Dog walking training tips?

Question

My Boxer is really hard to walk. He is constantly pulling me around. How can I get him to calm down so I can walk him more?

Answer 1

Gentle Leader is the way to go on a stubborn or excited dog. Very humane, it does not force the mouth closed or inflict pain in any way. It gives you leverage and control by applying gentle pressure to the back of the head and bridge of the nose. It goes on like a horse halter and lets you lead the dog by controlling his head instead of trying to control the whole dog.

Answer 2

I'd work with him little by little. First, make sure you are using a harness rather than a collar. Harness's pull the chest rather than the neck and give you more control. I'd start by taking him just into your front yard or some space close to your home. Get him to just stay near you. (If he doesn't know already, start him on the basics, like sit, stay, and heel.) After you get him used to those commands, take him on a short walk, stopping every know and then to use those commands. Let him know you are the boss and you are 'letting him' come with you on a walk and he has to behave. Once he gets used to a short walk, gradually increase the length of the walks. This was the change is gradual and easier on both of you.

Answer 3

from Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer:

"A lot of dogs don’t want to walk, they want to run! So it can become difficult and boring for them to follow a slow pace. With high energy dogs, I recommend using bikes and rollerblades if you are safely able to do so. This is the fastest way to drain your dog’s energy.

If you have a bike and are able to maintain your balance, you can ride while your dog runs alongside you. If you have trouble getting your dog to do this, I suggest calling a professional and explaining your goal: I want my dog to learn to safely be beside the bike as I ride. Another option is to put a dog on a treadmill before you take him for a walk.

If, during the walk, your dog is in front of you and going off on his own, then he is telling you very clearly that you are the follower. Until you master the walk, you will not be the pack leader which can lead to other behaviour problems."

While walking your dog, stay calm and assertive and don't allow him to walk ahead of you. Initially, you can keep the leash very short to keep him by your side. You must maintain your confidence during the walk, for your dog to respect you as the pack leader or he will take over as the dominant male.

Answer 4

EZ Walk Harness rules. It's made by the same people as Gentle Leader, and the leash hooks at the front at their chest, which prevents them from pulling just due to sheer leverage. It's the opposite of what you might do if you were designing a harness for sled dogs. There's no training time or discomfort or anything -- just put it on and the dog is unable to pull as effectively.

http://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=100612+XS+BLK

Answer 5

Here is a very nice tarining prgram on dog training (with 56 days money back guarantee)

http://xrl.us/dogtrianingacademy

Answer 6

The trick is, you take the lead and hold the end with your right hand, and with your left hand hold it close to the collar, but with enough lead so he can move when you turn. take a walk, turning a lot and stepping (GENTLY) on him. eventually he will learn to get out of the way, also he will learn that he cant pull you away. My dad did this with Libby, a jack russel, and she learned to heel in like 10 minutes!

Answer 7

Try using a 'Halti'. It fits on your dogs head like a halter. It worked great for our Golden, he doesn't pull anymore, and we don't have to use it anymore either.

Answer 8

Harness are good.
Keep him close to you on a short leash and keep him next to you, not in front.
My Bruno loves to pull me around but once I get him next to me on a short length of leash he walks nicely.