Ivy is 7 and its embarrassing that she still cannot do this.

[violetashlee]

Leash walking. :(

We should have this mastered by now, but at 7 years old she is still horrible on the leash.

Here is the thing - Ivy heels perfectly when not on a leash. But as soon as the leash is attached to her collar, she pulls like a maniac and jumps at the end of the leash like a total lunatic. Its not fun.

For the first 6 years of her life, we walked on walking trails where it was easy to train her to walk near me. It was not necessary to have her on a leash because she always stayed close, or rather was highly rewarded for staying by my side. It soon became a habit. And she has a great recall. We lived in Ohio and there wasn't much threat of her running into wildlife that could kill her. Now, we live in a different environment where I cannot/will not take her on walking trails... we have rattlesnakes here, and I don't want her encountering a snake and getting bitten (I'm pretty sure its a death sentence for a dog). I walk the trails with friends (no dogs) and I hear the snakes all the time, so I am not going to risk taking her with me.

So, now I have to walk her around the neighborhood on a leash and its really not fun. The real challenge is that Ivy cannot have treats due to several severe digestive issues. Also, Ivy does not play with toys, so a game of tug or fetch is also out because she does not play those games. I don't feel like I have any way to reward her. When she was a puppy, I could give treats because her digestive issues were undiagnosed and I treated her like crazy (I also inadvertently made her very sick) to establish good habits - leash walking was not one of them though. Any ideas on how to leash train a dog when you can not offer any incentive for doing the right thing? Or did I just answer my own question? No incentive = I don't get the behavior I want? I've tried using her regular kibble and lots of praise, but its not working for me... we are no better off now than were were a year ago when i started this leash training thing.

Any ideas? I have read some posts and we have some very smart trainer types on this board. But I just haven't read anything that addresses training without treats or toys.

Thanks!

 

[TwoDogs]

Try using the Premack principle in your training.

An article that explains it nicely...
What’s Premack Got To Do With Dog Training? | Dogs Naturally Magazine

And a video that shows how to put it to practice...
The Premack Principle as it relates to Loose Leash Walking - YouTube

It's how I taught my incredibly "sniffy" girl how to walk nicely on a leash. "Walk nice for a few steps then you get to go sniff. Walk nice for a few more, sniff some more." Now we average about 2 good long "go sniffs" per mile. The rest of the time she's walking by my side.

 

[Independence]

Very interesting!! I'll admit Bode is not the best on the leash but he is so much better when we have sniff time. I'll have to work more on this principle. Thanks for sharing.

 

[bobzilla]

My Java is VERY determined to pull forward at times. Not all the time, and not really hard. Just wants to get ahead. I sort of do what the person in the video was doing, but I know I need to be more vigilant with it. I tend to get frustrated too quickly!

What I'd really like her to do is stop eating everything she finds along the walk. She's terrible at the start of the walk and eventually stops for the most part.

Bob

 

[Kisaq]

Sounds to me like it's the leash it'self that is causing the ruckus with her - as apposed to walking nicely with you.
Perhaps you could leave a leash on her in the house (under supervision) until it becomes just part of her everyday wardrobe. Then try taking her for a walk with it.

The other option (or a combination of the two) is to just get an easy walk harness (the one that clips in the front). The reward is to stop pulling in-and-of-itself. You don't need a treat.

 

[CoraBoxer]

If she does so well off leash, would it be possible to have her drag the leash when you're out in your current neighbourhood (so that you have it attached should you need it)?