]Has anyone ever successfully taught a dog not to pull on the lead????

keaves

So Ive adopted a German Shepherd aged 6 ish. A lovely dog but has been in and out of foster care and shelters for most her life. She was in foster with me for 8 months in the end and no one wanted her so decided she needed a place to finally settle so she formally adopted us :rolleyes: In the house shes a dream but outside I'm having a few issues.

So Ive a few questions

Has anyone ever successfully thought a dog not to pull on the lead???? I'm using a halti at the min and every time she pulls i turn and walk the other way and this does work but only in places she knows and therefor we dont get very far. If its somewhere new (even just a path she hasn't walked on that day) she pulls and sounds like a little pig as she refuses to let the halti stop her. Ive tried the canny collar too but i prefer the side pull of the halti. I don't really want another head collar or harness to try I have them all from all the foster dogs. Food is of no interest to her either when out - Ive even tried M&S rashers when hotdogs wouldn't work. I just want to know how to get her to walk like calmly beside me ( sorta like the guide dogs:o - I see them with there training families in work all the time and Im dying to know how they do it)

Recall is another issue Its horrendous but i think its just a case of a long lead and reward when she does come but if you've any secrets please share. If she see someone she thinks she knows from her past lives i guess ;men with flat caps and people with children/ buggys and or a dog shes gone!

Also .... anyone know of socialization classes for older problem ish dogs? Or trainers who you personally know to have helped a reactive dog? I can tell shes dying to play with other dogs but she doesn't know how to handle herself around them, is very wary but also SUPER excited and interested which leads to her generally getting mouthy and throwing in a few growls as if to try control the situation I guess and as shes a GSD people are quick to avoid us so socializing is hard and unfortunately its with good reason as I cant tell what way she will react. ....I'm wary of saying this here but I'm getting to the stage where im thinking a water spray collar to be able to snap her out of any unwanted behavior around other dogs - shes big, she can be scarey to some people, I dont want her hurting anyone's pet but would love her to be able to play or at least be around dogs and me to know i could at least distract/discourage her getting mouthy

I feel as though I'm asking for a miracle here but any and all suggestions are welcome.

Heres a pic of the madam im trying to tame!;)

peteb2

You haven't said where you are local to in terms of socialisation classes, etc. Would highly recommed daycare up at Dog Training Ireland in Ballycoolin, D15. But at six I believe they would have to do an appraisal of her and I think that costs €50. Then you can put her in from 8 in the morning to 5 or 6 in the evening for about €15. My dog loves it!! Been there regularly since we got her 7 months ago. She is 100% dog friendly now, if only it were the same with people!

In terms of loose-lead walking, I ask more question than I answer on this forum. But I thought I would have got her to do it after a few weeks. But its taken me months. And now she is fine. So its not going to be an overnight change.

Whispered

I would steer well clear of any sort of aversive punishment when trying to deal with her around other dogs (or at all). It's only likely to make her more reactive. If you think of it from a dogs point of view, she sees another dog, gets excited, gets a spray in the face. So the way she sees it, she wants to play with another dog and gets punished for it. She will begin to fear seeing other dogs and so the behaviour escalates. Some gentle socialisation with a stable dog would be great. If you worry she could cause a fight then I would also recommend daycare, where she is being supervised by trained staff.

If she is insured with allianz, a behaviourist consult would be covered with your insurance. They will be able to give you exercises to do with her to help her with her socialisation outside of a controlled environment like daycare.

For walking, go back to basics, in the house. Start teaching her that if there is pressure on the lead she is going nowhere. Then build things up slowly. Inside, back garden, front garden, etc. She'll be learning so she will be tired without her usual long walk. I'd also work on her general obedience, so you can use "sit" or "look" to distract her when she's acting up around other dogs.

kylith

I have, but not which such a big dog; every time she pulled on the lead I'd gently pull her back and eventually she got the message that pulling wasn't allowed. She still walks ahead of me at the start of the walk, but doesn't drag. Perseverance is key, the GSD is a smart breed so she'll pick it up fairly quickly.

suomi

My dog is exactly like that too. She's 4.5 years old and she used to be a bit better, didn't pull as much and didn't get so excited about everyone walking by etc, but lately it's been so bad that it's almost impossible to walk her. She's a retriever so she's capable of knocking you over if you're not careful! We've tried everything and nothing's worked, so I think the next step is getting a dog trainer to take a look. She's such a lovely, calm, obedient dog otherwise.

I didn't mean to hijack your thread btw, just saying that you're not the only one with problems! Sorry I don't have any advice to offer.

Outkast_IRE

are you using halti chest harness or the halti that goes around the nose and face ?

I use the chest harness type and found it helped an awful lot

fatmammycat

My guy doesn't pull much any longer as he's rolling up towards six months, he walks to my right and on a–mostly– slack lead, but I am pretty religious about this as he's going to be a very large dog and I need him to have good manners.
The BEST thing I did was get rid of the extension lead and invest in a 5 foot leather leash that I can loop in my hand, it gives me a lot of control and we 'connect' more, if that makes sense. Also twice a week I take him on really long *work* walks, where everything is on lead, sit and wait at lights, cross only when given command, walk calmly past dogs, moving leaves (he loves to chase leaves that flutter past), ducks, in fact everything that interests him, with tonnes of praise when he does everything asked of him. These walks are really challenging for him mentally, and quite tiring too but it seems to really help a great deal in shorter relaxed walks. He's still only a baby so still learning, but I think it's repetition and being consistent that matters with training, but I imagine that works much the same way with any dog of any age.

BillyMitchel

There's the other method of when they pull you turn and pull and walk the other way when they pull and keep repeating untill they learn to walk beside you. Just give treats when they catch up.

*thats roughly how it's done, might find a better explanation on google!

Zulu

What worked for me was patience.
When she pulled I said "ah-ah" & I stopped dead. I stood still until the lead went slack and she was looking at me with a "wtf". Then I'd start again.

You need to be prepared to get NOWHERE for 15/20mins the first time. Literally NOWHERE. Like to the end of the drive nowhere. As soon as she pulls, you stop dead. Pull. Stop.Pull.Stop.Pull.Stop...

After a while she got the picture.

But you can't give in. You need to forget about the walk you are about to take her on. She pulls, you stop.

**Vai**

When its a GSD its either gonna be the easiest dog you'll ever teach how to walk properly or the most difficult. Because you adopted her as an adult dog its gonna take longer.

Firstly, make sure you walk train her everyday without exception. Keep using the halti, keep her on a very short leash at first and lengthen it as she improves. When she pulls in front, stop and turn both of you in a circle until your facing the way you want to go again. Making sure she is beside or behind you when the circle is complete. Personally I prefer mine to be beside me rather than behind but it is a personal choice. Get her to sit beside you for a few seconds and then proceed with your walk in as calm a manner as you can. Repeat as much as you need. You'll look like a lunatic until she gets the picture but it will be worth it. If she has problems understanding this, a little tap (and I do mean a little tap) just in front of her hind leg (her ribs basically) anytime she steps in front of you has worked wonders for me with various foster dogs.

There really is no need for food or toy rewards when you're teaching a dog to walk on a lead. It does take time and patience though. As for the playing, GSDs, most dogs actually, get a little mouthy when playing, I wouldnt worry about it too much. You'll know if/when shes going overboard, its plain to see. I havent really done much recall work or attended a socialisation class so there are people on here who will be better able to answer those questions.

tk123

Have you done any training at home to try and teach her some self control? This is what worked really well with my retriever. Not just for walks but for pouncing on stuff that falls on the ground.:rolleyes:

With the dog on it's lead you throw a treat ahead of you and don't let her pull to take the treat - you slowly take a step at a time and if she pulls you go back to the start. Once she's walking slowly to the treat you make her look at you first then let her take it - repeat repeat repeat. You want to get to the stage where if you're on a walk stop she turns around and asking you whats going on.

Once she's doing it at home you need to take it outside - if she has no interest in treats outside don't feed her breakfast/dinner and train her when she's hungry.

I used a clicker and treats with my guy (he's greedy so treats work)- so click and treat whenever he was in the right position/slack lead. As he got the hang of it we spaced out the clicks treats. It worked well with him because it got him in the habit of checking in with me as we walk.

It just takes time and patience.

Twinwolf

Hi there OP,

I can only offer some advice of what I have tried, my problem was a bit different, I coulnd't get my pup to walk, at all, we used to go out for a 'carry' and my nieces took him out in a pram!

There was a brilliant youtube video and I just can't find it. Basically its to start the training indoors, with no leash. I use a clicker and would recommend getting one. You get some amazing treats together, and get the dog to walk beside you, close to your heel, also choose one side that you want him to stay on, so he gets famiiar to that side & view. Its good to try this in a hall. And walk up and down using the treat as a lure, and when he's doing it right, click and treat, or praise and treat, This is getting him comfortable in that position. Once you've done that for a few sessions, put him on the lead and do the same, and its always good to do the sessions in different locations in the house, it could be 5 minutes a couple of times a day. Once he is doing good on the leash, bring him into the garden to try it, then progress bit by bit, and if it stops working it just means you have progressed too soon, so bring it back a step or two before moving on.

I did this with my little guy, it got him walking within two days & when he started to walk he did pull, so I did some more training, and then when I took him out, I would brink the clicker & when he's walking beside me with a relaxed leash would give him a click - he got this the first walk. (treats don't work outside for me either, hes just not relaxed enough yet for them I think)

Obviously yours is a very different situation, but its a good technique. I wish I could find the video as it explained it alot better. Another thing i've seen on the dog whisperer is a stick, or a long unbrella - when the dog starts to walk ahead you put it infront of your dog to block him getting ahead.

I'll try to find that video, but here is another very good one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFgtqgiAKoQ