Pulling On Lead While Walking

[chepet]

how do I stop my 7 month old cairn from constantly pulling ahead on the lead when I walk him ,I try keeping the lead short so he is next to me while walking & telling him to 'heel' & good boy when he's not pulling (which is not often) the thing is I have a spinal injury which makes this pulling very painful for me ,so if anyone has any quick fixes I would be most grateful ,otherwise he is a brilliant dog ,thanks

[poodlefan]

In a word... training.

No words can explain half as well as a demonstration by a good dog trainer. Join a class conducted by a good dog club or trainer in your area.

However, if your dog has had 5 months to learn how to pull on a lead it will take some dedication to cure him of the habit.

Don't believe a word about halti's, harnesses etc "curing" the problem.. it is a training issue pure and simple.

Edited February 21, 2007 by poodlefan

[Erny]

to everything Poodlefan has said.

Whilst I agree that there is some learnt behaviour that needs to be changed, if you receive good tuition and follow it with consistancy, you should see results very quickly.

[Andoria1]

one way i have learnt to walk my dog without letting him pull is ...

1. walk the dog near a straight wall... or along a fence

.

2.Keep your dog walking and sitting to the left of you.

3. start to walk really really really slowly using left foot first , make sure leash is kept really loose in your left hand and between you and the dog.

if dog wont walk .... gently use your left thigh to pull the lead to make him walk. Or use your command "lets go" or "walk"

4.the minute your dogs head goes past your left leg while walking .stop and tug the lead with a firm tug. Then lift the lead up so the dog sits and dont say anything to him or look at him. And stop for a few seconds.

5.pull the dog back behind you , near the left leg. Make him sit again or give sit command . And stop for a few seconds.

and start again. remember keep walking slowly, . I learnt this from my trainer and in 30 min my dog didnt pull on the lead.

Make sure that the tug is quick, to catch him asap when his head moves past your left leg. And dont tug so that the dog is choking to death. firm quick tug.

keep trainning him in back yard ..... then gradually go outside to a feild with out any walls and do the same. Once he starts walking slowly with you introduce him to other distractions. Like walking around your area and do the same.

Edited February 22, 2007 by Andoria1

[poodlefan]

Andoria:

4.the minute your dogs head goes past your left leg while walking .stop and tug the lead with a firm tug. Then lift the lead so the dog sits and dont say anything to him or look at him. And stop .

You are talking about a rather crude method of teaching the "heel" Andoria.

The OP wanted to know how to teach her dog to walk freely on a loose lead. Two quite separate exercises. Most people don't want their dog to heel all the time when they walk them.

They are not the same thing. Do you think, given the issues you are having with your dog, that you are qualified to give advice on this topic.

[Erny]

Andoria:

4.the minute your dogs head goes past your left leg while walking .stop and tug the lead with a firm tug. Then lift the lead so the dog sits and dont say anything to him or look at him. And stop .

You are talking about a rather crude method of teaching the "heel" Andoria.

The OP wanted to know how to teach her dog to walk freely on a loose lead. Two quite separate exercises. Most people don't want their dog to heel all the time when they walk them.

They are not the same thing. Do you think, given the issues you are having with your dog, that you are qualified to give advice on this topic.

Agree PF and my thoughts exactly. Not to mention your expressed issues with your trainer, Andoria, assuming it is the same one which is the subject of a current thread you've created but haven't returned to.

Edited February 22, 2007 by Erny

[poodlefan]

It's interesting how many people want to use the lead to pull and brake their dogs while walking. I'm always on my student's back about it and I ask this question.

What method wiill you use to get the dog in the correct heeling position when the lead comes off ?

I can't stand push, pull, get physical methods of dog training for one simple reason (among others): It only works when the dog is within arms reach. For much of the things we do with our dogs, they ain't.

Basically it's bullying. Remove the dog from the scope of being able to use force and it's no wonder so many give their handlers the finger.

Edited February 22, 2007 by poodlefan

[Andoria1]

my dog dosent heel all the time .... only when the dog starts to pull on the lead now.

"The 4.the minute your dogs head goes past your left leg while walking .stop and tug the lead with a firm tug . Then lift the lead so the dog sits and dont say anything to him or look at him. And stop ."

is letting the dog know where you want him to be whilst walking. My dog was the kind of dog that would race up and pull continously on the lead , to the point that it was impossible to walk on lead at all. I was getting dragged be hind him the whole walk. Even falling down on concrette when closing the front door and fraturing my knee (becasue my dog want to just run run run run run. )

When i learnt this method in 30 min my dog walks on lead loosely ..much more better than before ... but still there is an occasional tug . Its only been 3 days for me and i can walk my dog on a field.

[Miranda]

K9 Force has a long distance training package available which is specifically aimed at training your dog to walk on a loose lead.

ETA I see you're in Newcastle, maybe you could pay him a visit.

Edited February 22, 2007 by Miranda

[poodlefan]

Andoria:

When i learnt this method in 30 min my dog walks on lead loosely ..much more better than before ... but still there is an occasional tug . Its only been 3 days for me and i can walk my dog on a field.

Will he walk on a loose lead at any position in a 360 degree circle and not allow the lead to tighten? That is what loose lead walking teaches.

is letting the dog know where you want him to be whilst walking. My dog was the kind of dog that would race up and pull continously on the lead , to the point that it was impossible to walk on lead at all. I was getting dragged be hind him the whole walk. Even falling down on concrette when closing the front door and fraturing my knee (becasue my dog want to just run run run run run. )

Sooo you are correcting him for being in front of you on a tight lead by stopping him beside you.... how does that work? How does that teach him that he may be in front of you but on a loose lead. What cue are you using to tell him he may be in front of you on a loose lead?

Andoria, your trainer's recommendations have gotten you bitten and seen your dog actively avoid you. Just consider for a moment that there are trainers out there who can teach you to train your dog to obey you because he wants want to, not because of the consequences of disobedience. These methods do not involve physical compulsion.

If your method is working so well, take the lead off and see what your dog does.

Edited February 22, 2007 by poodlefan

[Erny]

K9 Force ... I see you're in Newcastle, maybe you could pay him a visit.

[Andoria1]

and please its just a method and it worked (for me) ... it wasnt imo cruel to my dog. I am not a cruel person i love my dog dearly.

However you realise that this topic is about walking dogs, not about my previous post. You are entitled to your opinions and so am i, but dont keep following me around the forums acting like i am the guilty one. I am not a trainer. And i am only trying to help this op walking the dog and found that my trainers METHOD OF WALKING A STUBOURN DOG was great, not pain full and certainly not cruel otherwise i wouldnt have posted this information here .

Understand ?

[Erny]

Sorry to the OP for going and I do not direct this at you, but do I smell a troll in our midst?

[Andoria1]

and yes now he walks on either side front and back with out lead tightening. Only when he sees another dog is when he starts to pull now. but with a quick tug i make him sit and he sits and watches the other dog. I am not a troll .

Edited February 22, 2007 by Andoria1

[Erny]

and yes now he walks on either side front and back with out lead tightening. Only when he sees another dog is when he starts to pull now. but with a quick tug i make him sit and he sits and watches the other dog.

And he's aggressive towards you and doesn't like to come near you .........

[poodlefan]

Andoria:

and please its just a method and it worked (for me) ... it wasnt imo cruel to my dog. I am not a cruel person i love my dog dearly.

Then why has your dog bitten you? Why are you being told to shove him down the stairs if he runs up them or to slam a door on him if he goes through it in front of you.

Andoria you've had three days training experience with this trainer and your dog. I've personally trained well over 100 people to teach their dog to walk on a loose lead without having to jerk them around, force them to a sit or walk them into walls.

For what it's worth, you can shed the persecution complex. I posted in this thread before you did. I reserve the right to correct advice that I think is at best unhelpful and at worst abusive. How firm is the "firm tug" you recommend. Is tugging the dog clean off it's feet OK?

The OP has a 7 month old small breed puppy that pulls on the lead and a spinal problem . How much success do you think she'll have repeatedly hauling this dog into position and jerking it to a sit.

Edited February 22, 2007 by poodlefan

[wolfgirl]

I think there are many people here who are more than suitably qualifed to respond to this post and give good advice, a method that works for your dog is not a sure fire guarantee it will work for another dog. There are many gentle ways of training a dog and positive reinforcement is one of them, at no such time should any harsh methods be used.

[Andoria1]

thats becasue of the detraint therapy , yesterday he came near me like normal but when i put my hand near his collar he doee try to bite me ... becasue he thinks im going to push him into the destrained.

What i have been doing the in last 3 days was to get rid of this frightness from this detrained method (not using trainner method ) My own method

So i have treats and ask him to come and he did come to me . And soon as i touch him on the collar when he is sitting i say "its ok" and give him a treat. And kept repeating this and the dog has gained his trust in me again.

But i didnt push him on the side as i dont liike that method at all. I dont like to see my dog struggling.

My dog understands "its ok " as a sign as nothing is going to happen to him.

[Andoria1]

Thats what i said before it worked for my dog . It may or may not work for for this persons dog ........ How is giving a dog a quick tug harsh and cruel ?

Please answer me this . I find that my dog is chocking more when hes pulling on the lead and is almost out of breath.

I would like your opinion ? As so that the other thread was supossedly about right ... asking for advice ?

[poodlefan]

Andoria:

thats becasue of the detraint therapy , yesterday he came near me like normal but when i put my hand near his collar he doee try to bite me ... becasue he thinks im going to push him into the destrained.

And you think this is an acceptable outcome from a training method. Jesus

Your dog has been taught he needs to defend himself from you. What's going to happen if some unsuspecting person puts their hands in your dog's collar?

Think about the consequences of what your dog's been forced to do by this trainer. This dog is now a biter.. who fears being handled by it's collar and will defend itself with it's teeth. And you now think this is "normal".

I give up.