# Leash trainning



## calmom2 (Apr 26, 2005)

Hello
I have a 5 month old Golden Girl. I am working with her on the leash. She is doing pretty good although I feel like I have to yank alot on the choker (I hate to) but its the only thing that gets her attention. When she does good for awhile then I let her off in the field as her reward to run and go crazy and that she does.
Also we have a problem when we let her inside she can never just settle down.
She jumps on everyone, nips at our hands and goes nuts then we have to put her in her Kennel for a time out for about 5 minutes or so then we let her out more calm. Anything there we should be doing differently?
Anyone have any words of wisdom for me?


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## Vierka (Apr 10, 2005)

Hi Calmom2, how much exercise does she get during a day and specifically when you're outside with her? From our experience, that the best medicine for Kia is to just really get the energy out while she's outside - really long walks, playing fetch (there's this really great tennis ball throwing plastic stick in pet stores), etc. It's interesting - when we're outside and she's really tired she slows down a bit, but then as soon as we come home she just turns off and sleeps.

Your girl is only a youngster, so she is very excited and wired up from being outside and wants to play with you inside. I think you're on the right track with not playing with her immediately after she comes back in and giving her a time out. I would definitely try to ventilate most of her energy outside.


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## timberwolfe (Apr 15, 2005)

Well, the first thing I would do is lose the choke collar. To much potential damage and it doesn't really teach the dog. I know many who use the pinch collar. Looks brutal, but is more humane and I've heard it works great.

My choice was the Gentle Leader, which is like a harness that slips around the neck and around the nose. When the dog pulls his nose is pulled downward. The problem with the Gentle Leader (GL) is people use it, which puts the dog into a heal position, but they don't teach their dog anything. I used the GL to get Clancy in position and once in position I would reward him. We used Clicker Training which means we mark the heal position with a click and treat. We started in our yard walking straight lines, when he is good at it we tried circling around the house, and then onto the street. Once he gets that down I would slip off the nose strap and continue the walk. If he starts pulling I would come to a dead stop, and slip the collar back on. As he progresses I would use the flat collar and if he starts pulling, come to a dead stop. He gets nowhere while pulling. You can also change directions when he pulls. My neighbours must have thought I was crazy as I would walk along, if Clancy started pulling I would stop, get him in position and change directions. I would change directions as many as a dozen times during a walk. But the idea is if he pulls, he doesn't get anywhere. 

The jumping and nipping is normal, most Golden owners have been through it, and they do outgrow it. However, it is still unacceptable behaviour that needs to be controlled. It sounds like you are doing the right thing. First thing is to make sure your dog is getting exercise. An inactive dog can become a problem dog. The other thing is a zero tolerance policy that is followed by everyone. Family, friends, everybody. If she jumps on anybody, she must not be rewarded ever getting pats and attention. If you can, give her the command to sit. If she isn't reliable at sitting and staying, work on it. It is a great method to get control. If she continues to jump then turn your back and ignore her. If necessary then give a time out. Same for nipping. 

You can set up situations where you go in a room and start playing with her in a normal manner. If she starts to get excited and starts nipping, then stand up and turn your back. Ignore her for a minute or until she calms down. If she does calm down or sit down, reward her and continue playing. If she does it again repeat, or you can even leave the room for a few minutes. I like to give a firm Ahhhh Ahhh when she actually nips just before you stand up and turn your back to mark the bad behaviour.

If you can, when she jumps or nips, give a command you know she will follow. SIT! She sits. You now have control. Reward for good behaviour. I then like to start a quick training session. Down! Stay! Up! Work these command until you know she will do them 100%. This gives her something positive to do. Work on OFF or Leave It. You should be able to put a favorite treat on the ground and she shouldn't touch it until you tell her. Even if you leave the room. Sit Stay is good too. Have her stay until you release her, even if you leave the room. I would do this, walk around the corner and out of sight, and wait for 10 seconds at first, 1 minute or longer later on, and then give a come command. She will be more than happy to come, you reward her and you have just reinforced Come, and good recall is the most important command a dog can have.

This is getting too long, but the whole point is to be consistant, and to exchange bad behaviour for a good one. Give her something positive to do when she is bad.

And remember, a tired Pup is often a good Pup.


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## Vierka (Apr 10, 2005)

Yes, I would lose the choke collar as well. We tried it with Kia when she was small and it didn't help anything, the only thing it did was to literally choke her as she pulled.
We have been using and are very happy with the Gentle Leader as well. From what we've tested, it is the thing that works on Kia. And it does not harm the dog in any way. It is literally a nylon strap that loops around the nose, and from the nose it goes behind the ears where there's a plastic closure. It is made in different sizes (Kia is Medium) and is also adjustable, and comes in different colours. When we first bought it it was around $30 CAD, but the price might have gone down since then.

We're going to go through the very first stages of leash training with the puppies soon.


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