Pulling on the lead

[jo.ebony]

hi guys,

my puppy is turning into an absolute terror  on the lead.
she'll try to chew her harness when i'm trying to put it on and will chew the lead whilst out and about.

what is the best lead to have her on?
i have a small puppy lead and an extendable one.
i like to use the extendable one over the puppy one as i don't let her off the lead yet so she has more freedom to run round the field on the extendable.

she's pulling like a train at the mo, i try getting her attention and pulling her back to heel but she more or less ignores me.

please help, i've never had to train a dog on the lead before.

thanks

[mooching]

Jo,

It's good that you have a harness for her, as that will help prevent her damaging her neck/spine when she pulls.

I don't blame you for having an extendable lead, but it's not a good idea for a puppy to be on one, as you don't have control over them and they need to learn to walk properly on a flat lead, which they won't do on an extendable one.

So I would suggest that you stick to the normal flat lead. But when you walk with her and she pulls, just stop and don't go anywhere (you need to allow plenty of time for walks when you're doing this!). Any time she pulls and you let her pull is giving her the message that pulling gets her where she wants to go, so it's important not to let her. Another thing that can he helpful, if she pulls, is stopping and turning back the other way. And then if she pulls again, stop and go back the other way again.

Have you seen the "Teaching a reliable recall" thread in the Behaviour and Training Folder? It's really really worth looking at (I used it for training Alfie).

Have you enrolled the pair of you in a puppy class at all? Because that would help too.

[jo.ebony]

that's why i've been using the harness, as she pulls so much i don't want her strangling herself

i'll try the flat lead then, i did need to get another anyway. (it should also make me run a bit more when we're on the field which is always a good thing  )

i'll try the stopping etc tonight on her walk, should i be rewarding her when she's walking well? i generally take a few coachies with me on the walk.

i looked at "teaching a reliable recall" the other day, it looks really helpful, i've printed it off and ordered the whistle, will start training as soon as it arrives (hopefully tomorrow)

i've been to 2 classes so far (at different centres) i wasn't very comfortable at the first one so i found another, Ebony really enjoys them and i'm going to keep going as i found it really helpful.

[mooching]

that's why i've been using the harness, as she pulls so much i don't want her strangling herself

What harness do you have for her? Alfie used to bite at his when I put it on, so I used to have a couple of treats in my hand to distract him.

i'll try the stopping etc tonight on her walk, should i be rewarding her when she's walking well? i generally take a few coachies with me on the walk.

What they taught us in puppy class was to pop a treat just in front of their nose, but with your hand level with your leg (if that makes sense!) and let them get the message that if they walk level with your leg they will get a treat. And then keep feeding treats as you go along, but only from that location. I think I explained that right - let me know if it doesn't sound clear!

i've been to 2 classes so far (at different centres) i wasn't very comfortable at the first one so i found another, Ebony really enjoys them and i'm going to keep going as i found it really helpful.

Is the training reward-based?

Something else you might want to get for training Ebony is a clicker.

Is Ebony a show cocker or a worker?

[jo.ebony]

mooching,

i just have a fabric one for her, i've been trying that but once we set off she grabs the lead 

i think i understand, just show them the treat, then leave your hand by your side? or does it have to be more on ebony's level? (in which case i'll be walking like a hunchback  )

yes it's reward based.
i've got the clicker, i tried it at the first class i went to. she resonds well to it, she'll sit etc and look for her treat but i'm unsure where to go from there.

she's a show cocker, her parents weren't shown though, they were just family pets.

[gholmes]

All good advice by Mooching. Training a pup to walk to heel is one of the more difficult parts of training, IMO. It can take a very long time for your pupster to get the hang of it. My  Alfie is now walking to heel after 8 months of hard work. At times I wanted to scream at the world in frustration and give up. But I am glad a didn't. Try as many different methods as possible till  you find one that works for both of you. You will get there in the end.

[mooching]

i think i understand, just show them the treat, then leave your hand by your side? or does it have to be more on ebony's level? (in which case i'll be walking like a hunchback  )

The idea is that you give them the treat, and keep feeding them the treats as you go along. It helps them learn to stay back near you and keep their attention on you. If you can click and treat, so much the better! That's how it was taught at the puppy class I went to with Alfie, but I couldn't quite manage to coordinate myself and click on give a treat whilst holding the lead as well! So I started doing it without the clicker.

Dogs that pull don't have their focus on their owners but on what's up ahead. So the idea is to try and keep their focus on you instead.

[Sheryl]

The APDT lady that I took Kali too doesn't stop when a dog pulls.  She will walk and as soon as the dog pulls she turns round and walks in the opposite direction, the pup catches up, you click, give a treat and if the dog then goes past you and pulls, you turn again and so on...and on...and on.  It is a very slow process but they do learn, even if you never get anywhere.  Personally I prefer this to stopping because you are always on the move and I didn't want Kali to think sitting was part of the training but that is just my personal opinion x

Meant to add that there is no stopping and then turning the other way, it is all done in one fluid movement, just an about turn!

[jessandme]

At almost 9 months Jessie has suddenly started walking either to heel or 'side' (on my right) like a dream, loose lead all the time, looking up at me frequently, it is wonderful!  Could it be something to do with the dried liver treats that she knows I have in my pocket, I wonder.....

High value treats do help!

[Golden Sidney]

After the use of various leads, offering treats, turning and walking the other way and stopping dead our Sid  now wears a head control collar £9 from Pets at home.  It stopped the pulling immediate and he now walks beautifully beside me.  He did try to remove it a few times but I just distracted him.  He is 8 1/2 months.

[mooching]

I personally wouldn't want to go the head control collar route, I don't like how it pulls across their faces. If I had to use something, I'd rather use the Halti control harness, where there is a double-ended lead that attaches to both the chest and the back.

But as it is, I've been working with Alfie on having a loose leash for the last 4 months, and he's just starting to get the idea on a more regular basis (he's 9 months now). He still has a way to go but I'd rather persevere with this at the moment.

[Sheryl]

I agree about the head collars.  I use a Mekuti harness which gives you control of both sides of your dog.  A bit of a faff to get used to but worth it in the end!