My dog has a problem listening when I'm walking her. She likes to walk me instead of the other way around??

Question

she's much stronger then I am and I'm seriously afraid that she's going to break my arm one of these days. she's a pit/boxer mix and we have a metal chain for her leash, but how can I get her to walk beside me and listen?? please help, I really enjoy bringing her on walks and I know she loves it

i spend a LOT of time with her and she's a stray plus theres nowhere near me that has obiedence classes

Answer 1

Get a dog harness. Look them up online. They really work to keep the dog from pulling.

Answer 2

As a trainer I use this method, it works fast, its easy and very effective. With this method I can now walk both my dogs summer on the left and willow on the right w/o a leash and not worry about them running off.

Purchase a prong collar. Yes it looks like some midevil torture device but it DOES NOT hurt the dog. It corrects the dog in the most natural way. An alpha dog would apply pressure w/ it's teeth to the neck and chest of a dog it's correcting, this is what the prong collar mimicks.

A choke chain applies even pressure against the neck so you risk the trechea and esphagus collapsing.

With the prong collar all you do is walk. When the dog starts to pull turn abruptly and give a tug (called a correction). DO NOT drag, continuously pull, or let the dog to apply constant pressure with the collar. That defeats the purpose.

It's very very very simple, doesn't take a very long time and eventually when the dog becomes proficient you can switch him back to a regular flat collar.

Most importantly make sure you use a command. "heel, let's go, whatever" When you say the command that lets the dog know to pay attention to YOU and YOUR pace. When you switch back to the flat colllar w/ no lead at all he'll be trained to THAT word and know to heel.

Again.. walk (hold the leash very loosly. Don't have any tightness or restraint. Give a lot of slack so he'll pull). When he starts to pull turn abruptly and give a correction.

I had my girls trained in 10 minutes. I had a husky trained in 30 seconds! (And that was after 5 weeks of Petsmart training which was completely ineffective

Answer 3

There are a number of training collars and harnesses you can use to address this problem, but they are just that - training devices, not a substitute for proper training.

Head Halters -
A head halter is a device that fits around your dog's head similar to a halter in horses. One strap goes behind the dog's ears, the other around the muzzle, and the leash generally clips at the bottom of the muzzle. The way this works is that when the dog forges ahead and pulls, his head is turned to the side and he has to stop - he cannot pull on due to the fact that you have control over his head.

Body harnesses -
These are not the H style harnesses that PetsMart sells, but a specific style of harness where the leash clips onto the front, at the center of the chest. These need to be properly fitted or they can come off, but work well for many dogs.

Choke collars -
The most common choke is a chain choke. It's basically a link of chain with O rings on either end - you slip the chain through one O ring, and attach the leash to the other. Choke chains are difficult to use for inexperienced people because they have to be placed correctly (at the top of the neck behind the ears) and have to be adjusted to keep them from slipping down. A choke works by tightening and putting pressure on a dog's trachea when he pulls ahead. Because it's easy to damage your dog's neck if you don't know what you're doing, you should leave choke use up to people who know what they're doing, or have instruction on how to do it correctly.

Prong Collar -
A prong collar consists of a series of links with metal prongs that are fitted against the dog's neck. When you pull the leash to correct, it "bites" the dog on the neck, similar to how another dog might correct a pack mate. Prong collars are controversial and need to be fitted and used by someone who knows what they are doing, but are a great training tool for very strong dogs as correction requires little force and does no damage over repeated use like a choke does.

Which device you use is up to you, but regardless, PLEASE do a lot of research about its correct use prior to purchasing. You should never use a training device that you don't understand or don't know how to use.

Aside from that, you need to teach your dog that walking with you is the object of the game.

A good way of doing this is to set aside time to work on this. Go outside with your dog and start walking with her in the position you want her in. If she forges ahead, stop and just stand there, or turn and start going the other way. If she forges ahead again, stop again, or turn and go the other way again. Eventually she will catch on to the fact that her running ahead means nobody goes anywhere, or you go back the way you've come. It takes some time, but they do eventually "get it".

Answer 4

your dog should be walking at your side. Every single time he starts pulling, stop walking and make him sit. His reward is to resume walking. Don'[t give him a treat at this point. Do this every single time. If he'[s walking beside you nicely, give him a treat. At first you'll be standing more than walking but he'll get the idea. Hold the leash tightly, close to you also.Hold the leash in your right hand and use your left to hold it tight and have him walk on your left side. You could aslo buy a haltie. It controls even big dogs and doesn't hurt them.

Answer 5

My dog was the same way, When you walk the dog only let her have the lease long enough to walk right by you roll up in your hand that is what I do. Then when she tries to pull I pull it to the side like in front of he and make a shhhh sound don't pull back becuase that will make her want to pull and I also give her a tap on her side with my foot when I make the sound it makes her stop thinking about pulling. Saw it on the dog whisperer and it really works.

Answer 6

please get a leather or nylon leash to walk with. the chain could and would hurt your hand by cutting it when you are walking the dog if she starts to pull turn and go the other way. after two or three times of this she will start to pay attention to you. insteadof just pulling. i would find a good dog trainer in your area to help you

Answer 7

She has to know you don't like it. A little smack on the head or the butt every time will get the point across. I always had to stop the walk, pull him to me, smack him on the head and say no, then go on every single time he did it. Let me tell you those first few weeks were some SERIOUSLY long walks. Make sure you tell him how good he is when he does it right. Make a big deal out of it so he gets all mushy on ya. Positive re-enforcement is a great thing!! Good luck!! DOGS RULE!!!

Answer 8

invest in a gentle leader.

Pay no attention to Stoptheinvasion, apparently her husband failed at giving her any obedience classes and spelling lessons as well. I guess she was too busy shooting beer cans (if you read her pathetic profile) Dogs can be taught....moronic human beings well that's another story.

Answer 9

i would suggest to you that if you can not resolve this problem, you rehome your dog to somone that can handle it.
You see there is this thing if you have not heard called Breed Specific Legislation running ramped through this country. If you can not get your dog under control you are just going to cause more problems for the responsible and in control pit and pit X owners, so think of these people too.

Answer 10

hahaha, well you shouldnt have gotten a dog you cant handle. Thats too bad. People cost so many innocent animal lives simply because they make the wrong choices. You will have to get rid of it if you cant control her. Try some obedence classes. Otherwise its the nickel cure as my husband would say...cruel yes but honest. Next time you get an animal try to get one you can commit more time too.