Pulling on the lead

[charlee108]

Hi I have a Male Rotti pup who is now 8 months old when he was younger he was so good on the lead, but in the last few months he is pulling most of the time on the lead, and also picks up everything in the street i.e wrappers, snails, anything he can to be honest and as hes pulling so hard to get whatever has caught his eye its getting harder to pull him away as hes getting stronger..any ideas would be appreciated.

[sweetlee]

First question, has your dog been to obedience class?
That is a good place to start and at 8 months it certainly overdue.
The dog needs to learn "leave it" so he isn't going after every little thing that comes his way.
I found that using a pinch collar on Dodge at first, BEFORE I even took him to classes was like having power steering. But I had used these before for proofing some other dogs.
they are a training device, not a way of life.
And you must fit them right or they will not do you any good, and may even be harmful, so if you aren't in classes, get enrolled ASAP. You may not even need any training devices after that, but if you do, the instructor should be able to recommend one and show you how to properly use it.
Take tasty treats with you on walks, keep them close to the dog's nose, if he takes off after something, tell him "leave it" and as soon as he looks away from the item and at you, treat and praise him.
Leave it is a very important command, and should be one of the first learned in a good obedience class.
I can't recommend training highly enough. Actually it's not an option with a big strong dog, it's mandatory that you have total control at all times.

sharon

[charlee108]

Hiya Sharon thanks for the reply Diesel has had some puppy training but they lasted a couple of weeks and he started them at 12 weeks but the training place closed and there are no other trainers I can find locally to me, and to be honest im sure about the pinch collars? But will certainly try the treats on the walks and see how he goes..thanks again.

[keller27]

I just don't like the prong collars, never have since a trainer years back put one on my sheltie and nearly ruined him and he hated training after that. It took another trainer, no prong, to get him back to his happy self again. It's just difference of opinion about the pinch collars.

When Khori basically got to that age he went into a Halti. It wasn't forever until I was able to get him to know that walking nicely was a better choice. I can walk him on a flat collar, but I always have the halti with me, incase a situation comes up unexpected. He weighs 145 lbs. very strong, and I am 5'1.

What do you do when he starts pulling? Do you keep walking, pull back on him, stop? How were you taught in your classes with him or they hadn't gotten that far before they closed down?

Do you have a PetSmart in the area? They do training there. You would get all of your basics taught to you that you need.

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by keller27

Do you have a PetSmart in the area?

The OP lives in England.

[keller27]

Originally Posted by AngelBunny

The OP lives in England.

Sorry, I should have looked before I posted. Well, then, maybe PetSmart should put one there!

[charlee108]

Originally Posted by keller27

I just don't like the prong collars, never have since a trainer years back put one on my sheltie and nearly ruined him and he hated training after that. It took another trainer, no prong, to get him back to his happy self again. It's just difference of opinion about the pinch collars.

When Khori basically got to that age he went into a Halti. It wasn't forever until I was able to get him to know that walking nicely was a better choice. I can walk him on a flat collar, but I always have the halti with me, incase a situation comes up unexpected. He weighs 145 lbs. very strong, and I am 5'1.

What do you do when he starts pulling? Do you keep walking, pull back on him, stop? How were you taught in your classes with him or they hadn't gotten that far before they closed down?

Do you have a PetSmart in the area? They do training there. You would get all of your basics taught to you that you need.

When he starts pulling I stop and walk in the opposite direction but as soon as I turn to go where we are going he pulls again so I must admit I do pull back on this lead now and then out of frustration most of the time the class didnt get any futher than t he sit, down, leave and stay then it ceased. We do not have a petsmart in this country I dont think im in the UK. Funnily I was talking to lady who came into work today and she mentioned the halti so im going to get one tomorrow after work and give it a go, thanks for the advice.

[keller27]

One thing that is very important in training is that there are lots of rewards. So when your dog is walking even just afew steps on loose leash, stop and really let your dog know that he is doing a great job.

When you are holding your leash. Make sure that it is loose. Some people when holding it, will tighten it up which causes the dog to pull. If you stand in one spot with your dog and slowly tighten the leash, more than likely you will feel your dog to move away from you. Tight leashes can stress out your dogs too.

Before he even starts pulling, this is the time to do your "sneak aways", turning in the opposite way. If he goes to the left, quickly walk right. If he gets out in front, quickly do an about turn the other way. Anytime he is walking with you, praise him.

Some people also teaches targeting with a clicker. They will teach their dogs to target their hand. Go to the clicker websites of Karen Pryor, etc.

My rottie is in a size 3 Halti. He has a number 4, but can manage to get it off his nose. He has one of the big rottie heads.

[charlee108]

Originally Posted by keller27

One thing that is very important in training is that there are lots of rewards. So when your dog is walking even just afew steps on loose leash, stop and really let your dog know that he is doing a great job.

When you are holding your leash. Make sure that it is loose. Some people when holding it, will tighten it up which causes the dog to pull. If you stand in one spot with your dog and slowly tighten the leash, more than likely you will feel your dog to move away from you. Tight leashes can stress out your dogs too.

Before he even starts pulling, this is the time to do your "sneak aways", turning in the opposite way. If he goes to the left, quickly walk right. If he gets out in front, quickly do an about turn the other way. Anytime he is walking with you, praise him.

Some people also teaches targeting with a clicker. They will teach their dogs to target their hand. Go to the clicker websites of Karen Pryor, etc.

My rottie is in a size 3 Halti. He has a number 4, but can manage to get it off his nose. He has one of the big rottie heads.

ok Thank you went to the local pet shop who is going to get me in a Halti for saturday so hopefully it will work, and I will certainly try the loose lead trick