# Training help needed!!



## KatieG (Oct 22, 2013)

Hi! My dog Lucky is a one year old G.R. and very smart! He is highly trained and has excellent manners! One problem though...he constantly pulls on the leash when walked!! He does stop when I stop but when walking he is always pulling and won't even listen to anything I say!! He is in his own squirrel world! Ha! Anyone else experience this? I have tried every technique and watched every video on how to stop this! Nothing helps!! Any advice would be so welcome!!!! Thanks


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## Goldngirl01 (Oct 17, 2013)

*pulling issue*

I find that starting with getting their attention "training " by using food, & saying "watch me" Once you get their attn, & they are sitting beside you say, let's go or heel. Start to walk and if he starts to pull, turn in the other direction & say "watch me" when he comes to the food, give it to him & continue to say heel. I would work on that several times a day so he completely knows what the "watch me" stands for. You will see the light bulb go off & he will be watching you completely to "earn" the food, & that stops the pulling because he wants to be near to you to get the food. Hope it works & good luck.


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## ds's (May 10, 2013)

Goldngirl01's advice is great. In addition, have you thought about switching to a different type of collar? Our trainer recommended using a front-clip harness instead of a regular flat collar and it worked wonders for us. It's hard to pull when all it does is turn the dog side ways when he does.


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## KatieG (Oct 22, 2013)

Goldngirl, I will try that tomorrow!... I am going to look into that collar too! Being pregnant it sure is hard to walk a 60lb dog pulling me!!! Thanks so much!


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## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

I Started Pearl actually off leash. I shaped her into.constantly looking back at me by click/treat when she did. Then I added the word come. Now on leash, anytime I stop and relaxes and looks at me. If she pulls, which she rarely does, I stop and wait for her attention.

This is basically what our trainer has recommended, what goldengirl says or doing the stop and wait for them to relax the pull and look back at you. For dogs that pull it can take a LONG time to get even 50 feet at first!!! Basically it is patience and consistency that pulling does not work, and focusing on you does. The reward is moving.

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## Gwen_Dandridge (Jul 14, 2012)

Sorry, see the next post on pulling. I screwed up with this one.

Ugg. I tried lots of things with Maddie. She's mostly off-leash even for heeling so when we switched to a leash it wasn't pretty.

1. Tried simply stopping and not looking at her until she stopped biting the leash. It was fairly successful except when she didn't care.

2. Dipped the leash in hot sauce. Worked the first time, then didn't work. No matter how 'hot' the hot sauce was.

3. Got a metal leash. That sort of worked but it was too hard on my hands.

4. Put her in a crate (basically give her a timeout) during obedience classes. Not successful enough.

5. Yell at her once really, really loud. Pretty successful but then, not so much.

6. Snap it out of her mouth. (I wanted to keep all her teeth, so I didn't do this one)

7. Teach her to grab and leash so you can tell her to 'leave it.' 

8. The WINNER. Spray her with a spritzer water bottle. She simply stops in her tracks. And doesn't do it again.

These were tried (and retried) over an eight month period. Maddie is 18 month's old now. A quick spritz is the best solution for her. I now do let her grab the leash sometimes when she is truly excited and bouncing around and don't correct her. 

When I say 'enough,' the spray is the charm though.


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## Gwen_Dandridge (Jul 14, 2012)

Opps. Sorry. Pulling not biting. Here is the post from someone else who asked the same thing.

For loose leash, have you tried the walk forward until they hit the end of the leash and then you change direction? It takes about ten to twenty minutes the first couple of times. But here is what you do.

1. start walking (in a place where it is easy to change direction). 

2. The second the dog hits the end of the leash turn around abruptly (do not call your dog) and start off in a different direction.

3. The dog will have to follow. 

4. When the dog AGAIN get to the end of the leash and you feel the least pressure on the lead, turn again and confidently head out in another direction.

5. Keep repeating until your dog is walking with a loose leash. 

6. Practice for ten to twenty minutes each day until he watches you and doesn't pull.
__________________


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## EvaDog (Jun 16, 2013)

Gwen_Dandridge said:


> Opps. Sorry. Pulling not biting. Here is the post from someone else who asked the same thing.
> 
> For loose leash, have you tried the walk forward until they hit the end of the leash and then you change direction? It takes about ten to twenty minutes the first couple of times. But here is what you do.
> 
> ...


I would agree with the above really works. I would also like to add on a few things that expands on this philosphy that we learnt in our training classes that really help and made a world of difference on a number of things. 

1) Like above but instead of just changing direction do "the alphabet". So you go to an open space jog out the alphabet with your dog on leash. It isnt so much the alphabet but the randomness of movement and changes in direction. Sometimes you will be moving away from your pup and sometimes moving into them. Obviously when you are moving into them, dont maul them over and step on them put use your body to move them out of the way. After doing this a few times they learn to stay back from your feet and will watch your body as to which way you will go. It almost becomes a game for your pup. It also teaches them to check in and pay attention to you as they never know when or where you are going. 

2) Obstacles
When out and about on your walks use your imagination and use any pole, light post, street sign, trees etc. Jog straight up to it and at the last second jot around one side of the post. Keep it random, sometimes go the opposite side your dog is to you, other times go the same side they are. Obviously at the start, sometimes you will end up on one side of the pole and your pup will be on the other side wondering what just happend. We use a proper fitted martingale collar, which will tighten but if fitted correctly will not choke your dog in any way. You also dont want to jerk them or go at a speed that will hurt them, it just gives them a little tug. Then you apply pressure to the leash so that they have to come back the way they came and come to you to get untangled. Then repeat, repeat and repeat. Eventually your pup will walk in a heal position and probably even drop back abit when they see things like this approaching and will pay attention to you when you walk. 

Doing this makes walks more interesting for the dog and you, is not only good excercise for the dog and you, but is also good for mental work for your pup to tire them out that way. It also gets them to not pull on the leash.

3) Other obstacles and games

Another thing we do when out for walks is look for safe benches, retaining walls, platforms, play centers. Come up to the obstacle and apply pressure on the leash to get your pup to jump up on the obstacle. Get them to sit, give lots of praise. You can practice sits and stays etc. Lead them off the ostacle, run around them. Pretty much use anything you can. 

Not only does this tire them our physically and mentally it actually creates a great bond with your dog doing this. You are getting them to go on things that at first could be a bit scary or intimidating and new to them. Once you get them to do it and they get lots of praise they learn that whatever you ask them to do is safe and they will be fine and it is fun. 

All of these things of course takes practice, consistecy and patience but really works. You will see results pretty quickly and if you keep it up you will see dramatical results and your pup will walk on a loose leash and you can see them looking up at you and paying attention to you with the look on their face saying 'what's next ?' When out for walks with Eva you can actually see her eying up what might be the next obstacle.

People might look at you like you have lost your mind running around like a maniac in random motions and around poles but hey it's about training your pup and making it fun.


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