Loose leash - we became complacent!

[bizzylizzy]

Its just over a year since I took up the loose leash battle (London Girl‘s Henry‘s Loose Leash Diary) and am ashamed to realize we‘ve now got to start over! 
Humphrey‘s recall is pretty good and, as he never goes  far away from me, most of his walks during the summer have been off lead here in the countryside and I’ve become very lax about practising lead walking. The rude awakening came on the weekend when we went away with a group of friends. We were in town so he had to be on lead for the whole 3 days  What a disaster! I feel like I‘ve been hung, drawn and quartered and am so cross with myself for letting things get this bad again.
I‘ve just baked a tray of liver cake, have rewatched all the videos this morning and armed with clicker and training lead, we‘re off into town now to take up the gauntlet!!  but I have the feeling its going to be tougher going now! 
May this be a lesson to all of you just starting out -  - don‘t get complacent, the training‘s never over!!  Now wish me luck please!!

[Mudmagnets]

Good luck with your mission, who could resist mum's livercake (well me actually, but that's another story!)

Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to town we go
with half a ton of livercake, Hi Ho Hi Ho

[bmthmark]

Good luck, i'm sure young Humphrey will pick it up quickly. Especially with liver cake 

[Londongirl]

I bet it will come back very quickly, don’t worry! Hnery’s on lead so often that we’ve never lost the loose leash habit, but his recall... still non-existent. I’m working on it though,  with a new training method and and will report back in a few months...

Here’s hoping Herr Humph remembers where his liver cake comes from!

[Gazrob]

It's easier for me as I live in a urban area he has to be on lead a lot of the time. Just practice a bit each day for a few minutes maybe at the start of your walk for five or 10 minutes.

[BonnieScot]

I know what you mean! How are you getting on?

We're back using Turid Rugaas' stuff after a certain young lady started hunting on her long line....

[bizzylizzy]

Its a case of one step forward, two steps back (literally!!!). I‘ve been really firm this week, have changed direction the second there‘s been the slightest tension on the lead or have stopped dead, which has resulted in him coming back to me rather than just sitting down  , so I know he understands the concept, he‘s even stayed with me, albeit reluctantly  , when we‘ve walked passed his daily first sniffing post. I really thought we were doing well and was starting to contemplate going somewhere not so familar and a bit busier but then yesterday some „thing“ must have walked the same way just before us and we had the meerkat impersonations again!!  If I could plug his nostrils, I‘d have the perfect dog!!!   
I’ve read Turid Rugaas’ book (very interesting)  and I‘ve looked at so many training videos, I‘ve got square eyes!!!     

[anthonycmjohnson]

Bailey will write poetry for a piece of chicken! As others have said, it’s never over. 6 months in as novice owners and LOVING every moment.


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[Leo0106]

Bizzylizzy I feel your pain . Leo will have a few beautiful days, He'll stand next to me looking up every 5 yards to be told he's a good boy.. then we'll have a few days of 'I have no idea who you are and why you're talking to me but I'm going to drag you down this path'.  I have found that the season has made Leo awful, all the leafs to sniff on the ground! Leo's never experienced autumn before (only just a year old)  so it must be odd for him.

I've taken to being rather harsh. If he pulls on the way to our usual walking place then he dosnt have as much time off lead. If he walks nicely he gets taken off lead earlier. This has worked for me as nearing the end of the walk he now runs to me for his lead to be put back on.. I've found less freedom unless worth rewarding is the way forward for us.
Sometimes Leo just needs to be told 'you're not boss' when out and about

[Gazrob]

Just stick at it. Keep stopping if he pulls he should eventually get the message. My dog still sometimes goes off ahead of me I just stop instantly and he comes back. I've been training him for 14 months so it will take some time and he may never get it right completely just be consistent.

[Pearly]

It does get better, honest!

One thing I obsevered watching others teach “heel” and then tried myself - and it worked - is to only say “heel” when your dog is in the correct position, any other position they should be chastised (“No!”) they soon realise that heel means their head by your knee!

[ips]

It does get better, honest!

One thing I obsevered watching others teach “heel” and then tried myself - and it worked - is to only say “heel” when your dog is in the correct position, any other position they should be chastised (“No!”) they soon realise that heel means their head by your knee!

Good tip that 👍

Question
Is "heel you little xxxx" an acceptable command 😁

[Londongirl]

It does get better, honest!

One thing I obsevered watching others teach “heel” and then tried myself - and it worked - is to only say “heel” when your dog is in the correct position, any other position they should be chastised (“No!”) they soon realise that heel means their head by your knee!

Good tip that 👍

Question
Is "heel you little xxxx" an acceptable command 😁

Dog training 101: You load the cue word with meaning when the dog is at that very moment doing the thing you want. Timing is crucial. You shouldn’t use it as a cue until you would wager £1000 that they will obey. This applies to recall, heel walking, and pretty much anything.

[ips]

It does get better, honest!

One thing I obsevered watching others teach “heel” and then tried myself - and it worked - is to only say “heel” when your dog is in the correct position, any other position they should be chastised (“No!”) they soon realise that heel means their head by your knee!

Good tip that 👍

Question
Is "heel you little xxxx" an acceptable command 😁

Dog training 101: You load the cue word with meaning when the dog is at that very moment doing the thing you want. Timing is crucial. You shouldn’t use it as a cue until you would wager £1000 that they will obey. This applies to recall, heel walking, and pretty much anything.

👍

[bizzylizzy]

It does get better, honest!

One thing I obsevered watching others teach “heel” and then tried myself - and it worked - is to only say “heel” when your dog is in the correct position, any other position they should be chastised (“No!”) they soon realise that heel means their head by your knee!

Good tip that 👍

Question
Is "heel you little xxxx" an acceptable command 😁

Dog training 101: You load the cue word with meaning when the dog is at that very moment doing the thing you want. Timing is crucial. You shouldn’t use it as a cue until you would wager £1000 that they will obey. This applies to recall, heel walking, and pretty much anything.

👍

Thanks all! My problem seems to lie in him differentiating between a „Training Session“ and a normal relaxed walk. His heel work and general performance on the training ground is progressing really well, he‘s focused and his working under distraction of the other dogs has improved dramatically, (We had a 15 minute lying down yesterday while the other dogs went through their paces, plus a workman making an unearthly racket a few yards away and he never flinched!  ) But  then we just want to walk up the road or take a relaxed stroll and he‘s back to leaping all over the place. I could insist on a tight „heel“ , with but that‘s not really what I want all of the time. I‘m trying to achieve a loose walk as a natural behaviour without actually using a heel command. Does that make sense or am I being over optimistic do you think?