pulling on lead and too much excitement!

[liz&Obi]

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Hi All,

I hope you can help me.
I have an 8 month old JRT called Obi. We have been very lucky with him as he is a very loving and happy puppy. The main problem we have though is when we take him for a walk he gets so excited and he pulls and pulls on his lead. Tonight he was upright on his back legs trying to get across the street to see another dog.
He is not able to greet other dogs or people calmly because he is so excited.
Before Obi came along, we had a Labrador who had the same issue. I was never able to get him to walk nicely and it was very frustrating for both me and him.
There is so much conflicting advice online on how to help with loose lead and i really don't know what to do.
If anyone has any advice i would really appreciate it.

Liz

 

[JudyN]

Are you able to walk him somewhere where he won't often see other dogs or people? Or walk at quieter times of day? The more 'calm' walks he has now, the calmer he will be able to be once he matures. And you will also have more opportunities for rewarding him for 'walking nicely'. Maybe do some general training while on lead to keep his focus on you and make you more interesting - I'm thinking about things such as 'watch me', maybe even spin, roll over... JRTs are smart dogs and he might really enjoy this. Again, this probably won't work at this stage if there are distractions.

As for loose lead walking, maybe have a look at Kikopup's videos on YouTube - they are an excellent resource. Start the training in the home where there will be fewer distractions, progress to the garden, and so on.

 

[excuseme]

How does your little chap spend his days with yourselves, is he able to socialise with you and others and grow with you as a family member?
Maybe he is alone quiet a lot of the time and going out on the lead really is very exciting

 

[JoanneF]

It looks like there are two issues here; pulling on the lead, and being magnetised to other dogs. I think it would help if you approached them as two separate things - related, but individual issues.

For walking on a lead, there's a load of different approaches but start in low distraction environments. Do it in your garden if you have one or even in the house. One way is that the moment he puts pressure in the lead, you stop going forward. The nanosecond he lets the lead go slack, you can move forward. It may be only one pace before you stop again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. It will help you if you try to not think of this as a walk, but as training. That takes the pressure off you to actually get anywhere while you work on it.

If you use a flexible lead, put it away - they work because they extend when the dog puts pressure on it so they work against loose lead walking.

Another way is to train him without a lead - if he isn't on a lead, he can't pull. Obviously only do this in a safe, enclosed space. A clicker would be useful - if you don't use one, start with this - Training with a clicker

Have a reward in one hand and the clicker in the other. Use the reward to lure him into a position by your lower leg and when he is in the right place, click and give the reward. When he is doing it reliably, name it with a cue word - close, for example. Take one step forward, if he stays in place click and reward. Use your cue word (once he is responding to it) to tell him or remind him to stay in place. When you have built up to several paces, try him on lead.

Essentially you ate training him to walk in a position close to you, the lead is for his safety but this training is for the position you want him to be in while you are walking, if that makes sense.

Being excited about other dogs is definitely something to work on, even if he is friendly other dogs or owners don't appreciate being pestered. And you want you to be the focus of his attention, the centre of his universe. I'd suggest you look online for the Look at That game - there's plenty of resources available so depending on whether you prefer video or reading, you should find something but do let us know if you need more pointers.