Getting an adult dog to heel on a lead

[hannahrobiha]

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Hi All,

I am currently trying to teach my puppy to walk properly on a lead (no pulling) and so far she is dong very well. My adult dog on the other hand is a nightmare!

Previous to us owing him, he was a working Border Collie and came to us after fracturing his leg and being unable to work anymore. I think this is why he has never really been taught how to walk on a lead, and the fracture hindered our progress for sometime, however he is now perfectly capable of walking a good distance and will tolerate having a lead put on - he just wont stop pulling as soon as we are out of the door, and ends up pulling me and the puppy along with him. A lot of the time I give up and let him off the lead where he will trot along at his own pace, and sit and wait if he gets too far or is given the command to do so.

I have tried giving him a tug but I don't think he even feels it, and despite a lot of advice being 'relax and have a loose lead' there is no loose lead to start with no matter how short or long I have the lead.

I do have an extendable lead but I feel like this misses the point. I would like both dogs to at least walk on a loose lead, more for their and my own safety as we often walk near a busy main road.

How can I nip this in the bud before puppy starts copying?

 

[Biker John]

First train tour older one on its own, at first it will be a slow thing but its essential the dog does not gain a benefit by pulling. With what you say at present it is doing, it pulls so you let it off lead which it likes. Go to the start as though it was a puppy, as soon as it pulls, at least stop and wait till the lead is slack then give praise and start walking. Again as soon as the lead tightens you stop. Even better than stopping is when it tightens the lead you give a heel command and turn round and walk the other way. This way the dog is not getting what it wants by pulling or even having a tight lead, it only gets to where it wants to go by behaving. As I said at the start it will be slow to start with but BC's are quick to learn they just need consistent guidance. So simply put, plenty of praise when its right and no advantage to it when its wrong.

 

[HappyPawsBedford]

I agree with everything Biker John has said, also I find extendable leads encourage pulling so I would get a 6ft standard lead. Have you tried a front leading harness? Where the lead attaches to the front not the back? That might help a bit too. Good luck.

 

[gypsysmum]

To speed up the advice above, which is all good, you could lure your dog beside you with a tasty treat or a tennis ball (treats are best if he will work for them). A few steps of loose lead walking gets a treat/ball. Once about ten steps can be achieved you can add the "heel" cue to your training before luring your dog into position again. At first give treats after a few steps and then gradually ask for more and more. You may have to, sometimes, go back a stage.

As has been said, the main thing is to not reward any pulling with the reward of the dog getting what it is after. This will include pulling to get to a smell etc. First he has to unlearn all the pulling he has been doing so far.

Heelwork is one of the hardest things to teach as it takes so much concentration from both dog and owner. You have a special challenge with having to pay attention to your puppy. I would invest in a headcollar for the days when you cannot walk them separately and to ensure that he learns that when he wears an ordinary collar he must walk nicely. The headcollar will give you more control. It will need to be introduced gradually using food to persuade him that it is nice to wear it around the house and in the garden. Always use a link to the ordinary collar too.