my dog always pulls me on the lead !!?

Question

iv had my dog since he was a pup and now for 8 years he always pulls me off my feet an7y ideas how to stop him

Answer 1

Same here.
Watch "The Dog Whisperer" on the nat. geographic channel.
He's a genious when it comes to dog behavior.
If you watch a few shows, you'll see his technique. It works.

Here are some hints:
1. Get either a snout collar or prong collar - they are NOT cruel.
2. Shorten your hold on the leash.
3. Keep him by your sides at all time.
4. Walk briskly.
5. When he pulls correct with a sharp tug and verbal command.
6. Be calm and dominant at all times. - don't freak out.

You probably have a general problem of portraying dominance - Work on his general behaviour and youll have better luck.

Answer 2

Three solutions for you:

1. There is a contraption called a Gentle Leader that is like a horse's bridle. Fits over the head and nose, but not like a muzzle. The dog can still open it's mouth and drink, etc. This Gentle Leader works by controlling the movement of the head. If you control the dog's head, you control the dog. He can't pull you with his head pulled around towards the back. Those who use it really like it. Some dogs can't stand them, but it's worth a try. They have to be fit properly so get some help at the pet store when you buy it.

2. Red light green light. Your dog pulls because it works. That has to stop. When he pulls, plant your feet and do not move until the leash goes slack. Then begin walking. As soon as he pulls, plant your feet again. Don't yell at him or confuse him with a lot of talking or commands. Just walk when the leash is slack. Stop when it is tight. He'll learn that if he wants to get anywhere he has to play by your rules. NO TIGHT LEASH. It will take some time and absolute consistency, but it will work.

3. Teach heel. A positive way to do this is to entice your dog to follow you closely by holding his favorite treat (perhaps string cheese) near his nose. Have it in your closed fist so he can smell it but not get it. Give him a good sniff, then hold the cheese in your closed fist near your leg. Hold the leash in your other hand, so the leash crosses in front of your body. Every so often, when he is doing really well sticking to your side, slip him a TINY bite of cheese WHILE WALKING. If you have a nice long hallway, this a great skill to practice inside. In fact you could practice while you walk from room to room inside so he will get the concept while he is not as interested in trying to get around the block in record time. Once he is comfortable, then try it in your yard, and eventually when he seems to have it down pretty well, move out to the sidewalk.

Oh and I just read some other posts. The spiked choke collars do work, and are not as painful as they look. However they use the old school philosophy that says "I am the boss and you WILL OBEY!" Wouldn't you rather the dog minded because it wanted to? Reward based training is way more effective (and less strenuous than jerking on a collar.) And besides, do you go to work because someone forces you to do it, or because they reward you with a paycheck? Would you mow the lawn more quickly and willing because you got a piece of chocolate cake after, or because someone whacked you with a stick if you didn't?

Answer 3

Get rid of the flexi-lead if you're using one. They're horrible.

Halter leads are good, but prepare yourself for a battle when you first put it on the dog. If you aren't prepared to ignore your dog as he writhes on the floor and drags his head on the ground trying to get the lead off (or convince you to take it off), don't waste your money. Keep in mind the halter lead can't hurt your dog; your dog is just objecting to having anything on its head. Stay strong and let your dog know who's wearing the pants in the family.

Prong collars are a good alternative to a halter lead.

Choke collars are bad. You can damage your dog's trachea using one.

Keep the leash VERY short. You want your dog's front shoulder aligned with your left leg. If you don't give your dog enough leash to pull on, you set your dog up for success. When the dog walks properly, give lots of praise. Praise should be warm, but not excited. The object is to let your dog know you're happy, not to get the dog revved up. Think warm, soothing, cheerful, NOT hooray!!!!

When and where does your dog pull? All the time? Only around squirrels and other animals? Whenever a cyclist goes by?

If something triggers the pulling, do your best to avoid it when you start training. Again, you want to set the dog up for success.

If there's lots of loose animals running around the park where you usually walk that are encouraging your dog to pull, walk the dog on side streets for a while until the pulling gets better.

Whenever the dog tries to pull, **quickly** pivot and walk **briskly** in the opposite direction. Speed and timing are important here. This serves the same purpose as the collar correction, but has the added benefit of also removing from the dog's sightline whatever he was pulling towards. For a while, you may spend a lot of time walking back and forth along the same stretch of pavement, but that's ok. When your dog is once again aligned with your left leg, give praise.

Do it daily. Don't give up. As your dog's performance improves, *slowly* start adding in the distractions that trigger the pulling.

Meanwhile, working on other obedience (sit, stay, down, etc) will help the process move more quickly.

You might want to check out Patricia McConnell's booklet "How To Be the Leader Of the Pack and Have Your Dog Love You For It." Cesar Milan's program "The Dog Whisperer" on National Geographic Channel is good, too.

Answer 4

Get a pinching collar. Use verbal ques (like a firm NO) with the tug when he starts to get ahead of you. Praise when he is doing it right. Run with him at first or do something else to burn off some excess energy. This will make him easier to handle during the walking on lead lessons.

I once worked with a very stubborn dog that had been allowed to do this. The check didn't work, even with the choke chain. The dog would just choke itself until it nearly passed out. The harness didn't teach her anything. You can handle them better with a harness but you want to get rid of this behavior, not work with it. The pincher collar was the only thing that worked. It looks like a medievil torture device but I do believe it is more humane and effective than a shock collar. You do need to use a lot of physical and verbal ques to let them know what you want. You also need to get them calm by wearing them out physically. A dog that is not sufficiently exercised will tend to bolt even if trained.

Or you could just drug it, but don't let him get addicted like this little dog here.

Answer 5

Don't get a choke collar. They can do more damage than good. You could get either an Easy Walk harness or head halter. When your dog starts to pull, either will force the dog's head down to the ground. Also when walking, if the dog starts to pull, try changing directions. Make a quick left turn or several. This will get its attention back on you.

Answer 6

It's going to be more of a challenge if you've allowed him to misbehave for 8 years but you can do it.

Start out walking with your dog on your left close to you, keep the lead fairly short. Tell him heel. He should stay fairly close to you. When he forges ahead and starts pullin, you stop walking. Don't walk again until you get him back beside you. Does he know sit? If so, tell him to sit at your side. Start walking again when he's calm and stop the second he pulls.

Praise him immediately (lots and lots of praise) when he walks beside you even if only for a few steps and stop immediately when he starts pulling. It'll take you some time but he'll soon realize that he's not going anywhere unless he behaves.

Answer 7

When my English Bulldog was seven years old I took him to obedience school in which the owner had to participate. My dog weighed fifty five pounds and had a neck so big he didn't even respond to me jerking him back hard as the instructor taught us. The instructor advised that I get a spiked collar that actually choked harder than the choke collar I was already using. I jerked on him hard back to me until he was lined up with my walking. It took about three good jerks to get his attention, but it finally worked. I loved my dog immensely and it was very difficult for me to do this but it was necessary to show him I was the boss. This was many years ago, but I am sure the technique still works.

Answer 8

get the dog a "Gentle Leader" this goes around the dogs muzzle and neck and rather than choking the dog with a choker chain, this will direct the direction of dog's head. (where the head goes, the body goes) just like a horse. Keep the leash very short. the dog should be right next to you when you walk. when the dog pulls give a quick jerk back and say ah-ah-ah (very quickly and authoritatively). keep doing this everytime he pulls. it may take some time, and you may have to jerk his leash 100s of times before he gets it, but He WILL get it.

Answer 9

Well after 8 years is going to be very hard to train a dog and more because of what he is doing, he's is leading you, maybe he has a behave or anxiety problem. Have you tried with a shorter lead? Maybe keeping him close to you could help. Otherwise consult a dog trainer. Good Luck.

Answer 10

Hard to teach old dogs new tricks...but.....
Try getting a Choker Chain. This type of collar will tighten around dogs neck as he pulls on leash. When dog lets up, collar loosens. Very easy way to train dog to walk on leash with you.

There are many online websites with info on how to walk you dog on leash. Give them too much leash length and they will start pulling. Keep them right at your side with choker on and it will learn. Brings the fun back into walking a dog vs dog walking YOU. Good luck.