work your way up to working around distractions once you have an idea of what gets his attention back onto you...

 

T.