Author Topic: Walking on lead. Advice needed  (Read 1684 times)

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Offline ips

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #15 on: June 28, 2017, 06:21:03 PM »

Morning jon
Yes your right, I think it was my fault. She has always been good at getting onto the verge when a vehicle came past, it wasn't really trained as such it was purely a learned behaviour. My failing was in moving off without any release command as soon as the vehicle passed. This became a release command in her mind but was easy to fix once I realised the errorof my ways I just blew a sit whistle or gave the "wait" command for a few seconds after vehicle had passed. She is a quick learner at most things. Strangely she seems to know that it only counts when were on a road off lead, on lead in town or walking on a main road she just carries on walking. 😁

Easily done my friend.  I think the issue is that a Cocker's cognition is considerably different from our own.  They seem to have a special predictive intelligence,  as shown by Eze who save you the trouble of giving her a release command,  that you would otherwise have done as soon as the car had passed (Cocker thinks" of course,  why would you not??")

I'm also coming to the realisation that Cockers are like Frenchmen:  they understand that rules are needed, they understand and agree with the rules that are imposed,  but they see their abeyance as obligatory to everyone else,  but as a matter of individual interpretation for them personally,  and the interpretation depends on mood in the case of the Frenchman,  and on contextual setting  for the Cocker.

With that in mind,  the implication is that French Cockers must be quite a challenge to train!

 :rofl1: :rofl1:  as opposed to a German cocker who ofcourse would adhere precisly to the rules and make sure all the others did aswell!!  :005:
[/quote]

Ha 😁
I like the analogy 👍
Muddling along in the hope that one day it all makes sense.

Offline TheAdventuresofBarnaby

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #16 on: June 29, 2017, 07:43:44 AM »

 :rofl1: :rofl1:  as opposed to a German cocker who ofcourse would adhere precisly to the rules and make sure all the others did aswell!!  :005:

Well,  maybe an Austrian cocer would still be like that these days:-)

Offline TheAdventuresofBarnaby

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #17 on: June 29, 2017, 07:54:23 AM »
Barnaby has had his say on the obedience on the lead issue too.

Yesterday evening after work the walk back to car was a well behaved non-pulling exhibition of the perfect teenager that he is.....that lulled me into a false sense of security.

So into the back of the car he hopped,  and I clipped his harness onto the tether that anchor's in a seatbelt socket.  Upon arrival home,  as normal I clipped on his lead,  put its loop over my wrist,  unclipped the tether, and gave him his command to jump down from the car. Which he did,  then promptly ran off,  leaving me with the loop of lead around my wrist dangling to a soggy severed end.  The little B had occupied himself during the journey, completely biting the lead in two!

Today we're on betty's old lead.  This is a thick green synthetic rope affair that seems scaled to something the size of a Rottweiler.   Bearing in mind that this lead was used for at least ten years on the old girl, lets see how long he takes to destroy it!

Offline ips

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #18 on: June 29, 2017, 08:49:27 AM »
Houdini the dog 😁
Muddling along in the hope that one day it all makes sense.

Offline Londongirl

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #19 on: June 29, 2017, 09:09:41 AM »
Little monkey.

I have an short tether lead in the boot. I once lost concentration and unclipped the tether without attaching the lead in my hand. Like you, I gave to cue to jump out, and found myself with an empty lead and a dog loose in a busy car park. Thankfully Henry was just as surprised as me and came straight to my feet for me to put the lead on! Those few seconds when I was holding that lead with no dog attached were heart stoppers. I'm now training him to immediately sit and wait when he gets out of the car, whatever the circumstances, although he finds it VERY difficult when something exciting is in the offing.

Let's see if young Barnaby makes headway on the old lead too...
Rachael (me) and Henry (him)


Offline TheAdventuresofBarnaby

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #20 on: June 30, 2017, 09:52:38 AM »
...he seems to be getting quite a taste for restraints.

On the drive home yesterday evening he quietly turned his attention to the main tether that secures him to a seatbelt mounting.  By the time we were home it was destroyed,  nibbled neatly into three pieces.  Being caught in the act,  he was suitably ashamed of himself.

Lucky we have a spare in the other car. (tether not Cocker!)

The evening was was a departure from normal routine.  I conducted it in complete silence and as far as possible without him realising I was watching him.  Once out of the village I let him off lead and then completely ignored him. lots of random changes of direction and taking of normally ignored paths resulted in him staying within 15m of me 95% of the time. Every time he went further afield and was looking the other way, I dodged out of sight and hid till he got the message.  On the few times I did use the recall whistle,  he reacted immediately.  On this occasion the teenager rebellion was quelled completely. 

Right now he's sleeping angelically at my feet...... most probably dreaming up dastardly ways to get his own back on e this evening.....

Offline ips

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #21 on: June 30, 2017, 10:00:17 AM »
Ha
You need a crate for the car 👍
Muddling along in the hope that one day it all makes sense.

Offline TheAdventuresofBarnaby

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #22 on: June 30, 2017, 11:31:04 AM »
Its heading that way for sure

Offline Guelder Rose

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #23 on: July 06, 2017, 12:03:33 PM »
Just on the subject of pulling - when Grace went on her first proper holiday to Cornwall she literally wore her pads out from pulling so much and had to wear bandages, padding and baby socks for the rest of the holiday! 
She had always pulled badly but this time around it was ridiculous!  When we got back home I searched the internet - I had already tried one of those collars that go on the muzzle - she hated it and was clearly very unhappy with it on and I thought it looked terribly uncomfortable - so we put it in the bin where it belonged!
We now use a harness made by "Walk your dog with love" and from the first day of using it Grace walked perfectly!  We went on holiday again and there simply was no way she could wear her pads out as it was impossible for her to dig her feet in and pull - she can pull ever so slightly when very excited, but 99% of the time I can walk Grace and hold onto the lead with one finger!  There are a few harnesses that use the same front pull idea, but I have found Grace gets on best with the "Walk your dog with love" harness.  The only thing I learnt was to take the harness off and put a collar on for off lead running as the straps could rub a bit too much when free running.
I guess I'm a bad owner for not persevering with training, but this harness just solved everything so easily!

Offline ips

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #24 on: July 06, 2017, 12:13:18 PM »
You hear good things about wydwl. Murphyslaw kindly donated a spare one for eze to try and there was no doubt she didn't pull on it BUT what I would lo like to know is does it eventually train them not to pull or is it merely a tool to stop it. I am not knocking the harness or yours or anyone else's training as god knows we struggled on a biblical scale and without a concerted last effort would have definitely resorted to using the wydwl.
Muddling along in the hope that one day it all makes sense.

Offline Guelder Rose

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #25 on: July 06, 2017, 01:08:13 PM »
You hear good things about wydwl. Murphyslaw kindly donated a spare one for eze to try and there was no doubt she didn't pull on it BUT what I would lo like to know is does it eventually train them not to pull or is it merely a tool to stop it. I am not knocking the harness or yours or anyone else's training as god knows we struggled on a biblical scale and without a concerted last effort would have definitely resorted to using the wydwl.

My experience is that this harness certainly does not teach Grace not to pull, I don't think any harness would as I think they are just a means of preventing the behaviour - as soon as she has a normal harness on she pulls like a steam train!  But for me the amazing thing about this harness is that our holiday last year was a dream - we had 16 days of walks and not one sore paw the whole time!! 

Offline Guelder Rose

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #26 on: July 06, 2017, 01:17:02 PM »
And just one other thought with this harness is that Grace has no problem wearing it, she is happy having it put on and happily walks to heel with it on - she hated the one that fits on the muzzle and after the second attempt at putting it on her she just refused to walk.  Every dog I see wearing one of those when out seems to be pawing at it - and if I don't see them pawing at it, I've seen the straps digging in under the eye sockets :( :(

Offline ips

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #27 on: July 06, 2017, 01:36:09 PM »
You hear good things about wydwl. Murphyslaw kindly donated a spare one for eze to try and there was no doubt she didn't pull on it BUT what I would lo like to know is does it eventually train them not to pull or is it merely a tool to stop it. I am not knocking the harness or yours or anyone else's training as god knows we struggled on a biblical scale and without a concerted last effort would have definitely resorted to using the wydwl.

My experience is that this harness certainly does not teach Grace not to pull, I don't think any harness would as I think they are just a means of preventing the behaviour - as soon as she has a normal harness on she pulls like a steam train!  But for me the amazing thing about this harness is that our holiday last year was a dream - we had 16 days of walks and not one sore paw the whole time!!

Yes that's how I see it but for a dedicated puller anything that works has to be used. Totally agree with you about the halti and similar muzzle type, I hate them and dogs never seem to be happy in them.
Muddling along in the hope that one day it all makes sense.

Offline ips

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #28 on: July 17, 2017, 04:19:35 PM »
So how are folk getting on with lead training  ???
Muddling along in the hope that one day it all makes sense.

Offline Guelder Rose

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Re: Walking on lead. Advice needed
« Reply #29 on: July 17, 2017, 05:34:02 PM »
I still rely on the front pull leash to make lead walks nice and relaxed - lazy on my part I know!

As for crossing the road, Grace gets very excited at every junction because I gave her a treat for sitting at every corner - she knows nothing about cars, but can see a corner a mile away and desperately wants to get there to get her treat - so she has zero road sense, but gets top marks for learning how to get treats. 

Quite often she stops in her tracks on the pavement, looks at me and then looks at the corner on the opposite side of the road - so I think she thinks its a game of spotting the corners wherever they may be for a reward! 

I put this down to her being far too clever haha