The puller

[Wolfman]

Hey all

Anybody else ever had a problem with their dog pulling when on-leash?

I've trained a fair few dogs in my life but never have I had such a puller as my chessie-cross is. At 10 months he's pretty big and while he has mellowed a bit there is still this wild puppy streak in him that no amount of runs/walks seems to calm down.

I walk/Heel him quite a bit during the day when I am at home and take him for walks a fair bit. Let him have as much off-leash as possible too. yet he still pulls like a sonofagun.

We tried one of those Halti collar/harnesses on him but he was pulling at that so hard he tore a small mole right off his face. That was fun - vet visit & all. So for now the Halti is out.

I'd hate like Hell to have to use a choke or pinch collar on him but I'm getting there each time he practically yards my arm off ;-)

Any suggestions?

Wolfman

[Jimbo]

Know exactly what you mean. My arm ached for 6 months. Eventually I figured out that if we did fig.8's and circled left and right in the driveway before, during, and after our walks he would get the big picture. We still do it this way regularly and walking is much better now, but it takes us a long time to get around the block !!

[Dirty]

Two words: "Shock Collar"

[brotherjack]

Know exactly what you mean. My arm ached for 6 months. Eventually I figured out that if we did fig.8's and circled left and right in the driveway before, during, and after our walks he would get the big picture. We still do it this way regularly and walking is much better now, but it takes us a long time to get around the block !!


Yep, once you convince them (and frequently remind them) that pulling is only going to get them hauled in the opposite direction of where they're trying to get - they seem to smarten up a lot.

My shepherd was a terrible puller when he was a pup, but I just made sure that EVERY time he pulled, I turned his butt around and made him walk 50 yards the opposite direction of where he was trying to get, and he figured out after a few weeks of that.

[Slime green cat]

Whats wrong with a choke or pinch collar ???
My GSP is a puller on leash and the only thing that works is a pinch collar (the kind with the spikes pointing inwards)
A regular choke chain did nothing :-? I could yard back so hard he would be lifted off his feet and do a 180 and he would keep on pulling like nothing happend ... and keep pulling till he was choking himself to the point of collapse :confused:

Put the pinch collar on him ..... he walks slowly and calm with slack in the leash :biggrin:

[NaStY]

While i don't agree with the whole "spike collar" thing. The only collar i ever had on any of my dogs was a "choker". Worked like a charm in one week.

[huntergirl270]

Have you tried wrapping the leash around your waist so your bodyweight is against him instead of mainly your arm? Also, the idea of keeping him thinking all the time (like changing direction often) while training works really good. Try walking faster but turning direction all the time. (You'll look like a knob to the neighbors but worth it in the end)
The german wire hair we had for a time was a terrible puller and we trained her out of it in a few days with this method.
Good luck :)

[spreerider]

my dog pulled until i got a choke coller and started waiting for the pull then changing direction suddenly and pulling tight, doesnt hurt him at all, infact he broke his choke a few months ago when a aggressive dog came into our front yard and billy was tied up outside and my kid had done him up by the choke.
billy ran at the other dog who was barking and coming into our yard and snap his chain choke snapped off and this was a high quality one, i tried to break another ring in a vice and it was hard to do.
Billy didnt attack the other dog but got in his way and stopped him before he could get close to the kids, and the other dog left right away.

[JeffR]

I volunteer at the shelter in North Van, and between that and my own dogs I have tried a bunch of different things for dogs that pull. I agree with the post about turning quickly and heading the other way. The idea is whenever the dog starts to disregard you and gets out ahead of you, turn 180’ and haul ass. Pretty soon he realizes that the idea is to pay attention to what you are doing and to move with you.

Another good technique is to run the leash down the dogs back, pass it around his stomach, and when you bring it back around pass it under the bit running down his back. You should have a loop that goes around his waist. Dogs don’t like the feel of anything around their waists. You shouldn’t ever have to pull him back with this set-up, as soon as he pulls and feels tension on his waist he will let up.

I have also used the prong collars, they work fine for big pullers, and for dogs that pull hard I think they are more humane than choke chains. Looks like I am in the same ‘hood as you. I have a prong collar as well as a few other anti-pulling collers you can check out if you like. I am by Naniamo & Hastings. Send me a PM if you want to meet up.

[Jimbo]

Another thing that can be very effective is to make sure the choke collar is at the top of the neck near the ears, not down near the shoulders.

[Viking]

The way I trained my yellow lab cross was bringing a bag of treats and hold one in my right hand and give him one every so often to reinforce good behavior, like at heel, walking at heel, sit, come and stay. Didn't take long before he would walk at heel with a slack leash.

[Spokerider]

The leash goes from the collar, does a "loop" around the dog's waist, then back into your hand. When the dog pulls, the loop tightens on the belly causing discomfort. Worked for my mutts.