Pulling too much!

artbaron

My Staffie pulled like a train when he was young, put my back out even as a puppy and strained a tendon in my hand (seriously painful). I booked a 'dog behaviourist' at £70 for an hour - note the inverted commas - who didn't suggest any method of training other than using a Halti collar.

He'd brought one with him so I tried it. My Staff stopped pulling immediately but at a cost - it made him miserable. You could see he hated wearing it and he wasn't enjoying his walk, he sort of shut down and never sniffed or looked around him. It would have been cruel to force him to wear it so I never bought one.

The solution was what an earlier poster said (although he said it rather brusquely). I trained him not to pull. Used a short lead and every time be put tension on the lead I stopped. It took two months of absurd stop-start walks but eventually he got it and ended up walking perfectly in the space of four months, aside from the odd diversion to sniff something interesting. Now I trust him so I walk him everywhere on a 10m flexi-lead which allows him to explore, and if I need to shorten it he understands he must stay beside me and he never pulls ahead.

Also, if your dog pulls then ALWAYS use a harness. Do NOT use a collar, it can cause serious damage to your dog's neck, back and throat.

krlyr

When using any headcollar (and indeed, many harnesses) the dog needs to be introduced carefully. Some take to it like a duck to water, others need some work counterconditioning (creating a positive association) to wear it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMR2My1beiU

I agree that equipment doesn't replace training, but it does make it easier to manage (especially with issues like a bad back, as OP mentioned) and stops the vicious circle of dog not being walked, dog having ten ton of energy the rare times it is walked, so owner less likely to walk it, dog more likely to walk with bad manners next time, and so on. A headcollar or harness can help break that pattern and then allows the opportunity for training.

Jacko_amz

Thanks everyone, I'm working on the stopping abruptly when pulled and it's going well, with perseverance I can do this. Going to use the harness thankyou for suggesting that.

krlyr

If you want a harness to stop pulling, then I'd go for a front-attaching harness, like the Dog Games (Perfect Fit or their standard comes with front-clip now too), or the Mekuti harness. This will stop the dog putting all their weight into the pull - it simply pulls them around from the chest to stop the forward motion.

Paradigm

Babbawah wrote: »

Infinately better than yours.

Stand to one side, !!!!!!, & let us grown ups debate the important matters.

One can hope

arbrighton

Babbawah wrote: »

Infinately better than yours.

Stand to one side, !!!!!!, & let us grown ups debate the important matters.

You're being very rude here. WE all know what the !!!!!! stands for...

Babbawah

krlyr wrote: »

I agree that equipment doesn't replace training, but it does make it easier to manage (especially with issues like a bad back, as OP mentioned) and stops the vicious circle of dog not being walked, dog having ten ton of energy the rare times it is walked, so owner less likely to walk it, dog more likely to walk with bad manners next time, and so on. A headcollar or harness can help break that pattern and then allows the opportunity for training.

It also sells lots of harness devices that are designed to take the responsibility for training the dog away from the owner & place the responsibility of success firmly at the devices door.

Where does this vicious cycle of dog pulling therefore owner can't be bothered to walk it come into it?

For whatever reason, if you don't/won't walk your dog then don't deserve to have a dog. Simples.

I'm a gun & dog man. If anyone dared turn up at a shoot & Shep was wearing such a thing there'd no doubt be several negligent discharges.

Am I alone here? You can cure all this pulling on the lead within a few days without chucking hard earned money at Heath Robinson contraptions that have no place in a healthy dog/owner relationship.

sheramber

A collar and lead are contraptions to control the dog.

Why is it better to have the dog controlled on a collar and lead than on a harness and lead.

Do blind people not have a healthy relationship with their dogs since they use a harness and not a collar and lead?

artbaron

Babbawah wrote: »

I'm a gun & dog man. If anyone dared turn up at a shoot & Shep was wearing such a thing there'd no doubt be several negligent discharges.

Maybe if he was wearing a negligee but surely not a harness..?

Lieja

Babbawah wrote: »

It also sells lots of harness devices that are designed to take the responsibility for training the dog away from the owner & place the responsibility of success firmly at the devices door.

Where does this vicious cycle of dog pulling therefore owner can't be bothered to walk it come into it?

For whatever reason, if you don't/won't walk your dog then don't deserve to have a dog. Simples.

I'm a gun & dog man. If anyone dared turn up at a shoot & Shep was wearing such a thing there'd no doubt be several negligent discharges.

Am I alone here? You can cure all this pulling on the lead within a few days without chucking hard earned money at Heath Robinson contraptions that have no place in a healthy dog/owner relationship.

Yes, you appear to be alone.