Leash Tranning
- Thread starter elliemae
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tianthai
Completely Boxer Crazy
Leash
I am no expert. When my 4 month-old Oscar pulls, I just stop and make him sit and resume walking again. With 15 mins walk, it could take about 10 stops and sits. I have recently started doing this and he is much better than a week ago. It is very tiresome to walk and stop all the time but I don't want to put the "training" leash such as choke chain or prong collar on him.
Any other suggestions are very welcome. Thanks
oscar's mom
I am no expert. When my 4 month-old Oscar pulls, I just stop and make him sit and resume walking again. With 15 mins walk, it could take about 10 stops and sits. I have recently started doing this and he is much better than a week ago. It is very tiresome to walk and stop all the time but I don't want to put the "training" leash such as choke chain or prong collar on him.
Any other suggestions are very welcome. Thanks
oscar's mom
Tianthai: You're doing exactly the right thing - so keep doing it! Your dog needs to learn to walk nicely on a leash, but he'll only learn that if he only gets to walk when he walks nicely. If you keep on walking when he's pulling, why on earth would he stop pulling? It's worse than that, in fact - if you allow the walk to continue when the dog is behaving badly/pulling, you *teach* the dog to pull more. Effectively, you confirm his idea that pulling is what makes the walk happen, or helps him to get there faster.
LOL - and why shouldn't he think it? He pulls, you walk, obviously it's pulling that makes the walk happen. That's in his mind.
Therefore, if you want a well behaved walker, you must never allow the walk to continue while he is pulling. Never allow him to believe that that's how he gets somewhere. Just stop walking every single time he pulls (exactly as you're doing) and do not continue until he calms down. Then proceed. You might only get a few steps, but the instant the dog puts weight into his collar to pull again, he *must* be penalised by having to stop.
If the dog finds that walks only happen when he walks nicely, then he will walk nicely. If he gets his way by pulling, then he will continue to pull. Ask yourself which is more important - getting the walk today/this week/this month done, or teaching the dog to walk nicely so that all the walks you take for the next 10 years will be pleasant ones? Obviously, it's the latter that is more important
So spending the time, frustrating as it may be, to teach loose leash walking from the outset is very much worth your while.
Some good articles on training loose leash walking here:
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2002c/llw.htm
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2002/pulling.htm
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/lltotal.htm
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001b/beatree.htm
LOL - and why shouldn't he think it? He pulls, you walk, obviously it's pulling that makes the walk happen. That's in his mind.
Therefore, if you want a well behaved walker, you must never allow the walk to continue while he is pulling. Never allow him to believe that that's how he gets somewhere. Just stop walking every single time he pulls (exactly as you're doing) and do not continue until he calms down. Then proceed. You might only get a few steps, but the instant the dog puts weight into his collar to pull again, he *must* be penalised by having to stop.
If the dog finds that walks only happen when he walks nicely, then he will walk nicely. If he gets his way by pulling, then he will continue to pull. Ask yourself which is more important - getting the walk today/this week/this month done, or teaching the dog to walk nicely so that all the walks you take for the next 10 years will be pleasant ones? Obviously, it's the latter that is more important
So spending the time, frustrating as it may be, to teach loose leash walking from the outset is very much worth your while.Some good articles on training loose leash walking here:
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2002c/llw.htm
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2002/pulling.htm
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/lltotal.htm
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001b/beatree.htm
I am also no expert, so I consulted one! 
She suggested that each time Moose pulled that I should actually turn around and start walking the other way. Well, of course he quit pulling because he didn't want to go home. As soon as he quit we would turn around and resume our walk. The first day we turned around enought so I was dizzy, but after about a week of this he is a wonderful leash walker. There is an occasional regression (or testing of will) and we do the turn around and he gets it right away. Hope this helps.
She suggested that each time Moose pulled that I should actually turn around and start walking the other way. Well, of course he quit pulling because he didn't want to go home. As soon as he quit we would turn around and resume our walk. The first day we turned around enought so I was dizzy, but after about a week of this he is a wonderful leash walker. There is an occasional regression (or testing of will) and we do the turn around and he gets it right away. Hope this helps.
tianthai
Completely Boxer Crazy
Leash training
Before I use the method STOP/SIT when he pulls, someone told me to turn home, my pup Oscar loves going home so he even pulled much more so it did not work for him. I have quite a lazy Boxer pup, my experience with dogs was they got very excited when seeing leash and the word OUT, not my Oscar, I have to carry him out to potty sometimes.
Before I use the method STOP/SIT when he pulls, someone told me to turn home, my pup Oscar loves going home so he even pulled much more so it did not work for him. I have quite a lazy Boxer pup, my experience with dogs was they got very excited when seeing leash and the word OUT, not my Oscar, I have to carry him out to potty sometimes.
kj1963falcon
Boxer Pal
I am new to this whole training thing but I had the same pulling problem when we first started walking on the leash.
The way that I did was just like everyone on the board said to do. When he starts to pull I just stop and I don't move until he gives up and sits down. The first couple of weeks I didn't think that it was working, but he is finally catching on and now he hardly pulls anymore.
So from my experience it may take a while but it you keep at it it will get better.
KJ
The way that I did was just like everyone on the board said to do. When he starts to pull I just stop and I don't move until he gives up and sits down. The first couple of weeks I didn't think that it was working, but he is finally catching on and now he hardly pulls anymore.
So from my experience it may take a while but it you keep at it it will get better.
KJ
my buddy
Boxer Booster
Keep stopping the walk. Buddy did the same thing and as soon as the leash got tugged I just stopped and said come. I always have something good in my pocket and that method seemed to reinforce two things, the walk and come. I'm working on him coming quickly in the park, but the stop the walk has worked wonders. NILIF has also worked wonders in about three weeks of continuously using that method. He has come a long way. He's a perfect dog when he knows or thinks he knows I have a fat hot dog piece for him when he obeys. Good luck.
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