Collie x Springer

emlou84_2

Hi i was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to stop my dog from pulling i have a halti but he hates it being on and when i try to walk him with it on he ends up walking on his back paws why trying his hardest to get it of with his front paws!

lee111s

Have you tried a harness? This is what I have for my springer http://www.doodlebone.co.uk/?page_id=26

There are a couple of ways to teach your dog to stop pulling. The first is that when he pulls, simply stop walking. Don't pull back on the lead, let him keep tension. When he realises he's going nowhere and either gives you slack on the lead or looks at you, reward him and move on. You'll probably get 2 steps before he pulls again. Repeat the process.

The first few weeks you might only walk 100m in 30 minutes and you might look stupid doing it however it's worth it when he finally realises that by watching you and your legs he gets to go where he wants.

The other method is that when he starts pulling, turn in the opposite direction and start walking. When he catches up to you, praise and reward him. If he pulls ahead, turn around and change direction. Again you might not get far from where you started but he'll soon learn that by walking behind or beside you, following your legs, that he'll get to go where he wants a hell of a lot quicker than he will do by pulling!

It's important not to pull or jerk the lead, don't tell him no when he pulls, let him figure it out himself what he's doing wrong but then lots of positive priase when he gets it right. Some dogs will get this very quickly, others are stubborn. My springer is very clever and picks new stuff up easily however we're still not quite there with the lead walking. He is only 12 weeks though! He's great for first half of the walk but when we're going home he pulls like mad. He's the opposite to most dogs by actually wanting to go home!

Raksha

How did you introduce the halti? Please don't just put it on and take the dog fir a walk, they need to be happy wearing it about the house first.
Additionally you need to teach the dog that its their 'job'to keep the lead loose. Each time the lead goes into a straight line, stop, wait until the dog comes back to you, the reward by moving forward, which is what the dog wants. Make sure the lead you use is long enough, you aren't aiming to stop them going away from you, just not to pull, some dogs prefer to be infront rather than at heel.

Caroline_a

I've used haltis on my dogs before but they much preferred their Dogmatics. They are padded, so appear more comfortable, and they do look better, although are more expensive. Harnesses just taught them to pull more efficiently!

krlyr

http://www.youtube.com/kikopup
http://www.youtube.com/pamelamarxsen

Two fab Youtube channels chockablock with training videos, including loose lead walking (i.e. not pulling on a lead)