Pulling on lead

[Alfies Mum]

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Our 5 month old golden doodle really pulls when we take him for a walk. He’s on a harness, and we’re having training with him, but as soon as he sees another human and/or dog, he’s up on his back legs desperately wanting to meet & greet. We were told to just stand still when he pulls, but that has no effect. We know sniffing is a huge part of growing up & we take treats with us to reward his good behaviour, but the constant pulling is not making for a nice walking experience!! Any help greatly appreciated

 

[JudyN]

It's a difficult phase! For now, you would be better off training where you are less likely to see other people and dogs, so his focus will be more on you as he learns how he's meant to walk on lead. You can even start training walking close in the house, and then the garden before taking it to more exciting places. When outside the house, if you see a person or dog in the distance - not so close that he starts to lunge - reward him heavily. In time, when he sees a person or dog, he'll then turn to you because he knows it is even better than what he's seen. Then you can gradually reduce the distance.

Maturity will help a lot too - the aim is for him to see other people and dogs as really not that interesting, but at this age, that's not easy!

For lead walking in general, have a search for Kikopup videos on YouTube. This article by Patricia McConnell is also good: Leash Manners Revisited - The Other End of the Leash

 

[dawsond88]

Hi. This seems quite similar to what I’m experiencing at the moment, so I can relate to the difficulties!

Something which helped our shar pei x akita was switching from a harness to a collar. Much easier to stop him pulling with a taught pull of the lead and a command. (Shame we can’t get the jumping under control with it )

I’ve also heard some good reviews on Halti’s, so that could be one to try

Good luck!

 

[JoanneF]

I'm not a fan of a pull on the lead - the throat is a delicate area, and you could cause injury.

Have you considered training without using a lead? You start by clicker training - I can add more detail if you are interested but in brief, a clicker is used to mark the exact moment the dog does what you want, like a snapshot, and is followed with a reward. Then, start in the house and encourage your dog to walk beside you, clicking and rewarding when he is by your side - in the position he would be in if he was walking on a loose lead. Progress to the garden, and then to safe places outside.

For jumping up, dogs struggle to ”not do” things. As do we; if I said to you do NOT think of a big red fire engine, what comes immediately to mind? So instead of ”don't jump” you could train an alternative thing like a sit - he can't jump while he is sitting. But, sitting would need to be a far more rewarding thing for him than jumping, so make sure he is well incentivised to make that his choice.

 

[Alfies Mum]

Hi. This seems quite similar to what I’m experiencing at the moment, so I can relate to the difficulties!

Something which helped our shar pei x akita was switching from a harness to a collar. Much easier to stop him pulling with a taught pull of the lead and a command. (Shame we can’t get the jumping under control with it )

I’ve also heard some good reviews on Halti’s, so that could be one to try

Good luck!

Thank you for your reply. We changed from a collar to a harness as we didn’t want to hurt his neck by yanking him back all the time. This week has been a turning point though. He’s now walking nicely beside us but he still acts up when other dogs/people are around

 

[Hemlock]

That's great progress, and soon the other behaviours should improve.

 

[excuseme]

I dislike the harnesses, my view on these is that if your dog wants to pull it is aided by the harness. Dogs in a harness always appear to walk in front and not with their owner.
Harnesses are used for horses, donkeys, cattle, reindeer, lamas, elephants (for pulling logs), and not to forget our dogs.
All of these animals can be lead with just a headcollar, or in the case of a dog a normal collar. A harness normally means for work and with pulling involved.

I have noticed dogs with a harness and wearing collars, the owners have a handfull of various leads, and the dogs were still leading the way and not walking with the owner
These harnesses are part of "modern" fashion.
How ever did we ever manage without so many different so called "aids". A collar was always fine!
We once had a male Cocker who always "leaned" on his lead and kept his nose to the ground. Unfortunately most of his puppy walks were loose, and with no lead, he used to walk with us and learned to "wait" but never trained to "heel". (entirely my fault)
While I was still working and before I retired, morning walks were around the block and the dogs were walked on the lead. This chap always had his head down and sniffing various smells as we walked.
Somehow I had to lift his head ! I started to use a loose fitting "Halti", this was never tight beneath his eyes or tight around his face, he resisted violently in the begining but very quickly learned to accept the Halti and soon learnt to walk sensibly with me and the others, I could hold his lead attached to the Halti only, between just my finger and thumb. But if I ever took him for a walk with just the collar and no Halti, his head would automatically go down to sniff the ground. Grrr!

I know that we all have different views on our animal control and some of us get the results we require. But It always looks like such hard work to me.
PHEW !

.

 

[JessH]

Something you may find useful, I've noticed it said elsewhere that if you get the kind of harness with a second loop/catch on the front of the chest, when they try to pull or jump forwards, the front catch will automatically pull them round to face you, so they're more likely to give up. Haven't tried it yet, as my dogs have always had collars, but sounded sensible to me? Possibly worth a go?

 

[Cath S]

Sorry to hijack this post a bit but what are people’s thoughts on slip leads? My dog is 3 - has always pulled and I use a harness. I got a dog trainer who has told me to use a slip lead. I have been very hesitant about this and raised it with him and he said it’s only cruel and dangerous if you don’t know how to use it correctly - said he would teach me to use it correctly. On the slip lead he does not pull at all - no correction needed and he said that he needs break time to run around and be a dog in the middle of each session to make things fun. It has made walks easier but there is something at the back of my mind this is not the right way to go. Any thoughts? No judgment please - just want to do the best for my dog. TIA.

 

[JoanneF]

A lot of people like them but I have to be honest, I'm not a fan. They absolutely have their place for transferring frightened dogs that might bolt; and they are used in showing as they allow the dog to be seen better. But for general use, I've said elsewhere that it's training, not tools, that teach loose lead walking (our trainer demonstrates walking her Ridgeback using a toilet roll).

Having said that, if your dog walks well on a slip lead, you could use it to teach a 'close by' cue that you could then use to remind him when he is in his harness.

 

[Cath S]

A lot of people like them but I have to be honest, I'm not a fan. They absolutely have their place for transferring frightened dogs that might bolt; and they are used in showing as they allow the dog to be seen better. But for general use, I've said elsewhere that it's training, not tools, that teach loose lead walking (our trainer demonstrates walking her Ridgeback using a toilet roll).

Having said that, if your dog walks well on a slip lead, you could use it to teach a 'close by' cue that you could then use to remind him when he is in his harness.

Thank you. I was kind of hoping that once he had learnt some manners that it could be transferred to the harness. When he is in his ‘breaks’ he is in the harness and I have noticed he is walking better so fingers crossed!

 

[JessH]

Sorry to hijack this post a bit but what are people’s thoughts on slip leads? My dog is 3 - has always pulled and I use a harness. I got a dog trainer who has told me to use a slip lead. I have been very hesitant about this and raised it with him and he said it’s only cruel and dangerous if you don’t know how to use it correctly - said he would teach me to use it correctly. On the slip lead he does not pull at all - no correction needed and he said that he needs break time to run around and be a dog in the middle of each session to make things fun. It has made walks easier but there is something at the back of my mind this is not the right way to go. Any thoughts? No judgment please - just want to do the best for my dog. TIA.

If he has never pulled while wearing the slip lead, maybe he prefers it too? As someone else pointed out, harnesses are for pulling a load of some kind (for several species including dogs), so if he pulls with a harness and not with a slip lead, how can it possibly be cruel? If you enjoy walks while not being towed, you are ultimately likely to take him for more walks, so a bonus for you AND him! Don't let fashion or trends influence you. Just look to your dog, and see how he seems more comfortable. If he's stopped pulling, and that was achieved easily, then a slip lead suits him (and you). Keep an open mind about what suits your dog, take what he does as evidence of what suits him, and then relax and enjoy him. Once he seems confident walking easily with the slip, maybe try a fixed collar and lead, and see if the polite walking with you continues? Plain collars and leads worked for dogs until just a very few years ago, and still work as well as they ever did. I would always use a harness in the car or on a boat (so you can lift them back in if they fall overboard), but for normal walking anything that works for him and you is just fine. (in my opinion).

 

[Cath S]

If he has never pulled while wearing the slip lead, maybe he prefers it too? As someone else pointed out, harnesses are for pulling a load of some kind (for several species including dogs), so if he pulls with a harness and not with a slip lead, how can it possibly be cruel? If you enjoy walks while not being towed, you are ultimately likely to take him for more walks, so a bonus for you AND him! Don't let fashion or trends influence you. Just look to your dog, and see how he seems more comfortable. If he's stopped pulling, and that was achieved easily, then a slip lead suits him (and you). Keep an open mind about what suits your dog, take what he does as evidence of what suits him, and then relax and enjoy him. Once he seems confident walking easily with the slip, maybe try a fixed collar and lead, and see if the polite walking with you continues? Plain collars and leads worked for dogs until just a very few years ago, and still work as well as they ever did. I would always use a harness in the car or on a boat (so you can lift them back in if they fall overboard), but for normal walking anything that works for him and you is just fine. (in my opinion).

 

[Cath S]

Thanks. We leave his harness on so he can have his ‘free time’ on a longline at the park (working on recall) and also it’s handy as it has a handle so I can grab him in an emergency and for the car.

 

[JoanneF]

I wouldn't say harnesses are a new 'fashion' - it's more about our having developed a better understanding of what benefits our dogs, and availability of alternatives. I was trying to think of an analogy and trainers / running shoes came to mind. When I was a kid, our gym shoes were just rubber soled black canvas things. Now, there's been so much research and development into things like material and construction, they actually improve running performance and decrease injury by measurable amounts. When a better choice of equipment exists, it's a conscious choice what to use, rather than a fashion or fad.

I also don't think they 'encourage' pulling as such. Pulling may be less uncomfortable in a harness than a collar but if we don't want to create discomfort or pain in our dogs, for me that actually reinforces the case for using them (along with training not to pull of course).

Emily Larlham (Kikopup) has a good article on the pros and cons of different kit.

Is it harmful to attach a leash to your dog’s neck? | Dogmantics Dog Training

dogmantics.com

 

[JudyN]

What I would like to understand is, if Freddie immediately stopped pulling on the slip lead, how does it work? Wouldn't he have had to pull enough at first to realise that pulling was unpleasant? Yet so many dogs will pull even on a choke chain to the point where their eyes are bulging.

I don't know what the answer is - you might have more of an idea from observing Freddie on the slip lead and having a feel for whether he's happy and relaxed while he walks nicely, or if he's a bit more subdued than usual.

 

[Tinytom]

I'm not a fan of walking dogs on slip leads ...they were originally for Working dogs who could be slipped on and off easily not to be walked on ...
I worry they do damage to the throat..but I suppose its each to their own...must admit I wouldn't trust any behaviourist advising to use a slip lead ...
I think you are wise to listen to your gut @Cath S