please help with leash question... Bailey HATESSSS them! What to do?

glenmar

 

Time, patience and consistency is all it's gonna take.  And I agree, they are never too old to learn.  It's just more work for you if you wait until later to start.

im strong willed just like my Bailey girl... and only one woman can win!! haha....

our dog doesn't have behavioral problems - she doens't like a leash, and she is socialized with MANY animals...

doesn't have any YET. Wait until she matures and decides strangers should be attacked on sight because she wasn't exposed to enough of them as a young pup. Visiting families she knows doesn't count. Get working NOW- get her out and about. Might not be too late.

mudpuppy

our dog doesn't have behavioral problems - she doens't like a leash, and she is socialized with MANY animals...

doesn't have any YET. Wait until she matures and decides strangers should be attacked on sight because she wasn't exposed to enough of them as a young pup. Visiting families she knows doesn't count. Get working NOW- get her out and about. Might not be too late.

she is not just socialized with family... she has been EVERYWHERE with us... EVERYWHERE... from our friends with cows, to all of our neighbors, friends and familys.  She has been socialized with everything from as small as weenie dogs to big cur dogs and pit bulls.  She loves cats and cows and horses.  We have no where else to bring dogs to just play.  We bring our dogs everywhere... she has just never needed a leash because her and nelly stay by our sides... They have gone everywhere in our boats, vehicles, etc.

Not every dog is vicious you know... some people seriously read way to much into things.  I asked about a leash, not a lecture on how to raise my dog - thank you.

I would appreciate that if you are going to respond again here to please stay on my topic about LEASH TRAINING...

2. Pick up your lead/leash. This signals to the dog that it is about to go for a walk. Make it sit patiently as you clip on the lead. Use a treat to lure the dog to sit if you have to. Make sure you only clip on the lead when the dog is sitting still, going for a walk is on your terms, not theirs.
4. Walk him over to the door, ready for the walk.
5. Make the dog sit. Tell them "wait". Make sure the dog waits inside as you step outside, and then say, "Ok come on!" and allow the dog to walk outside. Never just let the dog burst outside. Wait is basically stay, except the dog is expecting you to release it from the wait soon. Wait can be very useful when you answer the door and your dog obediently stands inside without you having to hold their collar.
6. Open the door. Take the dog outside. Be careful, because the dog may pull on the leash when it sees that you are going outside.
7. Try not to pull on the lead. Your dog will walk at its own pace, which may be faster than you. In that case, don't let the dog pull you. If the dog is pulling on the leash, tug back on the leash ever so slightly, and not to keep a constant strain on the dog's neck.
8. Don't let your dog off the lead. Only do this in parks (dog parks), and/or on the beach (if allowed). There should be a sign saying whether or not your dog is allowed off the lead in that particular area.
9. When you get back home, take the lead off your (making sure it sits still!) dog and fill a dog bowl up with water so that your dog can have a drink.

Did you ever see the episode the "The Dog Whisperer" with the white BT (just like yours) that wouldn't walk on a leash?

I believe the dog would walk fine until you clipped his leash on him then he would just stand still and not move a muscle. Sounds like Bailey!

I don't remember exactly how he got the dog to walk....he did not put any pressure on the leash though, and I think he kept patting it on it's rump to get the legs going...I'm not exactly sure though.

I wish I could give better advice! Have you tried enticing her with treats...like, letting her follow the scent in your hand, not just giving her the treat to eat, you know? And hold the leash in your hand, no pressure/tension on her though.

Good luck!

Have you tried tying her up?  Of course, it has to be in a safe place (yard) and in such a way that she can't slip out (harness maybe) and tied short so she can't entangle her legs too much.  I've seen a professional trainer (good one) do this with grown dogs that are not leash trained.  He would always stay hidden but where he could observe and quickly get to dog if there was a problem.  The concept, as you probably figured out already, is that the dog is fighting the leash and the dog can't win and the owner is not a part of the experience.  I've seen dogs that quickly learned that fighting the leash is not working and on the other hand I saw one dog chew through the leash in a very few minutes.  This may not appeal to you and may not be a good solution for Bailey, you know your dog better than anyone.  I realize that this may bring a lot of negative comments but it seemed to work with the majority of dogs that I observed and the dogs didn't associate the experience with the trainer.  Professional trainers don't have the luxury of spending weeks and weeks getting a dog leashed trained, clients won't pay that kind of money.  I have used this method with smaller, puppies in the 4 to 6 month age range, but I've done it in the house using a heavy piece of furniture and the puppies weren't as wild as Bailey sounds like on the leash.  Good luck, she sounds like a great dog who just doesn't understand why all of a sudden you want her hooked up to this stinking leash!  She'll get it and and hopefully you won't have to evacuate!

BlackLabbie

Did you ever see the episode the "The Dog Whisperer" with the white BT (just like yours) that wouldn't walk on a leash?

I don't think that would apply to Bailey's case. But I do think getting her used to the leash by slow exposure is the way to go. Sounds like there's some success already! Yay!

I missed your post about the vet visit and Bailey doing pretty good.  Sorry, sometimes hard to keep up, I'll be more careful in the future.  BTW I don't know anyone who has spent time training their dogs who doesn't think "Oh I wish I had taught little Monster this when he/she was young". Sounds like you are working out the problem.

JackieG

Have you tried tying her up?   The concept, as you probably figured out already, is that the dog is fighting the leash and the dog can't win and the owner is not a part of the experience. 

Wow, I don't think that's necessary.  No reason to make it a negative experience at all.  She simply needs to get used to having the leash on her.  Based on BTMomma's experiences already with her dog, she can keep it positive, I'm sure.

JackieG

Have you tried tying her up?  Of course, it has to be in a safe place (yard) and in such a way that she can't slip out (harness maybe) and tied short so she can't entangle her legs too much.

I don't think this is a great idea. Leashes should be associated with good things, like walks and car rides. BTmomma, like others have said, I would just let Bailey drag the leash around and correct her if she chews on it so she knows it's not a toy. Most likely she'll soon enough get used to it and get excited when you bring it out, as she'll make the connection that leash = fun walks outside. : ) Good luck!

IrishSetterGrl

Most likely she'll soon enough get used to it and get excited when you bring it out,

And then if you accidently touch it, you get to crush all your wiggly excited dog's hopes and dreams by saying "Oh, no, sorry, we're not going anywhere!"

chelsea_b

IrishSetterGrl

Most likely she'll soon enough get used to it and get excited when you bring it out,

And then if you accidently touch it, you get to crush all your wiggly excited dog's hopes and dreams by saying "Oh, no, sorry, we're not going anywhere!"

I get to do that to Maze a lot during the day. I don't have a specific spot for the leash so when we get home I usually put it on the back of a chair. And when I finally move it, Maze does her "happy walk time" dance then flops and pouts when I tell her it's a no go. Loll. 

Once Bailey is used to dragging the leash and walking with no pressure, perhaps you can "couple" her to your lab for outings to give her confidence.  This has helped my pup greatly in traffic work; he went through a period where he was terrified of cars and trucks going by on the road into town that we walk daily.  I was having trouble not reinforcing his fearful behavior.  By coupling him to my more confident dog, I took myself out of the equation completely.  The other dog could care less about his response and just continued calmly on the walk without responding, teaching the pup how to behave. 

 The poster who wrote about tying the dog to a tree, this reminds of a very old method that used to be done with horses, and is not without risks of physical injury.  I don't think it should be attempted by someone who is not a professional.

I used to live in Northwestern LA, and it is rural area.....there were no dogparks, sure.  But I'm sure there is maybe a Lowes or a Petco or Southern States, somewhere you can take her......even if it's just "downtown". 

fitzfids

 

I used to live in Northwestern LA, and it is rural area.....there were no dogparks, sure.  But I'm sure there is maybe a Lowes or a Petco or Southern States, somewhere you can take her......even if it's just "downtown". 

AMEN!!! Thank you!

We have a Petsmart... its right by where I work... which is 45 minutes away from home, so i usually just pick up here things when Im on a lunch break.  She gets PLENTY of outting time... I seriously don't even think she would be interested in the pet store because she would rather be playing in the sprinklers with Nelly, or riding in the boat...

and I don't know what Lowes is?  Is that a pet store.

BTmomma

and I don't know what Lowes is?  Is that a pet store.

No, it's a home improvement store.