How to stop the dog pulling me!

BeenieCat

So recently i split with my partner, who took charge of all dog duties, and was her well respected master. He had already begun training her, with various dummies and training he'd learned when working his last springer at a local farm with pheasants etc, although he hasn't taken this one out and worked her.

Dog is 9 months, Springer Spaniel (!! very hard work and energetic).

So now my problem is, with him gone i now have to do all the walks, and she must be used to walking at ex's fast(!) pace as she pulls me the whole time, and god forbid if she sees another dog and decides she'll go and play regardless of the lead tied round her neck!:rolleyes:

I don't really want to have her on a harness, as i think if you need a harness for your dog you shouldn't have the dog at all!!

I'm constantly pulling her back, telling her HEEL, clicking my fingers or patting the side of my leg to show her where to walk, but she takes no notice of me .

I should mention, she heeled her master (ex) perfectly!

She does as she's told, (for about 30 seconds) in other aspects, such as 'outside' 'sit' 'leave it' etc, but when we're walking she's a nightmare!!! Also if she runs off to play with a dog and i shout her back she makes me look like a right moron as she takes no notice, and other owners look at me as if i'm a muppet who shouldn't have such a demanding dog.

Anyway, i know she's still young, not that springers always settle down! Rehoming her is not an option, and apart from walking - she's absolutely lovely.

So my question is, are there any devices, aside from a harness, or hints/tips that anyone can give me?!!

SarahLou

Have you ever tried a halti-collar on her? I personally recommend "Gentle-Leaders" as these don't tend to get in the way of a dogs eyes if they're fitted correctly and do wonders for pullers.

A body harness is useless - the power comes from the chest so putting a harness there just gives the dog more to pull against so you're right to avoid those.

Otherwise its back to basics.

Everytime she pulls, walk backwards so she has to turn around and come back with you. The instant she pulls say "NO" then proceed to walk backwards immediately. The instant she stops pulling, say "HEEL" (in a high pitched voice ideally!) and walk forwards again.

Dogs soon learn that this gets very boring so you'll get further and further each time without tension on the lead.

Initially though it will take time and you'll feel like a numptie in front of your neighbours and you'll feel like you spend more time walking backwards than forwards but it will work, honestly!

trudiha

SarahLou wrote: »

A body harness is useless - the power comes from the chest so putting a harness there just gives the dog more to pull against so you're right to avoid those.

I know that the OP for whatever reason doesn't want to use a harness, so I'm not trying to turn this into a thread about harnesses but I just couldn't let this bit go!

My dogs, who between them weigh about 90kg, don't walk to heel very well when they're on the lead, well they do right up until they see another dog or something else that they like the look of and then it all goes to pot.

Two separate trainers recommended that I get harnesses for 'em but I explained how it made no sense whatsoever to try and lead the dogs from a much stronger part of their bodies than their necks. The second trainer rolled her eyes and gave me a harness to try. My dogs now walk to heel on their harnesses.

I don't know how they work but they do work.

foreign_correspondent

depends on the harness I think - my mum's dog had an ancol anti-pull, she was like a steam train on it, and could have towed a sled! However, a mikki walkrite which fits under her 'armpits' works brilliantly!

Is the dog staying with you as a permanent measure, or temporarily? - do you know what commands or methods your ex used to get her walking to heel? For instance, my dog ignores 'heel', but understands 'walk with me'

BeenieCat

Hi thanks for the replies so far, Sarah i don't know how well the backwards thing would work as she'l probably just pull me on :rotfl: However i will try this at the park later!

FC, dog is staying with me permanantly, and ex used to just say heel, in his masculine voice - seems she doesn't respond to women's voices as hard as i try to sound gruff :rotfl:

He did pull her back with some force on the odd occasion she pulled him - and he did it hard enough so she got the message and didn't attempt it again anytime soon, but i'm feeble and can't pull her that hard!!

UKTigerlily

I've heard that harnesses can work too, where I got my Dog they were fitting two others for these anitpull ones, can't say why they work though! Gentle leaders i'm also wondering about, does anyone think they'd help when my Dog sees other Dogs? Please remember you can't let her off lead if she runs up to people/on lead Dogs *at all*, it must be in a secure area away from others (Not sure if she actually runs up to people or other Dogs, but if you can't get her back she isn't supposed to be off lead)

BeenieCat

Well we'll be happily walking round the huge park nearby she's off lead and not venturing too far, and she'll run off to play with other dogs - sometimes if i shout her before she gets to dog she'll stop and come back. BUT other times she'll already be at other dog and is too excited to listen to me, and carries on rolling around on the floor being all submissive to some pit bull or chihuahua :rotfl:

Paws

It's only a 9 month old pup you really don't need any kind of non pull harness or leader, you just need to be consistent with your training.

Springers are intelligent and learn fast. I've copied and pasted this as I think it explains it better than I could, and I'm feeling lazy.

Just so you know Association of Pet Dog Training are non coercive, so no jerking or yanking or needing to shout at your dog.

LOOSE LEAD WALKING
Most owners look forward to being able to take their dog out for a walk, but if the dog pulls all the way it is very tempting to make the walks shorter and shorter. The best thing is to teach your puppy, always to walk on a loose lead and then he will not get into bad habits.
This is not the same as expecting your dog to ‘heel’ (walk closely by your side) but means that there should always be a bit of slack in the lead so you do not finish a walk feeling like your arm has been pulled out of its socket!
In the past this was often ‘taught’ by yanking on a dogs lead each time he pulled. This can have the opposite affect to what you hope for ie the dog learns to pull harder – you yank dog, dog yanks you. It can also do a lot of damage to a dog’s neck and throat while he is ‘learning’. You will often see adult dogs being yanked and checked in this way – proving that the method certainly hasn’t worked for them.
Nowadays we approach it in a rather different way – we explain to the dog that being on a loose lead, walking near to your side is more rewarding that pulling. So, how do we do that? As with all the exercises we reward the dog for doing the right thing. There are a few ways of doing this, two are outlined here. For these exercises your puppy/dog should be wearing a flat collar or fixed harness and a standard (or training) lead. Do NOT use a choke chain or extending lead. The first hurts and has no place in training and the second will allow your dog to rush off too far.

Lure and reward
The dog can walk on your left or on your right. For ease of explanation I will explain as if your dog is going to walk on your left – if you want him to walk on your right, just reverse the instructions. It is a good idea to get your dog used to walking nicely on both sides, but don’t let him cross sides mid-walk as this can easily trip you up if you are caught unawares.
Very important: If at any time during the exercise your dog pulls, stand still and keep the hand holding the lead in the same position. Your dog is pulling for a reason – to get somewhere faster, to investigate a smell, to reach another dog etc. If you let him pull you towards his target then you are rewarding him for pulling.
Walking on a loose lead is hard work for your dog so make sure the treats are high-grade, at least to start with. If your dog is not food-motivated then use a toy by all means but it does make things slower as each time you reward you have to stop and have a game. So, if he finds food rewarding (and most do if you choose the right food) try and use that.
Hold the dogs lead in your right hand, have some treats ready in your left hand.
Get your dogs attention and, using the treat lure him into position (ask him to follow the treat) until he is standing beside you, facing the same way as you are, then give him the reward.
Using the food in your left hand lure him forward a step or two and as long as the lead is loose reward him. Take a few more steps, reward again, and repeat for as long as he is walking with a loose lead. You may find he dashes off after getting the reward – do not move! Stand steady, when he stops pulling get his attention and lure him back into position beside you, couple of steps, reward.
If you are clicker training you will know that it is important to ‘mark’ the exact behaviour ie walking without pulling, before rewarding. You may find it easier to use your click word rather than the clicker itself – you have lots of things in your hand anyway! If you are not clicker training I would still suggest that you mark the behaviour. To do this – as your puppy is walking on a loose lead – say ‘Good’ or ‘Yes’ and then feed him a treat when he is standing still. In this way he will know that he is getting a reward for walking nicely, but by feeding him when he is standing still you are lessening the risk of him choking on the food. If you just fed him when he was standing still (without marking the behaviour) then he will think that you want him to keep stopping – not good J
When your dog is able to walk two or three steps on a loose lead you can start to increase the distance between treats – reward for three of four steps walking nicely, then maybe four or six, then for three again gradually stretching out the distance between treats but remember to not just increase the gaps, surprise him by sometimes rewarding for just a couple of steps.
Once your dog is able to walk about ten paces without pulling you might want to put in a cue word – ‘walk nice’, ‘with me’ or similar works quite well. With this exercise it is important that you say what the dog is doing rather than what you want him to do ie if he is walking nicely, say so. If he is pulling and you say ‘walk nice’ (before he understands the cue) he will think that ‘walk nice’ means pull like a train! On the same note, if you do not have time to stand still if he pulls or reward lots of nice walking – perhaps you are rushing to meet the children or similar – then when he does pull it is better to say ‘pull’. In this way he will associate the word with his action. Or you could get a training harness and put this on him when you are not able to do the training. A training harness is one that restricts his forward movement when he pulls.
Remember that this is a training exercise and like all training is very tiring to start with. It might be an idea to introduce the exercise to your dog in the living room, or in the garden before actually taking him out to practise. Keep the training short, just a few minutes at a time to start with. If you take him on a full walk using this exercise you will have a very tired puppy at the end of it and then the training will not be so much fun for him.
The second method you might like to try is
Red Light/Green Light
This exercise is based on the understanding that each step you take energises the dog.
Stand still and wait for your dog to loosen the lead – reward. Give him the reward beside you – in this way he will learn that being beside you is a good place to be
Take one step – your dog may well rush off – stand still and again wait for him to come back and stand beside you. This may take several minute, be patient. Reward
Take one step – this time your dog should come back to your side a bit quicker. Reward
When you can take one step without the dog rushing off, you can try two steps. Do not be surprised if he dashes off again. Stand still and wait for him to come back. Reward by your side
Two steps, wait, dog returns, reward
When he can walk two steps without dashing off increase to three, he can cope with three steps increase to four etc etc
When you take the first step it can take quite a long time for your puppy/dog to loosen the lead/come back to you but if you are patient he will stand still eventually. Do not be tempted to pull him back, just wait. The time it takes for him to loosen the lead will lessen each time. But when you add in another step the time may increase again. You might need to take just one step at a time for several steps, but again as the exercise progresses so the intervals between increasing the steps will get shorter and shorter.
As with the previous exercise do not introduce your cue word until he is managing at least several paces, and do not continue the exercise for more than a few minutes.
Taking your dog for a walk should be enjoyable for both of you. Remember that he is going out not just for the exercise but for stimulation – let him have time to sniff where other dogs have been. Just don’t let him pull you to the places and do expect him to come away from the smell when you ask him to!

Another good thing to read is the Turid Rugaas book 'My Dog pulls what do I do?' It's avialable on Amazon but I can't post links yet :rolleyes:

Hope that helps.

flippin36

Sister has a springer spaniel and head halter was the only thing to stop her pulling. (I think others have called it a harness). It worked for our dog too, we only needed it for a few weeks and then she had got into the habit of walking to heal.

BeenieCat

Thank you Paws that's an interesting read, will refer back to it to make sure i fully understand it all!

I understand it's all very time consuming and can be frustrating as with any part of training, i just wish i'd gone on more walks with ex and dog so i could understand his techniques more.

I am determined to get her better at this by December as my baby is due then, and i really don't want to have to have a nightmare every walk time with a baby in a pram!

Paws

You can have it cracked in around a week I reckon, consistency consistency!!!