# Need advice for loose leash walking



## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

I could really use some advice for walking Dixie. I had a stroke 2 years ago and have difficulty with balance issues. I walk with a cane at my left side. Dixie has been awesome for me in terms of my walking abilities. She needs lots of exercise and I find myself walking so much better since getting her 2 months ago. I can go faster and farther than I have in a looong time. 

I need help with training her for loose leash walking. She has an extremely high prey drive and is always lunging at something. It is really working my balance. I have only ended up on the ground once. I have been taking her on a familiar route so I can anticipate things before they become a huge problem. If we need to pass a squirrel, moving car, barking dog etc. I have her sit and treat her for not lunging and barking. 

The problem is she is constantly pulling at the leash. I need a training method that I can use to help her walk on a loose leash. She is extremely challenging to walk.

I tried using a clicker but because of my disability I gave it up weeks ago. I have a hard enough time with a cane in one hand and a lunging dog in the other. Then there is the treats and poop bag etc. the clicker was just too much. My timing with the clicker isn't great either so forget that method. 

I need to get this worked out before winter. I don't think I can risk walking her on ice. Any ideas?


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## sika (May 5, 2010)

Have you tired different collars? possibly a head collar?


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## JiveDadson (Feb 22, 2010)

I lost my clicker before I learned how to use it. No problem. I click with my cheek and gum. Works great. There are other mouth noises you could use.


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## muttonchop (Jun 23, 2010)

It sounds like you're having problems with the dog viewing you as the pack leader - I saw this because you said that he is pulling you on the leash - leading you, instead of the other way around. I've noticed with my puppy that, as our walks have improved, where I am leading him and he is at my side or behind me, he is less distracted during walks, and more responsive at home.

I'd recommend Cesar Millan's book - maybe starting with his "How to be the pack leader" book


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## JiveDadson (Feb 22, 2010)

muttonchop said:


> It sounds like you're having problems with the dog viewing you as the pack leader - I saw this because you said that he is pulling you on the leash - leading you, instead of the other way around. I've noticed with my puppy that, as our walks have improved, where I am leading him and he is at my side or behind me, he is less distracted during walks, and more responsive at home.
> 
> I'd recommend Cesar Millan's book - maybe starting with his "How to be the pack leader" book



Uh oh. 






.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

yah, uh oh is right.

OP.
First off I would recommend accustoming your pup to a head collar like a gentle leader. It's okay if using a clicker proves to be a challenge, it is even for some fully able bodied folks! I had to use a waist leash to get my hands off the leash to use the clicker at first.
You can certainly use a tongue click or a marker word, same concept but it has to be a word that has resonance. At class (our lead trainer doesn't use clickers) we use the word YESSSSSS with a sibilant end so that it is different than the everyday yes. Mark the behaviour, reward. Easy peasy.

A great way to work on loose leash walking starts at home...check out youtube for "silky leash"..it teaches the dog it is more rewarding to NOT have pressure on their collar and they learn to ease up when they feel pressure. Positive reinforcement, no need for corrections.

Pulling on a leash takes TWO..both ends of the leash are involved (simple physics) so working on your handling with the above exercise is also helpful. It has NADA to do with leadership, leash pulling happens because dog wants to move forward,humans are slow at the best of times and as soon as they feel pressure on the collar their opposition REFLEX starts up. It is not a conscious decision to drag you down the street...as much as some people think it is.

For conditioning a dog to a GL please have a look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wakterNyUg

Good luck!


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## JiveDadson (Feb 22, 2010)

Dexter and Zoot were terrible on-leash when they first found me. Not only would they pull, but when they saw another dog, or even a cat or bird, they would lunge ferociously and go absolutely berserk. I got halters for them to protect their necks. (We are back to regular collars now.) I ruled out the Gentle Leader because of the lunging. I did not want to risk them jerking their necks around.

All better now. Dexter (the black one) does not pull at all, and on the rare occasions when Zoot cannot resist rushing toward something fascinating he will comply to my "By me" instruction and return to my side. We can even walk right up to other dogs when everybody is on-leash. Frankly, I never thought that would happen. It took about four months. For the leash-reactivity, the books_ Feisty Fido_, and _Click to Calm _were invaluable. The best videos I've found on loose-leash walking are on the kikopup channel on youtube: www.youtube.com/kikopup. Here's one of them (Click).

Aside to muttonchop: Cesar Milan's theories and techniques have a very bad rap here. I started out going down that path, and I am quite glad that the folks here talked me out of it.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

sika said:


> Have you tired different collars? possibly a head collar?


I'm not a huge fan of GL's, but in this case I would probably opt to use one myself. It seems to "tone down" the super-excitable ones and makes it easier to walk. Win win


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## CandJHarris (Apr 29, 2010)

I'm working on this exact thing with my 4 month old GD puppy. When we're out for a walk and he starts ahead of me I anticipate the pull and stop. When he gets to the end of the leash that's as far as he can go. I call him back, or position him back beside me, ask for a sit, count to three (will probably add duration later), give a "Let's Go" and start walking again. I repeat EVERY TIME he gets ahead of me. Consistency is the key and eventually it clicks with them that only a tension free leash allows them to move forward and that YOU are controlling the walk, not him. I'm sure I look like a total idiot to the folks at the park stopping every few feet, but every time we go out he pulls less and less, and usually by the end of our walk he's walking nicely beside me and sitting on his own when I stop.


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## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

Thank you so much for all of your input. I don't at all see this as a matter of her seeing herself as pack leader. I think it is mostly an issue of her being a bred for chasing vermin, terrier breed. We live in the mountains and every walk involves encounters with all kinds of critters. We see everything from chipmunks to bears. She wants them all. She walks along fine as long as there is nothing to chase but that is rare. I dread winter because of all the snow and ice but the good thing is that the critters will mostly be out of sight then too. There will still be people walking dogs and cars etc. though. She loves to try and chase cars. Fortunately I can hear them coming so I make her sit until they pass by us. She gets a treat if she doesn't react to them. Sometimes she will hear the car before I do and she will sit on her own. I have also been stopping when she starts to pull towards something. I refuse to move until she quits pulling. She hates it but I think she is starting to catch on. 

She wears a harness for walking. She can slip out of a collar in seconds no matter how tight it is.


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## ZeeDoggy (Jul 16, 2010)

I swear by this harness for dogs that are heavy pullers: http://www.petco.com/product/109839...s.aspx?CoreCat=DogSFC_CollarsHarnessesLeashes Part of it is mesh and faux sherpa so it's very comfortable and safe for the dog. This tool changed the way we walk together from the moment I put it on! My dog's tail starts wagging the moment he sees me getting his harness.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

efiller said:


> I used the Simple Leash to stop my two German Shorthairs from pulling. It worked really well - within about 10 minutes both of them learned how to respond and heal. It's actually quite impressive. You can go to their website for more info on it: http://www.simpleleash.com
> 
> Hope this helps!


I wouldn't use a glorified ecollar for teaching LLW, but that is a totally different conversation. My only reason for this post is that it is HEEL (like the back of your foot), not HEAL. If you are going to cut and paste your recommendation in all "my dog pulls" threads...at least have the spelling right.


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## JiveDadson (Feb 22, 2010)

efiller said:


> I used the Simple Leash to stop my two German Shorthairs from pulling. It worked really well - within about 10 minutes both of them learned how to respond and heal. It's actually quite impressive. You can go to their website for more info on it: http://www.simpleleash.com
> 
> Hope this helps!


"Their" website?


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

I am a huge fan of the silky leash method. I have done 3-4 really short sessions (2-3 minutes) of this with a clicker with my dog, and already she will walk on a completely loose lead and be completely attentive... indoors that is. We have yet to try it outside, but so far it has worked really really well, and fast too.

Before coming across the silky leash method I tried the 'stopping when she pulls' method, and she just wasn't getting it. Silky leash is heaps quicker because you are actively trying to teach them something, rather than just not doing anything at all (stopping) and waiting for the dog to see the connection.


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