Ever wish your doodle wasn't so cute?

[Christy&Riley]

A very sweet neighbor pulls over her car this morning while I'm taking Riley for a quick potty break before I go to work. She rolls down the window and calls Riley by name. Of course, my way over friendly doodle bounds at her car with me in tow on the end of the leash. Just went to the chiropractor yesterday...UGH...that money is down the drain now. I yank Riley back and make her sit, partly because she took off while on a leash and jerked my neck and partly because I didn't want her to scratch the car. The neighbor says something like sorry for interrupting your quiet time. It's not quiet time. I'm trying to manage this dog without blowing my neck out. How do you not see that calling this dog by name is going to get a reaction?

Then a couple months ago a neighbor threw a styrofoam toy and Riley took off after it while on a leash. The lady thought it was great fun. Me...not so much. Particularly because I'm now trying to hold her back and pull the piece of crap out of her mouth before she swallows it. Another time a neighbor pulls over the car and let's his little rat dog bark at Riley from his lap. The barking didn't phase Riley. It was when the owner called Riley over that it jerked my neck.

While I appreciate the friendliness, how do these people not see that I have a hard time holding her back when they get her riled up? All are dog owners but their dogs weigh about 10 pounds max. The first has even played with Riley so she knows this is her weak spot in training. I know I need to just ask these people not to address Riley because it gets her too excited. And it is also my fault for having a dig with my neck issue. But for now I just needed to vent after this morning. Thanks for listening...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I understand that you're venting and not asking for advice, but I'm going to give you some anyway, for the sake of your poor neck, lol.

What you really need is not to ask people not to address Riley, but to ramp up your leash training so that it doesn't matter if someone calls her, throws a toy, etc.  You can't control what other people do, but you can control your own dog. It takes a lot of time and hard work, but it can be done, and many of us here have done it. The goal is a dog who remains calm, non-reactive and focused on you under any and all circumstances and distractions. If you haven't already joined the Training Group, please do. We've all been there (I was once dragged across a street on my stomach!) and you will get lots of good advice and help. 

[Christy&Riley]

I will ask for help in the Training Group. Thanks.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I couldn't agree more....and I'm sorry about your neck.  I know the feeling.  I remember the days when I was covered with bruises from Murph dragging me on my hands and knees down a sidewalk because he was going after another dog or jogger.  It took a lot of training, but that hasn't happened in years.  In the meantime though maybe you could always carry a few high value treats as a distraction....just turn away from the distraction and treat like crazy.  It saved me during the training phase and still does if there's a really tough distraction.  I'm not sure what you're using for a collar but I found getting control of Murph's head with the Gentle Leader helped so much.  Good luck!

[Christy&Riley]

Thanks Jane. Using this morning as an example, Riley was fine standing there until the lady said something to her then she darted over. Usually I keep an eye out for people and avoid interactions in the morning as I'm trying to get to work and don't have time for "training moments," but in this case it would have been rude to ignore the lady when she pulled over next to us. How do I handle that? Should I just start treating in anticipation the lady was going to talk to Riley?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I would turn around and have Riley turn around and then start treating...while yelling back to the woman that your dog is in training and walk in the opposite direction.  Yes, if she slowed down I would anticipate that she might say something. I really don't worry about being rude in these situations....your health and safety is more important.  Once your training is solid this won't be as much of an issue and the type of collar or harness that you use will depend on your training method.  In the meantime....I really have found turning away and giving high value treats helps them to regain their focus.  Even now when Murph is non-reactive about 95% of the time, I always have treats for those situations when the distraction is over his threshold. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am sorry for your n DK issues. I use prong collars on my doodles because even though they are good on leashes you never know when some disobedient squirrel or rabbit might taunt them who are harder to train than neighbors. I have about 110 pounds of dog that might pull me down. I have written about the prong collars that I use here on DK. The dogs don't mind them at all and they are made with a special easy to open and close clasp.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I have them too and also halters, as well as a variety of leash types.  Depends on the occasion when you need dog control.  I usually take one dog at a time for a walk because if two of them are on a split leash, they can pull me around too easily.  And then there is always the problem of trying to scoop and control two dogs while you are scooping.   I don't know what dog walkers do.  For me, one at a time works best.

[Christy&Riley]

I'm not very strong so just managing a 38 pound dog has been tough. Can't imagine 110 pounds! But we've been making great progress. A few months ago Riley was playing with another dog in our yard and the dog ran across the street. Riley started to follow but I called her name firmly but calmly. Normally I would have had panic in my voice. I about cried when she stopped in her tracks and came back. That was a huge break through for me. She has always listened to my husband but I'm not so good at being a pack leader. I'm a work in progress...

A friend has been suggesting a prong collar but I've been hesitant. I'll take a look at your posts to learn more. Thanks.

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

I love the prong collars and I do NOT leave home without them!  They keep my girls in check.  Skadi has worn hers since puppyhood and without a prong, our "rehomed' Elli, who has been with us almost a year, would be dragging me down the street.  I love people gushing over my two cuties, but I expect them to behave(the dogs that is) or I don't take them out in public..somehow they both got the message through their massive training and our outings are the highlight of our day.  Today we went to the Santa House and said hello & merry Christmas to the long long line of moms, dads and kids...such super great fun!  But, without prongs they aren't so "cute".(the dogs that is) LOL

[Richard Crowe]

I have used a German make - not Chinese prong collar.  The German version has rounded prongs while the cheaper Chinese version has sharper prongs.

However I prefer the Freedom Harness and Euro Lead for walking any large dog.  

I was introduced to the Freedom Harness and Euro Lead at a dog training event when it easily controlled a very large and unruly Pit Bull.

The Freedom Harness has two D-rings to attach the lead; one at the dog's back and another at the front.  The Euro Lead has attaching clips at both ends.  You attach one end of the lead to the back and the other end to the front. It is marvelous how it controls the dog with almost no pressure,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtNU_Tes68U

[Christy&Riley]

I've used Gentle Leader and a choke collar. Both worked well for leash pulling. I think I tried something like the freedom harness and it was a disaster. Anything on her body just gave her more leverage against me.

The challenge is that Riley is so excited to see people, she will LITERALLY choke herself pulling over to see them. When I used those collars, I also had to carry a regular collar in my pocket and switch it before we came up to someone otherwise she would hurt herself. I thought about a prong collar but I'm scared she would really do damage. That's why this is so frustrating because she is willing to hurt herself to go see people and other dogs. Not sure even a high value treat would be interesting enough.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The collars and harnesses are really just tools to use to try to gain some control as you work on building a bond with your dog through training. Different dogs respond better to different ones, but eventually, you hopefully won't need anything other than a plain old collar. I know that may seem impossible (it did to me), but it's not. :) 

What saved me in the beginning was the Easy Walk harness, which was recommended to me by a trainer in our very first class, when Jack (14 months, 70 lbs at the time) had no leash manners and pulled like a freight train. It's different from most other harnesses in that the leash fastens to a Martingale attachment at the front of the harness, on the chest. Because of that, the dog simply cannot pull forward; when he tries, the design causes the dog to end up turned around facing you. In order for him to move forward, which is what he wants to do, he must stop pulling so that the leash slackens. It stopped the pulling immediately. Again, this is just a tool, but you might try it. 

The link I posted has a video showing how it works. 

http://www.petsafe.net/easywalk