Walking on a leash/ training

[Kati, Sullivan and Fred]

Hey everyone,

Our puppy Sullivan has been super easy as far as potty training, sleeping at night , not chewing on everything ETC, BUT walking on a leash is impossible with him! He has a regular collar so I was thinking maybe a harness would help him out more. We've tried rewarding with treats when he does walk but most of the time he sits there and gets dragged lol. Any tips/ suggestions? Thanks!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Try an Easy Walker harness that latches at the chest, not on the back.  start indoors, keep him on a short lead, and give him a treat every other step at first and keep that up to teach him to focus on you.  takes time and patience but soon enough you can expand the steps, he will be looking up at you and you will get more and more steps before having to treat.  if he pulls, stop, give sit command, and start all over.  out doors is much harder becasue of the distractions.  Quincy is 10 months.  We work on this every single walk and he is probably 60-80% (depends on distractions) consistent.  We were taught at Puppy Kindergarten and have been expanding on that ever since.  

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Forgot to add what a cutie Sullivan is!  Enjoy! 

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

There are many different ideas/methods to help with your puppy's leash pulling.  I'm wondering how old he is and what you have already tried?  Back Aways are what my trainers always start with - as soon as Sullivan pulls on the leash or moves ahead of you, you begin moving backwards until he comes back to you.  No popping/jerking on the leash.  The reward is forward motion when he is back in the correct position.  No verbal correction is given.  I was told the dog should be learning to watch you and be aware of your body positon. This method does work but can take many repeat efforts for some dogs. 

I have used a training collar (pinch collar) with Shaggy and he does respond immediately but he is smart enough to know when the training collar is on and when it's not.  I've also use the harness many DK members talked about where the leash hooks to a ring on their chest.  This also worked well but again when it was taken off he went right back to pulling.   Using Back Away's doesn't require any special equiptment so I can do it anywhere we walk together at home or at a pet store etc.  After a year we still do back aways when he encounters something he thinks is exciting but the number we have to do before he remembers his manners is less and less each time we go out:))

Good luck to you!!

 

[Heather]

Our Ellie did the same thing. We finally decided we should try and walk with another dog she liked, and had my sister in law come by with her Golden Retriever. Low and Behold it Worked!!!! After walking 2-3 times with the other dog she was fine and got excited about walks. Give it a Whirl~

[Seamus & Haidee]

Semaus who is 10 months and 34 lbs uses Freedom No Pull Harness by Wiggles Wags and Whiskers.  He's done well with it and i love it as it helps me also. Good luck!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I have always used the harness and mine are 4 1/2 and 3 yrs old. I have great control of them and just have no reason to use a leash clipped on a collar, so my only advice is if the harness works for you, stick with it.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

  I never had this problem so I don't know how well it would work but  perhaps using a gentle leader - either style might allow you more control for forward progress.

[Kati, Sullivan and Fred]

Thanks for all the tips!

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

The gentle leader is a life saver !!!  Both my doodles pulled like crazy, the second I bought the gentle leaders no pulling !!!

[BettyAnn, Holmes & Lucy]

Just got a Halti collar (which is like the Gentle Leader but was on sale when I got it) and has made a world of difference when walking Holmes (he's 13 weeks now). He's not that crazy about it but eventually resigns himself during the walk :) I've also used a harness that attaches to the back, but Holmes was still pulling. I felt better that I wasn't choking him at least.