Leash Training

[Guest greynewb]

I am finally adopting a greyhound ! He is currently being fostered by the adoption group and he should be coming home in a couple weeks. He is just being treated for a few things and having some cat training to make sure he is safer for my kitties. But anyway, I saw him yesterday and took him to a park near the foster's home to spend some time with him and he is really bad on the leash. I worked with him for about an hour and a half doing the direction changing method which was probably a little long but I was just trying to spend time with him. So my question is how long did it take for some of you guys to teach your greys to walk on a leash well?

[Guest Drumhellergrey]

With us it took about 6 months. This was mostly due to my ignorance on the subject. I sort of let him to whatever he wanted.

 

My advice would be to keep your actual training time periods short. On the subject of short. The shorter the leash you give him, the better the dog will pick up what is being asked of them. When they do stay by your side, just give a quick praise, (higher vocally, telling them good dog). Any high level of praise will get them more excited. In order for them to respond well to training, they should be as relaxed as possible.

 

Good luck, and enjoy your grey when you finally get him home.

[Guest Jubilee251]

I recently read Victoria Schade's "Bonding With Your Dog" and have been using her loose-leash walking training methods. I don't require Molly be by my side, exactly, but the leash has to be loose, she can't be pulling, and has to be going at my pace. When she is walking well and checking in with me, I click and treat. It can be tedious and require lots of treats/clicks in the beginning, but you can slowly wean the dog off treats eventually.

 

Another thing I've experienced is that Molly is almost completely different on grass versus on the sidewalk. She walks almost perfectly on the sidewalk, but when she gets in the grass or dirt, she gets excited. She'll flop down, rub her neck in goose poop, spin around, etc., so my next task is to tackle that.

[Guest Giselle]

If you were working and changing directions for over an hour, I'd be very willing to bet that your dog was actually getting confused and very likely "shutting down". An hour and half is a long time to be struggling with learning a new behavior, and most dogs (and humans!) get discouraged, frustrated, and just plain 'ol stressed. You want to keep it simple, easy, and short. And always always end on a good note!

 

Keep in mind: he's *very* new. New environments are very stimulating and he is not going to want to pay attention to you if: 1) he's fresh off the track 2) he's in a new situation, like the park 3) you aren't giving him ample motivation (i.e. real meat > wheat biscuits ). Also, a note on praise - Verbal praise means nothing if it hasn't been conditioned. Our dogs couldn't care less if we said "Good boy!" a thousand times, unless they know that "Good boy!" also means "you're going to get a treat". So to condition your dog to enjoy verbal praise, make sure to pair "Good boy!" with a good ear rub or a good treat.

 

As for training, my first suggestion is to give him time and to work on the basics at home. Take him to your backyard or your empty garage. Clip his leash on and give a light tug to get him to follow you. As soon as he's walking next to you, click/treat. Walk a totally different direction. If he doesn't follow, give a light tug or call his name. As soon as he reaches you, click/treat. Keep it flowing and brisk! You want me him to practically chase you down everytime you move away. When he is doing so, walk normally and keep rewarding him for staying by you. If he forges ahead, give a light tug, pull him back, and walk the opposite direction. There might be little roadbumps along the way, but this should give you a strong foundation. Once he's mastered the loose leash in your backyard/garage, then take him out and keep polishing those skills. Good luck!

[sobesmom]

Another thing I'll just throw out there - if you were walking the dog for the first time - it's NOT necessarily an indication of the dog's "true" leash-walking ability. Most greys actually walk very well on-leash as a result of their racing lives. But - that said - most will act totally squirrely with a new person in a new situation.

 

I'd wait to make judements on it until the dog is settled. The first couple times out may be squirrely, but then the dog might settle in and walk very nicely (not a "PROPER HEAL" perhaps, but nicely). I honestly wouldn't get too gung-ho about training until you see the real dog - and you can't see that in a first walk IMHO. My dogs walk very well on-leash, but I'm sure if somebody new took them for a walk - they'd act like idiots.

 

No offense - but I think you're putting the cart before the horse. Worry about picking the right dog, that fits in your house. Let it get adjusted to you. Let it get used to your schedule, and household. THEN worry about the "little" stuff like leash-walking. Honestly, once the dog is settled, it may not be an issue at all. If it is - it can be dealt with.

 

I also don't do any kind of training for more than 10 - 15 minutes - tops.

 

ETA: Question - what does the foster family say about leashwalking with him? Is this a known issue that they couldn't/didn't deal with ... or is he ok walking for them? Definately get their input.

Edited April 13, 2010 by sobesmom