I need advice on lead pulling

carolmystic

Hi, please please, can any one help with bobbie lead pulling. i have tried pulling back and treats but nothing seems to work. it is worse when daughter and grandson are with me. she has pulled me over a couple of times now. when i pull her back she turns round and comes to heel, so i think she knows she is doing wrong by pulling. i am at my wits end now and i am beginning to dread her walks. some days she is brilliant but there are not many of them now. when we have been over the field and had a good play she is much better on the lead on the way home. so if i can wear her out before i go for a walk it would be fine. please any suggestions would be appreciated. we have a halti but i am a little worried about using it.
carol

Hcollie85

hold the lead in 2 hands, walk back and forward and keep her close to you and pull her in when she starts straying, and keep saing heel to her

Heather
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carolmystic

Hi Heather, i have tried this. i always used to hold the lead in both hands but as she has grown i found it too hard to keep her near me. i know use a short lead which gives me a bit more control. i have bought some new treats for her tonight so will try the walking back and forward with her and keep up with saying heel. thanks,
carol

Hcollie85

Jerk her to heel
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coliel

hi
pulling on the lead is one of the most anoying and most hard work part of dog walking and maybe even owning a dog full stop !!
i have friends who dread walking their dog for the exact same reasen !i have helped a few people but my way takes consistance - you have to keep doing it and not let her get away with pulling even once !!
buy your self a new lead and a half check chain - these are like the choke chain but have material so it cant pull so tight it damages them - i use a real one my self but i would never sugest some one inexperianced using one . if you do as i sugest then every one walking her must too !!
right !!
ask your dog to come to you in the house and put her in the sit position - give her a treat , then put the coller on her and atach the lead as you walk forwards say a new word such s by me this is because bobby may think the word heal means pull !!
as you walk have one hand holding the top of the lead and the other on the lead closer to the dog the minute he pulls stop say firmly no jurk him a little with the lead and coller back to next to you and once again say by me and set out again when he is walking nicly say by me good boy but when he pulls stop and say no !! do not carry on walking untill he is relaxed and not pulling - he dosent have to stay close to you , looking at you all the time like a true off lead heal but he dose need to be relaxed walking gently with you !!
dont make the mistake of saying by me when he is pulling as dogs do what the word is at the time so as the dog sits you say sit he will ten learn that the word sit means to sit .
at first only aim to go out for a short lead walk with lots of off lead playing walking etc - if you have a car drive to the walk then lead him only for 5 mins dont expect to much try to take him on the lead 4 times a day for only 5 mins at a time 10 max !!
tryin the garden and about your house but once you start you must never ignore pulling o it will never work !!
i promis if you do this exactly like i have said with in a month he will be walking perfectly !!
it is hard work and takes patients but it is well worth it.
let me know if you have any questions etc .
love coliel

carolmystic

Hi Coliel, thanks for the advice and consistancy is not a problem with me, i can keep on for as long as it takes. the problem really is when she starts really pulling as i say when grandson is with us i cannot hold and she will pull me over. i will try what you suggest but i dont know about the half choke coller. i know you say that it will work, but i have never used any kind of choke coller on any of my dogs. i for one dont know how to use them and i wouldnt feel safe knowing the choke can slip off her. i know it must sound daft but i dont feel happy using one. i will however use different words and to me that sounds interesting. we have stopped taking her to puppy classes as we wernt learning anything. it was fine walking round the hall at march speed saying heel, but i am unable to do that full time when out walking with her. the praise i find difficult as well. if she does something good when we are out i do tend to just touch the top of her head and say good girl, not good girl in high voice and all excited as i learnt when she was younger and from being indoors if i speak all high pitched and make a great fuss of her she just goes crazy jumping and tries to run around. all she gets is a good girl and a slight touch on her head. thanks for the advice and if you have any other tips for me i would appreciate it.
carol.

Twig

I really don't like half checks or choke chains, you'd be far better with a halti, much safer! Wink

carolmystic

Hi we do have a halti but when we put it on her she goes mad and is out of it in no time. i have heard that they are good so i will try, i am so desperate about this that i would walk around with a bucket on my head and hands on fire if it would make her walk propely.lol

Hcollie85

Have a try at her getting used to it first
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Twig

You can also try harnesses, but they can also hurt the dog if they are bad pullers, so keep persisting with the halti, good luck! Very Happy

What type of dog is she?

carolmystic

Hi, she is a German Shepherd. we used a harness on her when she was much smaller and i got on ok with that but the people at the puppy classes said it was not good for her back as it jolts her back everytime you pull her back. so we didnt use it anymore.
carol.

coliel

hi
i realy think half chokes are your best bet , firstly it cant get off the dog because it realy is just a normal cord coller that has a chain bit ataching each end of the cord the cord should be quite thick and fit her comfortably but should titen when jurked - not so it strngles her but just enough to make it slitly uncomfortable - they are not like full choke collers and they dont have to be fitted in a certain way .
if you use a halty then your dog will never learn to walk nicly on a flat coller and if you go on to a flat coller she will ust pull all the more !!
dogs can also get hert with them if not used corectly and can scratch them selvs trying to get it off !!
if you realy cant bare to use the check coller then try my way using a flat coller it will still work but may need a lttle bit longer !!
why dont you have a look at some of the half chokes in a pet shop as long as they are not too tight they realy dont cause any harm !!
love coliel

carolmystic

Hi, thanks. i think if all else fails we will try the half coller. i will try your way with the flat coller first and see how we go. i dont mind how long it takes as long as there are some rewards at the end of it. i think i maybe expect too much of her. she is only 6 months old after all. it is hard to get to used to a dog that doesnt walk propely on the lead as our old dog who was 17 and we lost him in Dec last year was so good. BUT he was 17. he was used to my ways as i was with his ways so i have to remember she is young. i think the size of her makes me think she is older than she is and should be doing what i need from her now. anyway i will start a new day with her tomorrow. thanks.
carol.

Lisa_Ianniello

i had the half choke collar with calvin (my last dog who was also a german shepherd) but it did not work and after a few months of having it it snapped when i was walking him. you should try the gentle leader it is like the halti but it doesn't hurt the dogs eyes. this worked with me and my 7year old brother could hold the lead while we walked my dog. the gentle leader is great.

calvin also tried his hardest to get out of it but put it on her at home for 5mins then take it off and give her a treat so she will know its nothing to harm her. she will get use to it in time. it only took a few days for calvin to get use to it.
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Lisa Ianniello

I Love You Calvin, My Big Silly Pups.

carolmystic

Hi, well i took all the advice from you all yesterday and took bobbie for her walk, but on the lead rather than taking her to field for a run and play. i walked her round the block and back again. i used the word here for her to walk by me, had a lot of treats with me and had some in my hand. everytime she pulled i said no and pulled her back and said here. waited until she relaxed and off we went again. did it again but this time when i said here and she was next to me i gave her a treat. we had a FANTASTIC walk. she was really being good. she did have the odd pull, but OMG! nothing like she usually is. i am on a high at the moment and am enjoying the feeling. i dont know if she will keep it up but i am hoping this will work for the both of us. dont worry she will get her run around on the field later today when my husband takes her out when he comes home. i will take her out again in a little while and i am actually looking forward to it. sooooooooooooooooo a big huge THANK YOU! to everyone. even if she dose lapse all the advice and the walk this morning has given me the boost that i needed to see that she can do it. thank you.! Very Happy