Help! Will he ever walk on the lead properly?!

[Montys Mum]

Thank you so much everyone, massively appreciate all the great advice.

Lovely pic Penny B, v sweet and they all look so well behaved!

Wendy, we had the same thing with the Halti-lots of pawing at his nose and trying to rub it off by dragging his head along the floor. Not good in any way!

Emma, I completely agree with you in that we felt that, while the Halti helped, it was kind of just masking the problem-he still wanted to bounce along like a cockerroo!

But the good news is that my husband has put in lots of training this afternoon and it seems like the penny has dropped (for today at least!) and they had a really positive, happy lead-training session. Fingers crossed.

Incidentally, we've made a new cocker friend whose worker (aged eight) is apparently so bad a puller that they've bought a car to drive him to walks rather than walk him there! So it could be worse, right?!

Kx

[Fluff]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Dog-Pulls-What-Do/dp/1929242239/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1422313373&sr=8-5&keywords=Turid

The biggest thing is consistency. The stopping when they pull tactic works, but it takes time. In that book above, they did some research and on average, it took 30 days of consistent training before a dog stopped pulling, and obviously at least at the start, it means you won't get very far on walks so it's tempting to stop. Basicslly a dog pulling is self rewarding because they pull and get to move forward. Taking this away takes away the reason for pulling.

We use a harness for walks where pulling is allowed, and a collar for walks where she is expected to walk nicely.

[Hamad]

Keep the walks short so you can concentrate on the training
Only go when you feel calm and have the time to concentrate
Make sure the dog sits at the door and the gate before you move forward.
Stop dead as the dog pulls, when you feel the lead loosen or they look at you, use a clicker and reward bringing them back to your side. Keep still for the count of ten so they can calm down. Set off again, repeat, repeat. This might only be down the drive and can take several sessions, but you have to be more determined than them!
Eventually, you can click and reward only when they are walking at your side.   
Don't talk to them constantly as they switch off! If you use a clicker you can virtually walk in silence and they don't sense the tension in your voice.

These are the same things I tried - I used the Walk Your Dog With Love harness too but it only worked for a short period, once he got used to it he began pulling again so I went back to a basic lead and collar. The stopping method was the most effective although absolutely torturous, Bertie went berserk whenever I stopped and caused quite a few scenes but after several exhausting trials it worked, definitely a great method for dogs that aren't food driven and have difficulty focusing since treats were completely useless in my case.

That said he's still not perfect, if I move at a steady pace then he walks perfectly to heel and doesn't stop unless I do but if I'm walking with someone else and slow down or stop often then he's bored and becomes easily distracted by other animals or small objects which triggers him to pull. He's 8 months now and we've been consistently training him to walk properly since day 1 so sometimes I wonder if this is as good as it gets? 

[LurcherGirl]

No help with training as such, but have you tried a front attachment harness?

Also something to consider is that many dogs that pull very hard do so due to nervousness. If that might be the case with your dog, then addressing the nervousness issue will also help.

[Montys Mum]

I know what you mean Hamad about the stopping method. So painful! On the plus side, I now think I'm a much more patient person! Try to have a zen-like attitude to all our walks!

Thank you for the advice LurcherGirl. I haven't heard of that harness so will have a look online today. As for nervousness, although I'm no behaviouralist, I really don't think it's that. He is such a gung-ho, confident little dog who just wants to get out there and get going that I think it's pure, unbridled excitement! Oh to be so happy at the sight of a leaf!