My Golden retreiver is walking me - help!

Lmnover

Hi

Just looking for advice about dog walking, i have a year and half old retreiver who i have had from a puppy and i adore. We get along fine until we go walking (4-5 times a week).

I used to be able to take him to a remote beach where i would let him of the lead to have a good run but we have moved and i am now forced to keep him on the lead most of the time because of traffic, people etc.

He basically has a mind of his own on the lead and will run towards other dogs mainly when we are out walking. This would be fine except he is only about 3 stone lighter than me so he tends to physically pull me along with him towards whatever he is chasing. This has resulted in several falls for me, loads of embarrassing moments with other dog owners (who are none too impressed!) and i have also managed to pull a muscle in my arm from him!!

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as its got to the stage that i dread our daily outings!

biko

It's time to take him to a course. It shouldn't take long to train him to adjust to your walking and heel properly. Google training courses in your area.

JerryHandbag

I can only describe my experience, and it got a lot better by just persevering! My hound is a spaniel, a sprightly little bugger too, and he had me all over the place when i first started walking him, and I didnt start walking him til he was about 2 so this was my first obvious mistake. But hes so used to it now that theres no probs, and he got used to the lead after about a month or so of walking.
All the advice I can offer, sorry!

The_Conductor

biko wrote: »

It's time to take him to a course. It shouldn't take long to train him to adjust to your walking and heel properly. Google training courses in your area.

+1
Unless you train him properly things are likely to get a lot worse, at 18 months he's not fully grown yet after all......

peasant

Besides the training ...is there any chance you could take/drive the dog somewhere where he can run?

Dogs just need to let off steam every now and then ...plus lead training is made a lot easier after a run when the dog is a bit tired

cotton

I feel your pain! I've 4 here, the youngest "Babydog" used to drag me down the road. (Babydog is a doberman x & stronger than I am)
It got to the stage that walks were dreaded instead of enjoyed.
2 of the others had some degree of pulling but nothing like this. By the time he came along, I thought I knew what I was doing but I obviously didn't.
Head down, chest out & away we went for a drag! I actually resorted to lead made of leather but like a choke chain - tried to use it once & came home in tears a few minutes later as Finn was literally coughing & choking from the pressure on his throat, it was awful.
So I contacted Tara in Dog training Ireland. She recommended the sensible harness for him.
I can honestly say, hand on heart, we went from daily battles to me seeing a Finn I never knew existed, literally overnight. Without meaning to sound corny, it changed the way I felt about him. The pulling is a distant memory & now we enjoy our walks.
I cannot recommend it highly enough.:)

http://www.dogtrainingireland.ie/shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=8

luckat

a) teach him to fetch, and have half an hour's rousing game of Fetch in the garden before each walk, so he's had the springs run out of him

b) try the Pleasure Walker harness, which you can get in Breffni House petshop in Dundrum - my dog loves it, and doesn't pull when she's on it

c) have patience, and encourage him with praise and the odd treat to stay by you - he may not realise that's where he's meant to be.

Ruby Soho

You say this happens when you walk the dog 4-5 times a week, do you only walk the dog this much? This is not enough for a young active breed like a retriever and maybe this is part of your problem. You need to walk the dog every day, twice preferably, maybe then, he/she will have less energy to pull you about.

Lmnover

I have half an acre fenced off for him at the back of our house for him so he has loads of space to run around and play. He aslo has tonnes of toys that he tends to play with when he is by himself.

I think in relation to the dog training i will contact a trainer, i have tried harnesses and chokers but he is just so strong that he hardly notices something pulling around neck!

luckat

Don't try chokers, but do give the Pleasure Walker a try.

He should have a daily walk (and so should you, good for your heart, good for your happiness too). For dogs, the walk is Patrolling the Borders. It's an important bonding thing.

Honestly, if you run the springs out of him first with a vigorous game of Fetch, he won't be half as eager to pull.

You might also try one of those pull-out leads; a lot less irritating if the dog wants to sniff some OOOOH DELICIOUS smells on a tree or something.

Careful with the trainers. I hired a trainer when I got my puppy, and honestly I wouldn't hire the same person now. Nasty aversive methods.

You don't want something that's going to make you feel like an enemy towards your dog, or a controlling bully.

Take a look at http://www.clickertraining.com for some training tips.

Lucky you with a goldener - lovely dogs. I managed to resist a golden retriever puppy last week, which just shows that my willpower is superb.

padi89

If you want an instant cure then from my own experience you can't go wrong with a Halti Head Collar.
Having said that you will have to train him/her as you will eventually want to take it off.As peasant said if you can get somewhere for the dog to run off lead its a big help.A lab too should get plenty of walks, at least 2 X 30-40 mins a day.Usually on the way back they will be too knackered to pull you about.
Keep the lead short,don't let it walk ahead of you,if it does then either stop or get it to sit or you can use a clicker,continue on if it tries to walk ahead again repeat.For everyone i think it's repetition and reward but you should have it obey your commands in no time.
Another thing, it's pointless doing training unless everyone that walks the dog does the exact same thing.

stevoman

here's a great way to teach your dog to walk to heel. when you take him out now keep the lead at a very short distance from you soo he gets used to walking beside you. gradually extend it over time. cut yourself a very small stick about 3 foot in length. as you give your dog some extra slack and when he starts to move forward in front of you, just tap his nose a little with the stick and say firmly HEEL and then pull him back to your side. keep this excersise going constant for a few weeks/ or months. just a slight tap on the nose will do it as its more the irritation of being tapped on the nose that brings them back to heel. this is a very good way to do it and i promise you will get results.

miss no stars

oh god this rings bells!!!!!

my own dog is an 8 year old labrador retriever and hasn't changed since a puppy. Even getting the lead on is a hassle (doesn't matter if he's walked twice a day every day, still goes off his head when he sees the lead)

We've tried training classes and every type of harness there is but with no success. Problem is the dog is too bloody clever. He knows he's gonna get his walk either way and stopping and turning around if he pulls only makes it more interesting! He was clicker trained and has worked out that if there's nothing in it for him there's no point responding only to get a click, rather than a click and a treat (that had to stop because he was getting obese).

Good luck! Some dogs seem to just have a completely wild streak (even after neutering :eek:)

cesarbart

what area ya looking for a dog trainer?

luckat

Clicker training means *only clicking if there is a treat*. You have to use small treats, but delicious. But never, never, never click without treating.

Karen Pryor's book Don't Shoot the Dog is the best introduction to clicker training.

JB1

I would also advice the halti.it goes over his mouth, effectivly pulling the nose down without choking the dog.Combine that with a treat when he walks quietly and you'll be fine in no time.

muckety

I have used the Halti very successfully with my dog - he hates it though! But having used it for 6 months of easy walking (for me) I then put him back on an ordinary lead - and he pulled me just as he had before the Halti. So while it works while its on, it didn't work for me as a training tool....

miss no stars

luckat, I know how clicker training works.


Our little (big) divil managed to get the halti off any time he walked... he'd literally lie down in a very public place and scratch his head off the ground until it came off (no, we couldn't move him and no, nothing we did stopped him doing this. Yes, it was fitted correctly)


We just use an extendible lead now, gives him a bit of freedom to roam and us a bit of a break from sprains and strains and pulls.