how can i get my really hyper dog to pay attention and stop pulling during his walks?

Question

Hi there. I have a medium sized schnoodle thats extremely hyper and gets distracted really easily. Whenever I take him out on walks he constantly pulls, sniffs the floor and tries to chase other animals. I have tried walking and stopping whenever he does this stuff but with no success. I have also tried giving him treats whenever he walks properly but he is always too distracted to care. Is there anything I could do to change him without having to pay for professional lessons?

Answer 1

A choke chain/leash combination is good. You want the lead to only be about 6 - 10 inches so you keep the dog right at your side. You need to break your dog's fixation on whatever is making him hyper. Before you take him on walks, play with him about 10 minutes in the back yard. Toss toys and make him run, to get some of his nervous energy out before you walk him. This may help a little. Do not give him treats until you return home.

Answer 2

Walk him on a "choke chain" type collar. When he pulls away from you, give him a firm pop using your leash, tell him "no" and stop walking forward. Reel him back into you by calling him in a very excited voice and praise him like crazy when he gets to you. Make all your neighbors think that you have lost it, pretty much. Then, once he is right next to you, start the walk again. Judging from the amount it sounds like he's pulling, it might be enough just to walk him to the end of the block and back a few times a day. Be sure when using this method to train, that the praise overshadows the correction. Good luck to the both of you. And if all else fails, a good obedience class will usually cost less than $100 for an eight week session, and it will be priceless in the long run.

Answer 3

My dog is one of the most hyper dogs I have ever encountered. In fact, our dog trainer has given him the nickname "Mr. Distractible". I used the Gentle Leader collar and it worked wonders. Honestly. The only thing is that you want to make sure the fit is just right. It seems like it would be uncomfortable for the dog but it is not.

Now, my dog is a sucker for treats so you may have it a little rough if yours does not respond to food. Perhaps you can change it up? Instead of regular treats, you can give him popcorn? I started out waving the treat in his face the whole time (I know some advise against this but I was a desperate woman). That eventually got his attention enough where we graduated to having him touch my hand with his nose for a treat. It was a long road but, I must say, we look pretty darn spiffy on our walks now! (Well, with the exception of the occasional squirrel...)

Answer 4

In order to get him to walk nicely on leash you will need to start off training in a quiet place with no distractions. When he pulls, turn around and go in the opposite direction. When he follows you, praise him.

It will take a little time but he will pay attention to you. Some people use choke or prong collars to make dogs pay attention but I would try a regular collar first. Choke or prong collars that aren't sized or used properly can cause lasting damage.

Go to the same, calm, boring place and repeat this exercise until he walks on a loose leash. Then take him somewhere a little more interesting. When he's really good on leash then you can take him somewhere new and interesting.

Dogs don't always understand that walking nicely on leash should be done in all circumstances. They have to be taught this by getting their lessons in a wide variety of places.

It is normal for dogs to pull when they want to get somewhere so it can take a month or so for him to understand what you want him to do.

Answer 5

If your not opposed to corrective collars they work with dogs who need some guidance and reprimand combined with love and praise. I highly recommend the pincher collars which apply pressure differently from choke chains (which I wouldn't use). You need to teach the dog to heel to your right side. Holding leash in hand (most of leash in left hand right hand holding between setting the slack the animal is given) set the pace and if he lags pull him forward if he pushes forward give him a quick yank (with right hand) with an immediate release. Repeat the command of heel and continue walking. As he heels properly praise him (he should be on your right flank his head even with your leg). Continue doing this, practicing everyday for about 30 minutes. If you've never trained a dog I would highly recommend finding either a local kennel or community college that has dog training classes (well worth the money). It's very important to having a good relationship with the animal for him to know that you are the Alpha in his pack and that you are confident in your position with him. Make sure you get him out a lot w/ lots of exercise and if you can some time off leash (in a gated area for his safety). It'll help with any hyperactivity when at home.

Answer 6

What kind of harness/collar/leash are you using? You need to really control the situation. A face harness could help. Whenever the dog does anything other than walk, or whatever you want him to do, make a loud noise, like AAAH, and give a gentle but firm tug on the lead. Don't let him sniff around where you don't want him to (it's innate in dogs to sniff, but you can take control and stop this), don't let him pull on the lead. You can't allow him to act aggressively toward other animals, it will just get worse. Stop the behavior the minute it starts. Be confident, firm, and unyielding.

Answer 7

You can definitely train the dog yourself. Here are a few ways you can do this:
1. Teach him a command to stop. When he listens, reward him with a treat and a little extra walking distance.
2. When he does not listen, turn around and go home.
3. When he does not listen, stop walking. Go towards him, come down to his level, and hold him still for about one minute repeating the word until he calms down.
4. If he still does not listen: buy an empty squirt bottle at Wal-Mart, fill it with vinegar, and squirt the dog when he does not listen. It does not hurt the dog at all, and since they hate the smell it is a great teaching tool!

Answer 8

Sounds like your schnoodle (I always wanted to say that) has lots of energy (ADHD) that he can't focus. I think he'd walk just fine after a long walk, right? I had a partipoodle just like that. Actually, mine wanted me to CARRY him while we went for our walks. I tried the treats, the stopping when he disobeyed, but honestly, I don't think any of it got through because he was just too excited. But if I didn't get him to walk/run a mile a day, he was insufferable in the house! I inherited my dog (7) from my Mom who had not trained him at all. That may be why he was so resistant to my training--he'd been doing things one way for all his life, and then I take away his Mommy and try to change everything...

A professional trainer was able to help me with his incessant barking, and the vet had to give me pills for his separation anxiety. I don't know, maybe this will work for his pulling, too.

She told me no one likes to be ignored. Turn your back on him whenever he exhibits unwanted behavior. He'll come up and sniff your hand, etc. but you just keep ignoring him turning your back on him until he follows your command (sit? heel?).

That's the depth of my wisdom for walking dogs. After that, it's the doggy trainer for you, boy.

Debbie
TX Mom

Answer 9

High energy dogs really need to be able to run now and then. I take my dog to an open field and play frisbee with her, or take her jogging with me.
As for learning to walk on a leash, let the dog run in a field to tire him/her out a bit before training. Then put a leash on her/him, and every time they tug on the leash, go in another direction. Do zigzags, shift left to right, then move forward and turn completely around to go back again. the dog will HAVE to learn to pay more attention to you to walk properly.
I did this with a full grown rottweiller and had her walking by my side in like 15 minutes. She even walked next to me every time after that!

Answer 10

PS. as far as leash and collar: I had (as someone above me has suggested) a gentle leader. I liked it but switched to something that really really helped me: I don't know if this may work for you as well but it is worth the try. It is an harness but different from the usual ones. Trust me, I thought I tried them all until I got introduced to that one. You can find their website below. I also got very discouraged but with the help of some, my dog and I were successful. this is how we did it:

My dog sounds exactly like yours when I first got him. He was very hyper and taking him on walks was very hard. I got some private lessons (I really needed a professional to show me as he is my first dog ever and on top of that, he is a very strong dog. It was not going to be too long before he took over the house and became the boss.

To me, clicking technique was great because (as you may already know) it is a technique based on positive reinforcement and not force or punishment. I do not like the use of choke/pinch collars because in my opinion, they are harmless only if the owner really knows what he or she is doing.You may know how to use them, in which case...

The clicker really works for hyper dogs since most of them tend to have "passions" such as fetching and the clicking sound really gets their attention. Mine has its passion in balls. By clicking plus throwing a ball combined action: I was able to get him to pay more and more attention where before that, it was like I did not exist. He was climbing up the walls almost and it did not matter if i was there or not.

of course the training was done in a closed environment. In a few days, I actually got him to respond more and more (the clicker was working well in our situation). the trainer was great. With only 2 private lessons, I was able to continue on my own as she showed me how to do it. We planned for working on the walking problem at a later time. As you point out, getting your dog to pay attention is your #1 priority:

Once I got him to pay attention to me and to respond to basic commands at home: sit; stay; heel; down; look; ... i was able to take him on walks and start training at the same time: Again, his passion for the ball helped a lot.

Before each session, I made sure my dog was on the same side as always (with me, my dog walks on my left side, i hold the leash in the right hand with my left controlling the length. a great book is: How to be your dog's best friend by the monks of skete where they show you all these techniques)

this is how I started: We would walk in direction of the dog run. As soon as he starts pulling, I would turn around with him always heeling and give a response outloud that he understood and recognized quickly: I chose "Too Bad". After a while, he learned to associate the pulling to the "too bad, no ball game yet"

Don't take me wrong. This took a very long time, people laughing at us, frustration, mistakes, days without any fun or ball games. There were bad days and then good days for quite a few months... but it did wonder. My dog does not pull anymore (I never thought I would see that day) He actually heels with no leash. And as far as the clicker training, I think it is a great method that you can use for anything and where you and your dog can be very creative in shaping behaviors you want to see in your dog. (all of this learned in a fun environment which is great for dogs i think). I wish you the best to you and your doggie