how can i stop my 1 yr. old mini. snauzher from pulling as i walk him?

Question

he pulls as if he's in a rush. he also goes crazy when he sees other people especially children but not in an agressive way. a dog walker suggested a choke collar but i don't want to hurt him. help!!

Answer 1

If used correctly, a choke collar will not harm the dog. (The correct use of a choke collar is to keep it at the high part of the neck at all times, but keep absolutely no tension on the leash, and only giving corrective tugs when he is displaying signs of unwanted behavior.) However they do have what is called a Gental Leader that you can purchase. Regardless, you have a dog that is in control of you. The correction of this behavior is quite simple. The first, and most important step, is when taking him for a walk, be sure that he is not in an excited state of mind when you put the leash on him. Make him come to you, make him sit, and if he starts to get excited, give him a firm touch on the side of the neck (this is done by using your index and middle fingers, simulating teeth, just a quick touch to redirect his attention from the excited state of mind he's getting himself into) and a quick and assertive "sshhtt!" noise. Do this until he is sitting in front of you in a calm and submissive state, for this will determine the basis of the walk. Then you are ready to put the leash on. When leaving the house, it's absolutely imperative that You walk through the doorway first, followed by him. This again is important in determining the basis of the walk. At all times the dog should be either beside you or behind you. Never let him take the lead of the walk. If he does, give a firm but quick tug on the leash, followed by the same "sshhtt!" sound. (If you have tension on the leash when he is beside you or behind you, he Will protest, so be sure that if he is being good, have absolutely no tension.) If he continues to pull, give another quick tug on the leash and make him sit. Once he has sat for you and is looking at you for what to do next, give him a scratch on the neck so that he knows he's doing good, and continue with your walk. Do not let him decide when to stop and when to walk, he's not walking you, you're walking him. You must at all times be in a calm state of mind, dogs can pick up on any nervous or tense energy and will display this in a negative behavior. As for people walking by, or other dogs walking by, or even dogs barking in a neighbors yard, the moment his attention shifts to them, but before it escalates into the barking or the pulling, give him the same correction as described before, a firm but quick tug on the leash followed by the sound. It may be helpful for him to have him sit while people/dogs walk by, even so much as him looking at them with his ears perked up should be corrected, as this is the beginning stage of his unwanted behavior. Again, a quick tug on the leash will redirect his attention to you. When people are able to walk by without him getting worked up, give him a scratch on the neck so he knows that he's demonstrating good behavior and continue with your walk. If you'd prefer not to make him sit, and want to keep walking, do so. But don't let him control any part of the walk! If he starts to act up while you're walking, take the foot opposite of the one that's next to him and swing it behind you to give him a quick and gentle touch with your toe, this will redirect his attention away from whatever he's becoming fixed on, and you can continue walking. Any sort of physical touch will redirect him immediately. This is what you need to do. Talking to him alone is not enough to gain the responce that you desire from him, as dogs learn firstly by touch, not sound. Even once the people have passed by you, if he turns his head to look at them, keep moving in a forward motion an give another quick and firm tug on the leash. This may take a few walks for him to get used to, because currently he's used to being in control. It's time for him to learn that he no longer has control over your walks and needs to look to you for guidence. Overall, once you've regained control, he'll be a much happier dog, firstly knowling that he's making you happy, and secondly because he'll be less stressed on his walks! Best of luck to you on this issue!

Answer 2

Gentle Leaders are really great. The other thing though is that your dog probably figures by now that pulling is the way to move forward. If you have let him pull on walks for 1 year or whatever, he probably assumes that this is how to go for a walk. I inherited a leash puller and every time he pulled, I just walked the other way. After only a week or so, he figured out that if he wanted to go forward, or if he wanted to go towards something that interested him (usually a cat!) he couldn't pull, because that worked against him. I also kept treats coming to him at my side on walks, and in no time at all he figured out that next to me was by far the best place to be. Good luck - it's annoying, I know, but not too hard to correct!

Answer 3

I was feeling the same way you do when my trainer recommended a prong collar, but I have to say that once I read about how it was developed and how to use it correctly I agreed to try it, and it has made a HUGE diffrence, and my dog isn't being hurt. The collars are designed to act the way a mother dog diciplines her young, so it's in a language your dog can understand.

Check out the web address below for my trainer and scroll down till you can read the articles writen about the prong collar, sometimes called a pinch.

I would never use a choke, because people have choked thier dog to death by mistake.

Answer 4

Have you considered taking him to obedience classes?

I just took my 5 month old puppy to an obedience class yesterday and it was great. A gentle leader collar will also help. I am totally against a choke collar but after learning how to use it correctly yesterday at the obedience class I am all for it. The choke collar should only be used while you are training your puppy to be obedient. AKC.com has a list of obedience classes in your area or Petco also has obedience classes. You and your pet will be so much happier once you complete the class. Your vet my also know of a local obedience class.

Good Luck.

Answer 5

Choke collar doesn't hurt them if used properly (ask your friend to show you how to use them). I think it's the best way to correct bad behavior. Also, make sure your dog isn't in front of you when you walk them. Just stop when he starts pulling you and pull him towards your side. Be patient and give him praise when he listens to you. Remember, you're taking him for a walk not the other way around.

Answer 6

The gentle leader is a good product if you and your dog dont mind it going around his muzzle and head , we own one for one of our dogs that pulls and it cause alot of fuss and we ended up not being able to use it.. but for some people it works amazing. also the is another anti pull harness :Sporn Anti-Pull Dog Harness
that we now use and it works amazingly well for our boy!! it google search both to read about the products best suited too you, also if you have a good pet store around you might be able to try some on too see which your dog likes best!!! anyways good luck!!!!

Answer 7

When you are walking him use a choke colar but make sure you have put it on properly. When he starts to forge ahead of you make a quick left hand turn bumbing him in the shoulders with your right knee. If he is lagging behind make a right hand turn, kicking the leash as you do so, this will bring him right back to your side.

Answer 8

I had to do this with my american bulldog. When he starts pulling you stop dead in your tracks and wait for him to put a little slack in the leash, then start walking again, when he starts pulling you stop walking AGAIN,I would a bunch of treats in my pocket to treat him automatically when he stopped pulling, when i stopped he would look back at me like what the hell you stopping for and take a few steps back and I would treat him. as soon as he started pulling i would say no pull and stop, then as we walked and if he didnt pull I would say good walk. It takes a long time for the walk to be over but he will catch on a fifteen minute walk turned into a 30 minute walk when i stopped everytime he pulled, so it will take a lot of patience, teaching your dog to heel is another good way to stop pulling. my pup now doesn't pull and walks beside me. it took a few walks for him to catch on but it was worth it in the end. good luck

Answer 9

ask at a pet store. they make a special harness for dogs with that problem. it goes around the chest and the leash part is at the middle of the back.

Answer 10

Purchase a leash called the "Gentle Leader". This is attached to his snout instead of his neck, and makes him easier to train. My friend, who is a professional dog trainer, swears by them.

Good luck.

Answer 11

If your dog doesn't learn how to walk on a leash that will eventually hurt him more e.g.(run into oncomming traffic). You need to take classes so you can learn how to teach your pet