# Loose leash walking..help



## Denali and Gretzky's Mom (Jun 26, 2006)

Just curious, how old is Molly? Sorry if you've already posted this...


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

Well you could try this -------

Begin walking her and walk towards the house she is afraid of. Don't let her intimadate you with her pulling and whining. Stand up straight, tell yourself you are the momma here and the alpha and she WILL do what you want her to do. Keep walking, don't even look at her and when she pulls just continue to walk and pull her along. Once you get past that house and she is no longer pulling, give her a treat. Then turn around and do it again, and again, and again, until she walks past without pulling. Just a thought, you may want to try it

Jazzys Mom


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## ourpuppy07 (Dec 19, 2006)

Oh thats a good idea, I will try that! Hopefully that works! Molly is 11.5 wks old.


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## Lego&Jacub (Jul 18, 2006)

I remember Geddy at that age. Her first outing on a garbage night was definitely a fright for her. She didn't understand what all those ghostly black things were, or what menace they intended for her. But we just walked past each and every one of them. I did have to pull her past them, and once she was on the other side she'd scoot forward to "elude" them and their evil ways lol. I never stopped her from scooting forward... she was just scared. But we kept going out each night and it wasn't soon before those black bags were just normal scenery.

Good luck with your puppy!!


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## tintallie (May 31, 2006)

How old is Mollly? How much does she weigh? 

Retractable leashes are meant for the dogs far and few between who walk nicely by your side and when your dog gets entangled with someone else's it's just asking for trouble. We have one and never use it.

Harnesses are meant for pulling which is why they put them on sled dogs.

Stick with a 6 foot leather lead. If you are using nylon, it will cut into your hands especially if the dog suddenly pulls. How are you holding the lead?

What kind of collar do you have for Molly? Before I go on about prong collars, have you tried the normal flat buckle collar? Wiggles was a puller from 4-11 months and my arms were aching after every walk. I tried many things and finally decided to use a prong collar. If your dog is on a harness, you can't correct your dog when she is pulling or behaving badly.

I need more information before giving any additional advice. All I can say is that using treats isn't a good idea because when faced with two or more positive outcomes (including chasing cars), the dog is going to choose the car first.


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## ourpuppy07 (Dec 19, 2006)

Molly is 11.5 wks and weights about 15 lbs. or so. We use a flat buckle collar on her. I never thought about the fact that the harness would just allow her to pull more. I read your post before I went out for a walk and this time I used the collar only, not the harness. The pulling was not AS bad, but still pretty bad. I just dont get why going in one direction she will drag behind and then up the other direction she will pull like crazy. I feel like I am dragging her out of the house for a walk and then once we are out for a while and she realizes we are on our way back she bolts. I am going to get a leather lead..this nylon one is killing me. I am holding the lead with my right arm, but I dont leave much slack because I want her close. Is it hurting her throat, I hope not, I just feel like it looks so terrible and painful...? I also feel like I cant let her stop and walk around in the side grass to go potty because she will just drag behind or pull. Dont know what to do.....


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## tintallie (May 31, 2006)

At such a young age, I wouldn't recommend a prong collar yet. It will have to wait. I've been watching "At the end of my leash" which is a dog behaviour show by the trainer Brad Pattison and he seems to recommend establishing that you are pack leader through the use of the umbilical cord. Wear the leash around your waist and have the dog go where ever you do.

If Molly is pulling, walk into her so the leash is a bit slack, and give the lead a jerk in the opposite direction and let it go slack again. It has to be strong enough to get her attention. Afterwards you walk slowly in the opposite direction. Try to get Molly to match your pace. If she pulls again, correct and turn 180 degrees and walk at your pace. You won't get very far down the block, and it will take a lot of patience. Once she is beside you though, make sure you praise like crazy, "Good heel, great job Molly, good girl etc"

Do you make her wait before you feed her? Do you or Molly go through the door first?


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## WoodysMum (Mar 13, 2007)

I had exactly the same problem with Woody. We got him from a rescue at 13 weeks and he would not even go out of the door for a walk. He would put the brakes on refuse to go past a house with dogs and pull me back home. But he's now 20 weeks and cant wait to go for walks. I never gave up and never petted him or tried to calm him when he was nervous or anxious i think that its important not to all. Because your reinforcing a nervous mind, telling him its ok. I always praised him once we got passed the scarry house with the dogs. Once we started going over the fields and letting him off the lead that was our turning point. He now loves to walk to the fields as he knows there's fun to be had and dogs to play with. Good luck it will get better, i know exactly how you feel.


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## T'Jara (Mar 25, 2007)

A dog has more strength in a harness, yes. But not all harnesses are for pulling. There's quite a few different kinds and some can be very helpful! Constant pulling on a colllar will dog quite some more damage to the dogs neck and constant pulling on a harness.

Whether one uses a harness or a collar - it won't matter when it comes to leash walking, the basic principle is the same...

As she's only so young, you should remember she's a baby.

I'd work my way to the house step by step - at first you only walk in sight of that house, then turn around. Then you walk a little closer and turn. Next time you still walk a little closer... Take it step by step.
It's quite her natural response if she's afraid of wild barking dogs... she can smell them, she doesn't need to see them.


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

If you feel that her flat buckle collar isn't working well on walks and she is definitely too young for a prong collar, you may want to try a Martingale collar. A Martingale is collar that works on the same principle as a choke chain but much more humane. It is usually a flat nylon collar that has a short chain doubled and attached to each other by a ring. The lead is hooked onto the ring and when you give a correction the collar cannot snap any more than the short chain between the ends allows it to. I use a Martingale all the time and find them a great training collar

Jazzys Mom


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

How does she do in a completely unscary, boring environment when you walk her (like in your own backyard or even inside the house?) I am not a trainer, and I am sure my methods aren't perfect, but this is what worked for me.
I would get her walking skills down pat first at home. To train Brooks to walk by me during our walks, I used the following training sequence (without any leash on) inside the house:
Holding very enticingly smelly treats tightly in my left fist, I patted my left side and said "Right here" and waited until he came to my left side and sat down. Once he did, he got the treat.
Next I asked him to "look at me" and he got the treat when he did. 
Next I told him to "walk by me" and started walking forward with my hand hanging down (with the treat). He was lured by the smell of the treat and walked along side me, continually sniffing at the treat in my hand. When I stop, if he sits down right there by me, he gets a treat. 
I would walk this way and that, turning around abruptly, etc.
These skills were later transferred to the outside world.


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## dana (Dec 3, 2006)

what is a lead?


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

dan said:


> what is a lead?


A lead is a leash...


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

My two do great, unless they know we're going to the park. Then it doesn't matter what I do....


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