Loose Leash Walking

edited August 2012 in Behavior & Training
When we first got ChoCho she was awesome at loose leash walking... but that could've been because she was scared and shy. Now when we walk her at night and all the critters are out (especially cats) she pulls harder than a sled dog! Goro is starting to also pull pretty hard. We've worked on loose leash training before, but is this just their prey drive overwriting their training or did we just do a crappy job? lol

She was pulling so hard that her harness started to cut her underarm. We had to switch to a choke collar (half cloth/chain)...

Comments

  • That's a martingale not a choke collar right? ;-)

    Are you walking her with Goro each time? Sometimes you have to separate the two in order to train properly. I had to do that with Mei. I couldn't teach her how to loose leash walk with Koda around. There was too much going on for her to focus on training.
  • @tjbart17 We walk them together. Goro is not as bad as Chocho. She is so focused on catching anything at night that she ignores treats. No matter the direction we walk her in she's always hunting. She forgets that she's out on a walk to use the bathroom... And sometimes goes to bed without pooping.
  • @tjbart17 Yes a martingale lol Didn't know what they were called. :)
  • edited August 2012
    This is generally how I taught Conker how to walk somewhat nicely on a leash:

    I also taught a really good "Leave It!" command similar to this video:

    Thankfully Conker's "Leave It!" is generalized and can be applied to just about anything.
    I worked on distractions in the yard on-leash. I'd walk out, and if the dog didn't pay attention to me right away, we'd go back inside. Rinse and repeat until the dog pays attention when I ask. Then I'd walk down the sidewalk a short distance and praise/treat for good behavior. If we came across a cat or other enticing critter, I'd instantly turn in the other direction and walk briskly away, then once we were out of sight, I'd ask for a sit and wait for the dog to calm down. Rinse and repeat. Took a long long time, but now Conker will ignore cats, unless they are completely brain-dead and decide to follow us at a distance of three feet for five blocks...
  • Walk them separately and don't go anywhere until they give you their attention. It's hard for a dog to pull forward when it's head is looking up at you.
  • also, this is not a cure-all, but more "supplementary" - have you tried the easy walk harness? between training/stopping if they pull and giving treats alongside walking nicely, the harness does a nice job. we only had to use it for a couple of months + training
  • edited August 2012
    Some won't like my answer, but here's what I would recommend:
    (1) Ditch the harness (of any sort).
    (2) Apply martingale collar and attach long line.
    (3) Do exercises as outlined in this blog post: http://cynography.blogspot.it/2011/12/it-takes-two-to-tension-foundation-of.html#comment-form
    (4) Train each dog individually.
    (5) Combine with "Leave It", or "On By" for critters. Use Premack principle and occasionally allow dogs to hunt/chase squirrels but WHEN you ask.

    Photobucket
  • aykayk
    edited August 2012
    @TeamLaika - I don't see an issue with that training method. Unfortunately, a lot of parks in my area now restrict leashes to 6 ft *and* make obvert dog training at parks illegal.

  • @teamlaika-- awesome pics of your dogs!

    Yes, Kilbe and Kaiju has a hard time with leash pulling too. Kilbe wants to hunt everything and Kaiju just wants to mark everything, lol. However, when I do stop, both of them come back to me (albeit Kaiju scoots back as little as possible each time). I found that a shorter leash really helps a lot, though I may try @teamlaika's approach. My biggest issue though is after we start walking again (from stopping), they go crazy.
  • Wow, the tone of that linked article was enough to make me pretty sure I'd never work with a person like that. The method is ok, I guess, though I wouldn't use a slip collar, and to suggest that a harness is an "S&M" device is extreme and ridiculous (it's worse than a dog hitting the end of a leash with a slip collar on? I don't think so) and also shows a gross ignorance of S&M. :)

    A properly fitted harness is not going to hurt a dog, and for a puller, it will do less damage than a collar will as there will not be pressure on the trachea. It's not a solution--obviously you still need to train the dog--but it's management.

  • Has anyone tried this method for teaching loose leash walking?



  • I forgot about silky leash! It was a technique a pretty good trainer I worked with suggested with Oskar. Honestly, though, we didn't do much with it, because at that point he was walking really well on the leash and we didn't need it (things have changes since them, and now he can't walk much on the leash anyway because of his spine problems). So while I do know about it, I can't say I've really used it much, but I think I might go back to it with Leo.
  • I linked to Heather H.'s blog because it has step-by-step instructions and a demonstrative video slide show, not because I necessarily agree with all of her other opinions.

    One of the biggest problems with head halters and front-clip harnesses is that they don't translate well to other equipment - you guys have already mentioned this and the fact that they are a management tool only. Many people can't make the transition out of them with their dogs and so the critters either stay in them forever, revert to pulling, or cease getting out on walks at all.

    A standard harness does protect the trachea, but it also encourages pulling - there's a reason sled dogs wear them.

    If you need to stop urban mushing, and you're dealing with a dedicated puller who has had months or even years of practice, the long line method is a good technique to have in your arsenal. It's good to have lots of options to fix a problem :)

    Silky leash is fine if you have a dog that is going to be interested in food treats. Some are so distracted on outdoor walks by the environment, that they cannot eat (even if you start the work inside). The long line puts the responsibility on the dog and I believe it is fair and easy to implement.
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