Dog training tips needed please

bettyboop61

Hi,
Just wanted to say I got a Canny Collar for my dog, its a lead and collar but on the front of the collar is an extra bit which you pull over the dogs nose, it sits comfortably on the bridge of her nose and this has helped enormously with walking my dog, she is a 1yr old springer now, loads of energy but very strong, and now I can walk her comfortably on the paths before we get to the field, where I can let her loose for a long run. I used treats for recalling her on the field as she is very food motivated and it worked a treat. She always comes back now for a treat and a fuss.
Good luck with the outdoor training, it is so worth it.

relay

You're going to hate me for saying this but as the owner of a very powerful Rottweiler, i'm afraid going out without the toddler is going to have to be an option if you want to get this sorted out - the dog is effectively (for the sake of the arguement) a second toddler & you can't do 2 things at once.

You need to give the dog you full undevided attention in order for any training to sink in so you need to start working alone with the dog to start the process. Try to take advantage of even just 5 minutes when the kid is asleep having a nap - just go out the front door to practice a brief bit of lead walking directly outside, every time the dog goes to pull (before she is in the middle of a full blown pull) change direction and go the other way & keep repeating it over and over & eventually something will 'click' and the dog will realise it needs to watch you because it doesn't know what way you are going to go.

I know only too well it's not easy & from experience none of the quick fix devices a 100% reliable but you are going to have to start somewhere - you need to start taking every opportunity you possibly can to get 5 mins here & there alone with the dog so you have it's full attention.

I can put you in touch with someone who helped me to tame my 'beast' when i was being dragged all over the place - pm me if you like & i'll give you the addy to a dog forum that will give you some great advice to start the ball rolling.

Penny_Watcher

Lillys_mum wrote: »

She is an almost 2 yr old Greman Shepherd x Husky

Bless her heart, she's been bred for generations to pull.

Wishing you the very best of luck with your training. I'm taking a lot of notes as none of my three walk quietly on the lead until we've been out for at least an hour. My problem is that they all go out for a walk at the same time and compete against each other, never mind me. Two use halti head collars and one will just about walk sensibly without one.

And also well done for taking on a rescue in the first place and not giving up on her when the going gets tough. :T

tiamai_d

Sorry, her pulling is her husky ancestry. Husky's pull, and it is very rare to get them to walk to heel.

Running away is another husky trait. They should not be left off the lead unless in a confined area, as they will run away until they find and hunt 'prey'. They have been bred to pull sleds and once left off the harness they go hunt and eat then return.

If she behaves in the house, sits when told, stays away from food and children's toys, lies down when told, does not demand attention instead waits for you to give her attention, then it's not an attitude problem, just her breeding.

Oh and the cat, again, it's prey. You may get her to leave it alone while you are there, but if you leave them alone, her instincts may take over.

http://www.scottishshc.org.uk/pages/home.htm

Is a good website and if you email them, they can give you some advice.

Until then, try and use the harness as it is better for her back. Do not let her off the lead unless it is her own garden, and perhaps get a lead that can go round your waist. And give serious concideration into whether she is the right dog for you or not. IF, she is not, then try and get the Siberian husky rescue to take her as the place you got her from has obviously not had enough information on her breed.

Lillys_mum

relay wrote: »

You're going to hate me for saying this but as the owner of a very powerful Rottweiler, i'm afraid going out without the toddler is going to have to be an option if you want to get this sorted out - the dog is effectively (for the sake of the arguement) a second toddler & you can't do 2 things at once.
quote]

I will not hate you for saying it you are giving your honest opinion. Unfortunately for me it is impossible not to have her with me - i think i mentioned in my earlier post my hubby has just been sent out to Iraq until April and I don't have anyone whom I could leave her with.
I can try and improvise by using the garden as we have a reasonable amount of space so I can walk with her and Lilly can go and play in her half.

I appreciate all comments

LM
xx

WeirdoMagnet

tiamai_d wrote: »

Sorry, her pulling is her husky ancestry. Husky's pull, and it is very rare to get them to walk to heel.

Running away is another husky trait. They should not be left off the lead unless in a confined area, as they will run away until they find and hunt 'prey'. They have been bred to pull sleds and once left off the harness they go hunt and eat then return.

If she behaves in the house, sits when told, stays away from food and children's toys, lies down when told, does not demand attention instead waits for you to give her attention, then it's not an attitude problem, just her breeding.

Oh and the cat, again, it's prey. You may get her to leave it alone while you are there, but if you leave them alone, her instincts may take over.

That's a bit of a sweeping statement! It's not impossible to train them to walk to heel or to recall or not to chase cats, and as the dog in question is not full husky, it is unlikely that these traits will be as strong as in a purebred dog.

It is probable that majority of training (even informal training) has occurred in the house, and that may be why she is 'obedient' (I hate that word!) indoors, but appears disobedient outdoors. It is a well-known fact that dogs do not generalise - a dog may know what 'sit' means in the lounge, but not in the kitchen, or garden, or in the big wide world, and that is why training needs to take place in lots of diffenent situations. Furthermore, there are many more distractions outside than there are inside.

tiamai_d

Georgina wrote: »

That's a bit of a sweeping statement! It's not impossible to train them to walk to heel or to recall or not to chase cats, and as the dog in question is not full husky, it is unlikely that these traits will be as strong as in a purebred dog.

It is a bit sweeping, but the OP has to be aware that IF the problems outside are down to instinct then it is very difficult to deal with. She may have to find a way to work with them. I did not say it was impossible, I said it was rare to get them to walk to heel. There is a difference.

I can however walk my parents husky who pulls with my son in a buggy. He has a harness and a lead that I can wrap over my shoulder (like a handbag) or round my waist, then I have one hand to control the lead, and if needed I can let go the lead (as it is still attached to me) to maneuver the buggy. Which was just as well as my Dad broke his leg and couldn't do anything.

While he pulls, he is trained to walk well, think of how you control a horse by reins, pressure to the left will make him move left, to the right and he will move to the right, pull up and he will stop. They work closely with husky rescue and have helped re-home many of them, including cross-breeds, and the pulling is just one of those traits you have to learn to live with or work with if it can not be stopped with the help of good old food.

Lillys_mum

pboae wrote: »

Then start the training. It's simple, but time consuming, and as with any training you need to be absolutely consistent with it.

The problem you have is that she has learned that pulling 'works' it gets her where she wants, faster. So from now on you have to make sure that pulling stops working for her.

Start walking and as soon as she pulls stand still and hang on to her so she can't pull you over. At some point she will ease up a little, if only to turn around and see what you are doing. The moment you feel her ease up, walk forward, she will start pulling again and so you stop immediately. You keep doing that over and over again.

Ideally you would actually turn around and walk in the opposite direction when she starts to pull, but I suspect you won't be able to do that because she will be such a strong dog. So you will probably have to settle for stopping and starting.

The first few times you do this, you probably won't even get off the driveway. Eventually you will make it on to the pavement and then you'll feel like an idiot stopping every two paces, but keep it up and she will learn. She may also get worse before she gets better and will pull even harder to get going. That's a good sign because it means she's learning that her old habit doesn't work so well anymore.

Once you start on this, every time you let her pull and get away with it, it will put you two steps back, and encourage her to pull harder. So you need to be ready to stick with it, even though it's inconvenient and time consuming.

I have been following this for 2 days now. both with and without my toddler.
She really doesn't seem to be grasping it at all. When she gets fed up of me stopping all the time she starts jumping up - I have just been saying "no" to her and using her lead to pull her back. I have gone out for no longer than 15 mins each time and as predicted didn't even get 20 paces.
Am I doing it right or is there something else I should be doing - it doesn't help with people having up christmas lights and lots of cats on the estate!!! She is so easily distracted.

Just to add I have been playing in the garden with her due to the fact she hasn't been getting her walks - she has been running round the garden for about 2 hours per day in total.

pboae

That's fine, just keep at it. If you can tell in advance, stop and bring her in just before she reaches the stage of jumping up. Otherwise stop the session then and fetch her in. This isn't a quick fix, but she will get there.

You don't need to pull her back though, just hold her still so she can't get further forward. You want her to associate her pulling with not walking, rather than your pulling being the cause of it. If you see what I mean.

Lillys_mum

pboae wrote: »

You don't need to pull her back though, just hold her still so she can't get further forward. You want her to associate her pulling with not walking, rather than your pulling being the cause of it. If you see what I mean.

Sorry maybe I didn't explain it well enough. I meant that when she jumped up I used the lead to pull her back down.
When she pulls when walking I just stop until she releases the tension on the lead.