Guest cwholsin Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 (edited) Hey all! Our first grey, Hermes, is a perfect angel on the leash. He was really well behaved on leash from day one. Our second boy is another story. He's lived in a house with another family for a year and a half before he bounced to our home. It's obvious he didn't really get much in the way of training. He has pretty much no leash manners whatsoever. He pulls almost constantly, weaves, gets in my space, and is generally a pain in the butt to walk. I'm working with him on his manners, and I've seen a little bit of improvement but it's just so SLOW! What I've been doing is running him first to tire him out and then praising when walking with a loose lead and giving corrections with he pulls. Has anyone had success with the 'we don't go until you're not pulling' method of training to walk on leash? I'm the primary caregiver for both dogs, and if I'm walking them simultaneously, they will literally be pulling in different directions: Nash pulling ahead and Hermes hanging back/getting pulled from behind as I speed up for Nash. Hermes is so responsive to leash/collar pressure, and Nash seems immune to it. I've considered going to a harness or head collar to start fresh with something new but would really like it if I didn't have to buy new equipment. Most of the pulling seems to come from his higher-energy nature, but he can absolutely get enough exercise without pulling at my arm constantly. Any tips? Thanks!! Edited February 24, 2012 by cwholsin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mariah Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Silverfish did a really great job of explaining this in this post from a while back. We used the ol' switch directions method with our new girl who sounds a lot like Nash in this regard. It really does work! Good luck, and congrats on the new hound! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cwholsin Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Excellent! I will give this a try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jbbuzby Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 (edited) It sounds like Nash needs to learn some self control on the leash. What I have done with dogs I've worked with is to a)teach them to watch me, in the house, and then practicing on leash (calling their name to get their attention, and then giving them a treat). That way, if you lose them, you can call their name to get their attention back on you. Sometimes, you have to wait a while; don't repeat their name a hundred times, just once or twice, then wait ten seconds and try again, but praise like crazy once they do! b ) With the above, then I teach them if they pull me, I pull them back the same amount and keep them on a very short leash, of maybe two feet. I don't jerk the dog; I just pull them back the same as they pulled me to make it slack again (as it should be most of the time when you do this method), which is fairly easy to do on a short leash. The trick is to avoid ever having tension on the leash and never have them pull you anywhere. So it is a dance that goes something like this: Wait for dog to calm, open the door, wait for the leash to be loose/for the dog to wait. Start walking, dog pulls me, I pull them back an equal amount enough to make the leash loose again. Dog pulls again, I stop, call their name, praise like crazy when they look. I may also change directions and call their name so they understand that it is me that is leading, not them. Edited February 24, 2012 by jbbuzby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Keep a tight lead until your dog learns not to pull. Also, if the leash is too loose and they spot something and take off, they can pull you down if they have enough slack in the leash. With some of my fosters that were tall enough, I would hold them by the D-ring on their martingales and keep them right by my side. I would walk about 10 minutes and then pick a spot where I can let them sniff a bit and then tighten the lead back up and walk another 10 or so minutes - all business and very little fun on the walk. You should be able to walk the dog after a few days without having your arm pulled out of it's socket. Note, if the dog is really pulling bad and there is a chance he might get loose - use a halter also and clip the leash onto the halter and then tie it on the martingale's d-ring - I used to do this with most of my fosters the first few times I took them for a walk. On the walk, sometimes it helps if you walk faster but, in one case that I had I found that walking very slow did the trick. You also want to do figure-8's in the road - pick a very quiet street to do this. Just walk a figure-8 (quickly) with the dog on the left side and as you go through the curves you are either pulling him or pushing him into the curves and it really helps to teach the dog to stay with you - again, you need a short leash until he learns. Don't do too many in a day because I find this really tires them out quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Matty Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 This wasn't from training a grey, it was from training a half lab/half belgian-shepherd. Sadly at the time we were using choke collars (I detest the things, but the trainer for the class demanded them). Basically at first keep a short lead. You set the walk pace, and as soon as the dog starts to go ahead of you, stop and say "heel." If they do, praise them and continue walking. Expect your first few walks around the block to take forever, but eventually the point gets across that they actually get to keep moving if they stay next to you. Another option is to get the dog extremely fixated on a particular toy - I'm not sure how the training for this works to be honest. A friend of mine had the sweetest pitbull that had been rescued/rehabilitated (she was found in a bust of a fighting ring). The woman the police took her to had the dog trained that when she saw a green tennis ball, that was the sole item she would pay attention to. You didn't need a leash or anything - you just carried a tennis ball with you and she'd follow it. I've never seen anything else like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DragonflyDM Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I just met someone who has two dogs and they had them both on a dual leash for awhile, but then realized that after sometime they just naturally walk together now. Never tried it, but it was an interesting idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 We also have a dual leash but I don't like it. PK pulls but is responding slowly to training, but the dual leash for me reduces the amount of control I have because it feels like I correct both dogs when only one needs it. DH loves it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest meggera Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 The red-light/green-light game (move when there is slack, stop when there is tension) works really well for Vanille and I. I have also found that if I anchor my leash hand to a spot on my leg (thumb in the belt loop for example) I know that if there is ever any tension on the leash it is because Vanille is pulling on me not me pulling on her. I really like how my trainer explained it to me. She said you need to think of it as a contract. You are contracting with your dog not to pull them around on the leash but they need to learn to do the same. By giving yourself a set anchor point you know that you aren't in breach of your contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest june Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 I don't know what your area is like but I've found walking in the road (I live in a rural area with little traffic) where there are fewer distractions is a good way to start. I will periodically walk over to where the grass is to let them sniff then back to the road praising when there is no pressure on the leash. Gradually I will walk closer to the grass or on the sidewalk until the dog "gets it" Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.