Pulling on the lead

getz

Whispered wrote: »

So we agree then, harnesses do not make dogs pull?

the average run in the mill general harness does not stop a dog from pulling ,that is why there is a sale for the special [more expensive] pulling one

Whispered

getz wrote: »

the average run in the mill general harness does not stop a dog from pulling ,that is why there is a sale for the special [more expensive] pulling one

Like the front connection one which the OP asked about.

daltonmd

Léan wrote: »

Hi,
we have just adopted a German Shepherd X, he's 16 weeks and an absolute sweetheart. But... He was living in a foster family before he came to us and it seems he's developed some really bad habits on the lead. He pulls quite badly, and swerves and lunges after traffic.

He is already quite strong and is only going to get stronger so I really want to get this sorted now. I have tried stopping and starting and lots of positive reinforcement, although this is working to an extent in the park, on the road it's a totally different ball game, it is very hard to get his attention.

I have been reading a lot about the Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness and it seems to have gotten lots of positive reviews, but i'm unsure.

Any help/advice appreciated.

I found that you have to train the dog before you even get out of the door. If he pulls then does he jump around at the door and do you struggle to put the lead on him in the first place?
What I found great was controlling the dog at the door before even leaving.
This means getting him to sit and relax and not putting the lead on until he does so. GS are beautiful and incredibly smart.
When he is sitting and calm put the lead on, make sure he leaves after you, if he tugs when he is outside instruct him to sit and do not move until he does so. Again, your aim here is to keep him relaxed.
Tugging and pulling is reacting to him. Do not walk if he is jmping, only do so when he sits calmly.
When walking try not to tug, but place him by your side, again, stop if he does not follow your command.
You need to try and walk when he is calm, with a loose lead. It does take some time, but once the dog knows how to behave to get his walk then you will have no issue.
He just doesn't know what the correct behaviour is.

getz

Whispered wrote: »

Like the front connection one which the OP asked about.

yes but even those are not guaranteed to work,in my case i have had three powerful dogs ,two staffies and three bullies, all but this one[young bully] would walk on the leed without a problem,but as this one can slip the collar at will,i have very little choice but use a harness, and as he is only still a pup and i know from experience that bullies slow down as they get older, so its still a work in progress.

Whispered

Of course they are not guaranteed to work. I never said they were? They require training - but they do not cause a dog to pull.

Léan

Hi everyone, just an update on this.

Thanks for everyones helpful advice. The last week or so we have been very firm, if he pulls I just stop until he comes back beside me, or I change direction, lots of treats and praise involved too. This has been working, but it's a slow process.

Today I got the easy walk harness, one walk down and it's such a pleasure now. I can't believe how much of a difference it makes, it seems to give him guidance. It's great

He is still a bit iffy near cars, but he's getting there. It seems to only be when streams of cars come at once rather than individual cars now. We just stop and pet him so he can see that the cars will just go passed and not bother him.


Thanks for everyones input!