Pulling too much!

Johnny_Dangerously

The dobe will definitely like the pulling, he is born to run. My only worry on the bike is krlyr mentioned with him darting 'off piste' if he sees a deer or something. I might see if I can source some kit this weekend and give it a try!

krlyr

Yes, I feel you there! The Devon lanes were fairly wildlife free, and the hedges provided a great visual barrier to stop them spotting anything across the fields. We had one hairy moment when we passed by a gate that had been left open - the field inside was a very steep drop so I was very glad that they decided not to investigate!

One thing I do when I run with them (didn't bother with the bike because of the road layout - but something I'd perhaps consider if I did it again) is have their headcollars on but with a separate, longer lead. Means there is no pressure on it at all, it hangs slack, but should I need to slam the breaks on in an emergency (e.g. the time I spotted a very brave/stupid cat sitting across our path - fortunately before the dogs did!) I can grab the headcollars in conjunction with our 'woahh' and have a lot more control over the situation.

yorkshire_terrier_owner

At the end of the day, we all use training methods that work for us and what we want to achieve with our dogs. Someone mentioned vocal cues, and I use these as well. My dogs, once trained, rarely need a check, a 'heel' command will do the job.

It seems my use of the check has been a little 'jumped on'. I should perhaps clarify my use of it. The check alone is not enough on its own. When training my dogs, I also work on focus and use shaping to reward the correct behaviour. It's a method that works for me.

I did find this interesting reading though:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/16_7/features/the-no-pull-debate_20782-1.html

Beckyy

Walking aids (halti/dogmatic) are just that and won't train your dog to walk well, they just restrict it. Chances are if you remove it the dog will pull again because they are able to. If you use one you still need to do heel training to a certain extent.

You can try change in direction, but be prepared to be walking on the same few areas back and forth for a long time.

You can also try the 200 step peck. Taking one step, then two, then three - as soon as the lead goes tight you go back to the previous count. Once you reach 200 steps it's generally enough to walk without it.

Keep training sessions short and week or attention span will waiver and you won't achieve anything. Practicing in areas with little distraction helps too initially.

Johnny_Dangerously

Apologies for bumping an old thread, but I thought I'd share a video I created at the weekend to try and highlight the 'turning' technique for getting a dog walking to heel.

Youtube walking to heel video

Apologies for the wind noise and general quality, it was quite hard to do holding a camera and another dog. But I wanted to show the key point of this technique with dogs who are pulling and not following the lead of the owner.

We regularly have to 'recalibrate' our doberman as most of his walking is done off-lead. He gets used to being allowed to follow his nose and then does the same on the lead. Using the technique of changing direction, he learns that he needs to pay attention and not assume we are going where he is.

He does it very quickly as he knows what it means now. But changing direction often is something I'd always recommend for new puppy owners to make them understand from an early age that they need to pay attention to you when walking.

Hope it helps a little.