Monkey Posted April 21, 2001 Report Share Posted April 21, 2001 My BCs are 18 months old now and my neighborhood is getting built up overnight. I will be moving to a new, more secluded area in within the year, but the recent influx of people here has made it difficult for me to take the dogs out without putting them on a leash. I could probably win the Iditarod with these two dogs. They pull hard enough to hurt themselves sometimes and my normal training methods have not worked. I understand walks away from their regular territory are extremely exciting for them, but I need to figure out how to keep them at my side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niko Posted April 21, 2001 Report Share Posted April 21, 2001 I too have this problem. I've been told that one way to fix it is to change directions. When he starts to pull, turn completely around so the dog is now behind you instead of in front of you. You may look silly doing this and your walks may not actually go anywhere. I must confess we don't go on these training walks as much as we should so I haven't seen as much improvement as I'd like. But then I only have myself to blame for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kath&Mag Posted April 26, 2001 Report Share Posted April 26, 2001 Magpie is a serious puller, and has been since she was little. Because I am training her as a trailing (SAR) dog, I've searched for leash-training methods that use her motivation to stay with me rather than corrective force (when she's trailing, I WANT her to continue forward even if she feels drag on the lead). The best tool I've found so far is a "chuck-it" tennis ball thrower. Mags is gaga over chasing the tennis ball and when the chuck-it is out, she does not like to let it out of her sight. I started by taking her to a park and having her walk at my side while I held the chuck-it low and in my left hand. If she tried to bite at the toy, I gave her a quick "Nah-ah" and kept going, praising her for staying by my side. After a few steps, I gave her a release command and threw the ball for her. Gradually, I worked up to longer distances and turns, and stops with sits. Then I added the leash (I would still throw the ball for her, but only a close toss). She's doing quite well with this program; I plan to continue to lengthen the time she has to walk with me before she gets the reward. Eventually, I should be able to leave the chuck-it behind and just carry the ball, and then will take that away. Anyway, this method is working pretty well for my toy-motivated pup. Another method I've heard of is just refusing to go forward when the dog pulls. You just stand there and wait until the dog loosens the lead, then start forward again. This means it may take a LONG time to go around the block, but friends of mine swear by this technique. -Kath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vpwolf Posted April 30, 2001 Report Share Posted April 30, 2001 A very simple method. If dog pulls on leash, quit walking until there is slack in the leash, repeat, repeat, repeat until dog learns that slack leash = forward movement Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danni Posted May 1, 2001 Report Share Posted May 1, 2001 Completely agree with Kath and Kris, simply stop walking whe the dog pulls on the lead. It can take a long time for the dog to understand what he/she needs to do, so don't expect overnight results. I use this method with my dogs (3), when I am walking from my house down to the woods, as I only want them to walk on a loose lead relatively close to me. I don't use any coomands. I only use the "heel" command when I am doing obedience training and I want my dog "glued" to my side. Good luck and just remember to stay cool, like you have all the time in the world. Danni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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