Pulling horribly on leash - UPDATED

In less than 3 months my dog learned to "leave it" and to quit pulling. Yes, yes, yes, there are days when he gets so excited by a squirrel (his enemy), he can't help himself, but he can even control himself 85% of the time around squirrels while on a buckle collar and a 6ft leash (and even with a flexi, which I use on rare occasions when the street is quiet and we're working on the "Come back to me" command).

I bought a Halti, got some high-value treats, a clicker, and we went to work. He wore that Halti and I showed him, again and again, how GREAT it is to loose-leash walk next to me. I dropped treats and clicked. On and on and over and over we did it--in 15-minute sessions. We worked every single day every time we walked. After 8 weeks, his change was amazing. Absolutely amazing. Now all I have to say is "Get on my good side" and he is right there, in nearly a perfect Heel position, focused on me. 

There are lots of posts here on getting a dog to walk loosely by using a clicker and treats. Read through some and you'll find the How To's that you're looking for.

It CAN be done. After 9 months of a choke chain and a classroom-learned Leadership Walk, he learned nothing, basically. (Darnit.) I learned to yank harder and to demand he "Check" on me, but he learned to get away and pull for as long as he was able whenever he was able. No trust. No bonding. No partnership.

So, I did a whole other method and he's outstanding. I've even had people stop to discuss his "transformation" from a puller to a partner.

I should add the most important piece--we don't need treats anymore. And that's a good thing since clicking and treating and watching and timing things made me dizzy! []
 
He's just been conditioned, I guess. He just needs the words and he's good to go now. Even a little "eh eh" and he's back on me and walking (like if we see a squirrel).
 
 

My dog wouldn't come to me if there was more interesting things to be doing either.  This is what I did.

I would call him (of course he would only look at me) then go get him and love him up like he was the best dog in the world.

A lot of times, I would call him, he would look at me, I would sit down.  When he came to me, I would love him up like he was the best dog in the world.

This progressed to just opening up the door about a 100 times a day and calling him...always being happy/excited and generous with praise and pets. There was also a lot of yaaaays! and big smiles  involved.

These days, all he needs to hear is the back door opening and he comes running. Of course I  still meet him with a fun and exciting tone and plenty of praise.

The moral of the story is to teach the dog that when he does comes to you, ONLY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN AND that you are indeed the most fun and loving person ever!

It works, and works quickly.  My dog responded pretty quickly to this new "game". And I did turn it into a game.  It became fun for both of us. 

 

ORIGINAL: nGoldenm

Off leash, I will agree, he is out of control. Too many distractions and he just really doesn't care to listen to me. But I'm trying to work on that. For this I wanted to know what I needed to get under control before I even thought about training for off leash. I know he needs a solid recall, but what else would be necessary commands. I want to get a "game plan together" so I can start working toward that off leash goal.

I went ahead and bought an EasyWalk harness today. It has worked wonders already. He started out trying to pull because he had to go to the bathroom. I tried the "be a tree" method again, and this time it worked. He was walking around with me with other people, dogs, and food without pulling whatsoever. I even tried switching to his collar every now and then, and he seemed to pull much less. I know this is going to take time, but I think these are good signs.

Thanks for all of your help.

Agree with JM. There are some great techniques and methods for teaching a good recall, but the foundation of all of them should be this: show your dog that being near you is always absolutely the best place in the world to be. Better than sniffing, better than running around, better than barking at squirrels. And to be sure, all of those things are pretty great for a dog, so you really have your work cut out for you, but I have to say: it works.

I know my dogs' limits, and as hounds we don't go off leash anywhere where there isn't a fence. However we can go to the dog park which is about 3 acres fenced in and within the confines of that park they have near perfect recall. I haven't done anything particularily special or something no one else would have thought of, I just have made myself awesome to the dogs. Always and every time. They know that when I call for them, they'd better come a-running because something great is about to happen. I know what they love (food, rubs, a couple favorite toys, a few select games, attention) and 99% of the time when I call, one or more of those things happens. Back when I first started training dogs (pre-Marlowe) my dogs had crappy recalls. I didn't understand why because I never made that mistake of punishing when the dog does finally come. I often rewarded with some kibble, and a lot of the time when I was calling it was a meal time anyway. But I stopped there with it. I never really made the connection that just an absence of punishment wasn't enough. And maybe a little kibble (big deal). I never made the effort like I have in the past year to become IT for my dogs, to practice the recall constantly and make it really worth the dogs' while.

I also have to say that our new whistle recall is shaping up really great for Marlowe. Conrad is a little bit more casual about it, but he also is in much less need of such a thing, his recall is already pretty good and he's a lot less distractable just in general. But wow. When I toot that whistle Marlowe almost gives himself whiplash he turns around so fast and comes running full-speed to come sit in front of me. I'm even a little shocked at how well it works for situations in which just saying Marlowe's name doesn't get his attention.

So did I read correctly that you only got him 2 weeks ago? That's an important factor - loose leash walking really takes time and it's so hard.

I think if you use the Easy Walk just to get some control, you can also work on the proper walking techniques (ie. not relying solely on the harness). Then you should be able to transfer that training to the plain collar.

The "be a tree method" is great, and you are on the right track. I would back up a few notches on the difficulty though. You are jumping right into walking down the street - full of smells, sights, excitement. I would start by loose leash walking in your house - much less distracting. Once that's perfect, move to the backyard.  Once that's perfect, move to the front lawn. Then down the street for 15 feet. Etc. Basically it will be quite a while before you can go for a long walk. Other forms of exercise would be better until you are at that point - like off leash running, or relying on the Easy Walk to stop the pulling if that's the only option.

And remember - anytime you allow the dog to pull you somewhere, you've just undone all your hard work. So if you see a friend coming towards you, and the dog starts pulling, just signal to your friend "I'll be there in a minute - trying to train the dog". They'll understand. Otherwise, by letting the dog pull you over, you're essentially saying to him "yeah, if you try hard enough you can pull me around".

Good luck! []

the easywalk harness is a great tool-- one of the reasons why dogs pull on leash is something called an "opposition reflex"-- if dogs feel pressure on their back/neck, they instinctively pull hard against it. Thus collars and regular harnesses actually encourage dogs to pull. The easywalk harness is designed to not-trigger this reflex. So you've removed one incentive for pulling, and now you just need to keep working at it.
 
When I'm training a dog to walk on a loose leash, first you have to come up with a different way to exercise the dog for several months. You CANNOT rely on leash-walking as primary exercise during the training period, because at first you are probably only going to be covering a few feet per walk. And the biggest reason why people fail in leash training is they figure it's more important to get the walk done than to get the dog trained. So tire your dog out good somehow-- fetch games, run next to bike (in a body harness attached to springer or walky dog), dog park, something.  Attach leash and decide you are going to walk ten feet on a loose leash. Make sure you have tons of time, because it may take you a considerable amount of time to cover that distance on a completely loose leash with a confirmed puller. Once you can cover those ten feet, increase the distance slightly. And move to different locations.
Since your dog is highly motivated to get out and sniff and move, it shouldn't take him long to catch on that he CAN"T go and sniff and move if he's pulling.

ORIGINAL: espencer

Ok everybody stop...... riiiiight there is your problem:

ORIGINAL: nGoldenm

he pulls at the leash cause he's so excited to see the light of day... He's pulling on the leash because he's just never been taught how to walk on a leash before. He doesn't really know what it is.

I   f he gets out the house being excited then the entire walk will be that way, it does not matter what kind of leash you use, is how you walk the dog, you have to make sure that your dog is totally calm

[sm=banghead002.gif] I cannot type, and am leaving out some pretty important words and confusing all of you. I'm sorry. That part of my quote that you made bold, I'm going to change some things so it will read the way I intended:

"It doesn't seem like he just has so much energy that he can't control himself. It's not like he pulls at the leash cause he's so excited to see the light of day... He's pulling on the leash because he's just never been taught how to walk on a leash before. He doesn't really know what it is."

I hope that will clear it up some. He is not excited "to see the light of day" because he sees it multiple times per day. He is not just locked up in my apartment by any means. He goes with me everywhere I go except classes.

ORIGINAL: Scout in Canada

So did I read correctly that you only got him 2 weeks ago? That's an important factor - loose leash walking really takes time and it's so hard.

I think if you use the Easy Walk just to get some control, you can also work on the proper walking techniques (ie. not relying solely on the harness). Then you should be able to transfer that training to the plain collar.

The "be a tree method" is great, and you are on the right track. I would back up a few notches on the difficulty though. You are jumping right into walking down the street - full of smells, sights, excitement. I would start by loose leash walking in your house - much less distracting. Once that's perfect, move to the backyard.  Once that's perfect, move to the front lawn. Then down the street for 15 feet. Etc. Basically it will be quite a while before you can go for a long walk. Other forms of exercise would be better until you are at that point - like off leash running, or relying on the Easy Walk to stop the pulling if that's the only option.

Thank you! I think someone finally deciphered my awful choice of words. Ok, I do have some things I would like to ask, and I'll try not to screw it up this time. [&:] I will try the walking in my apartment first. I doubt he's going to have much trouble with it though, he's EXTREMELY lazy inside and already follows me wherever I go (no one told me I'd never be able to go to the restroom alone again []). The problem with gradually moving to the backyard, then the front, then to the "outside world" is that I live in an apartment. I don't have a backyard ro front yard. The second we walk outside the door, we step foot into a very distracting environment. Lots of people, cars, and sometimes other dogs around. I don't rely on the walk as his only form of exerise. I know he doesn't get much exercise on walks, so that's why we try to go to the park every day if possible. So how would you deal with this situation?

And remember - anytime you allow the dog to pull you somewhere, you've just undone all your hard work. So if you see a friend coming towards you, and the dog starts pulling, just signal to your friend "I'll be there in a minute - trying to train the dog". They'll understand. Otherwise, by letting the dog pull you over, you're essentially saying to him "yeah, if you try hard enough you can pull me around".

I don't know how I overlooked this. [>:] He pulls to get to my friends and his, and I usually just try to slow him down a bit, I guess thinking that he'll learn to slow down. I'll try your advice next time we see someone. Thanks for the help.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

the easywalk harness is a great tool-- one of the reasons why dogs pull on leash is something called an "opposition reflex"-- if dogs feel pressure on their back/neck, they instinctively pull hard against it. Thus collars and regular harnesses actually encourage dogs to pull. The easywalk harness is designed to not-trigger this reflex. So you've removed one incentive for pulling, and now you just need to keep working at it.

That's why I wanted to get the harness. It would help me get control over him when he decides to pull and nothing's going to stop him. I don't plan on using it forever. At least I hope I don't have to. I'm using it as a training tool, not a "once all, end all" quick fix immediate solution.

Well, I took him out this morning with the harness. He only pulled once. He really wanted to get to a certain spot to sniff. I immediately stopped. I didn't pull him back or put any additional tension on the leash. He eventually stopped, walked back to me and looked up. Then i walked him over to the spot and told him "OK, go sniff", then he got to sniff without pulling (I praised him for doing it without pulling of course). I think this is a huge step towards my goal. The rest of the walk, he walked right next me. Every now and then, he would reach the end of the leash, and at the slightest hint of tension, he backed off. [] I'm pretty excited and I think we're making good steps toward learning nice leash manners. Sorry about the long post, and thank you for all of your responses. I'm definately open to more suggestions, if anyone has anything more to add.

Then i walked him over to the spot and told him "OK, go sniff", then he got to sniff without pulling (I praised him for doing it without pulling of course).

 
I think that's great. Using treats as rewards is good, but allowing the dog to do what he really wants (sniff, explore) as a reward is also awesome. Anything the dog enjoys is a potential reward, as long as he follows the rules.
 
I see the challenge with the apartment. I guess aside from walking around indoors, you'll have to find the 2nd most boring place for the dog! Like the middle of an empty deserted street maybe - I find that easier than walking on the sidewalk because the sidewalk is full of other dog smells, pee spots, etc.

Good job! You will do fine.  I don't know if you know this or not,(just thought I would mention it)  but you are not supposed to leave the harness on.  Just put it on for walks.

Well, I took him out this morning with the harness. He only pulled once. He really wanted to get to a certain spot to sniff. I immediately stopped. I didn't pull him back or put any additional tension on the leash. He eventually stopped, walked back to me and looked up. Then i walked him over to the spot and told him "OK, go sniff", then he got to sniff without pulling (I praised him for doing it without pulling of course).

Scout: Yeah, you're right. [joke] My only problem is finding a place that is boring to him![/joke]

JM: Yeah, I knew that. I just leave his leash attached to it. I put it on right before we go outside and it comes off when we get back to my door. I take off the harness and leash before I open the door. I'll tell him to sit, and then stay. He'll just sit there waiting on me to open the door and tell him OK before he goes in.

My puppers Joy is a border collie, and is about 6 months old. Having the major herding instinct, it feels like she pulls like a deranged, psychotic mastiff every time she sees something worth herding.  This worked wonders with Joy, but what a majority of trainers don't remember on here, is that it;s not 'one-size fits all'
 
Here's what I did:
 
Supplies:
Some treats
Flexi (creates AWESOME muscle memory, which you need to do this excercise)
Flat collar (no slip or prongs, harnesses or headcollars)
A decent size area to work in
 
 
Procedure:
 
With the flexi in hand, wait for your dog to start wandering around. When he gets about 5-8 feet away from you, click the button to stop the leash. AS SOON AS HE TURNS mark the behavior with a "Yes" or a click from the clicker. ("Yes" is a verbal marker, and is just as effective as a clicker. I use both, a clicker for major training (like training a new behavior) and when I need to mark a behavior quickly, and use "yes" when I am out and about, or when I find it's sortof inconvenient, like at the dog park.) Do this multiple times a day, for about 3 days until he automatically turns away as soon as slight tension is put on the leash. What he is learning, is that everytime slight pressure is put on the leash, he has to turn away.
 
Next do this outside in a corridor. Repeat everything above. Try to aim for a pretty traffic-dead corridor. Do this several times a day. Start moving up gradually until you can have him in a heavily trafficed area inside of the building, and as soon as a slight bit of pressure is put on his collar, he turns away.
 
If you have made it this far.......congrats! You have made it a considerable long way from where you've started. Now it's time to do it outside. Try it in a parking lot, preferably a place that he knows pretty  well so he doesn't have to sniff around, and one with few cars. Repeat the above steps. Keep this up until you can walk him through a PetSmart parking lot in the afternoon with other dogs coming and going while he stays under control on leash. If he can do that, try it IN a pet store. Guaranteed, he can do it well on a normal walk if he can do it in a pet store.

I have no solutions for you, but I just wanted you to know you are not alone.  My dog is identical to yours.  He pulls, but comes to me when I "make like a tree."  He'll pester me if I have treats or the clicker or anything with me.  If given a treat, he goes right to the end of the leash.  I also tried the "turn around" approach.  I'm not sure if you did, but I expect yours will do like mine (he just hurtles to the "new" end of the leash).
 
Exercising the dog before the walk may be helpful, but ours pulls the same when pooped.  The "dog needs to be calm before you go out the door" thing didn't help us either (and I like CM).
 
One thing we have been working with is to put the dog on a leash and go outside but not walk.  For example, the other day I was out shoveling a little snow.  He does pretty well while I putter around (looks to me to know when/where we're moving), and I'm hoping it will influence his general leash behavior.
 
We use the Easy Walk harness.  He eventually began to pull on that too, although not nearly as bad as on a flat collar.  We haven't tried a head collar, slip collar, or prong as we were unsure of injury potential.  It may be worth experimenting if the Easy Walk does not continue to work well.
 
And for anyone who remembers me and feels like commenting, this thread is about nGoldenm and not me.

I just wanted to add an update. Yesterday, we went to the park to get him some exercise. When we were in the fenced in field, I took him off leash to let him around some. I took my treats and clicker, and decided to use some of the time to do some training. After about 30 minutes, he was almost doing a perfect heel! He would follow wherever I went, turn with me, and if he wandered a little bit without looking for my approval, all I had to do was say "hey" and he would do an about face and come back. When I would tell him it was OK, he would run around and sniff. When I was ready for him to come back, I'd say "come here" and he would come bounding back to me! Every now and then he would take a little bit of time before coming back, but he did very well overall.

Now here is where I'm a little confused. He works extremely hard for that click/treat. Now when we were about to leave, I put the leash on him and decided to walk around a little bit in the same area we did the off leash stuff. I would click/treat whever he would walk with a loose leash. He completely ignored the clicks! It didn't even phase him, and he was mostly at the end of the leash. Rarely would he stop to get his treat while he was by me. This is leading me to believe that it's something about being on leash.

Here's what I know about his history: He was bought as a puppy and after about 6 months, his owners relagated him to the backyard. He was chained to the  dog house. He had hardly any human contact except when the owners would come out every couple weeks to refill his automatic feeder. He lived like this until he was surrendered. We don't know how old he is. I have heard anywhere from 3-5 years.

I'm starting to think he's linking his experience of being chained to being on a leash. This is possible, correct? If this is the case, I'm assuming the first step in "rehabilitating" him (for you CM folks) is to associate the leash with nothing but positive experiences. I think I have an idea of how to do this, but I would like to hear your suggestions. Thanks.

EDITED to change a confusing statement

I do believe you have answered  your own question. Your dog probably does associate the leash with being chained up and no one can fault him for that. If I were in your situation, I think I would do as you suggested. Associate the leash with good things. Put the leash on him when you two are at home and let him drag it around. Feed him really tasty tidbits like left over steak or boneless chicken with no seasonings, liver or whatever you think he will really like. Hot dogs are great too.Show him the leash, praise him a lot and treat. Baby steps is the way to go on this situation. It's similiar to training dogs to get into the bath tub when they refuse, get them over the fear of a broom if they have ever been hit with one (even when the broom fell on the dog. It happened to my friend's dog).Always associate something a dog fears with something positive. You are on the right track girl!!!

Joy would hate to ride in the car because when the breeder had her, she would only bring her in the car to go to the vet to get shots, and other things that were very unpleasant. When we got her, we would bring her in the car to places like the pet store and long trails for walks. After she started to anticipate the car ride with good things, we were able to start bringing her to more unpleasant places like the vet to get her vaccines.