Random Walking

[tlw]

Hi-
I have two dogs that pull, pull, pull on the leash. I have been walking them separately and practicing the random walking. It seems to be going okay.

One dog will stick with me without pulling as long as I have treats but she will lunge if there is something she wants to sniff. Tried to let her know I am the alpha dog but she's not buying it.

The other dog will do okay and manages to start looking at me for cues, then she gets bored and start jumping and playing tug-of-war with the leash. She is very strong and doesn't drop the leash. I have tried the coin/can method (just makes her mad), tried the spray bottle (no effect), tried standing still and not paying any attention to her (tough to do when she then starts jumping up and grabbing at my clothing). I have knelt down with her and told her to settle and drop. She does this but as soon as we start walking again, she's back at it. What should I do? She doesn't do this every walk so I don't know if she is just bored?? Help.

[KOPsarah]

Hi t/w thank you for your post.

Walking a dog that pulls on the lead and misbehaves can be draining and stop you and your dog enjoying what should be a pleasant time. I see you have tried a number of excellent methods but are having only partial success. I think at this point you have two options. You can continue with just your alpha dog training and your obedience training or you can consider trying a head collar to supplement this training.

Head collars are sold under many brand names including halti and gentle leader but are basically all the same. The idea is that instead of the collar going around the neck the collar goes around the nose but also has a part that clips behind the ears to hold it on. The lead is attached to a ring that hangs under the nose and when the dog pulls the nose band tightens. This is no way hurts the dog it is just annoying for the dog like someone holding your nose. However the main idea of the design is that the dog is attached to the lead via its nose and head rather than its neck and shoulder area where its powerful muscles are. The dog cannot pull you using only its nose so the walk is instantly more pleasant and you can assert full control over the dogs behaviour because the dog can only go where you let it go. Because the dog cannot pull you towards other dogs on walks it also learns to react more calmly to the situation and also to look to you for guidance as to how to react because you are in control of it. If you do decide to try the head collar it is important that you read the instructions that come with it in order for it to work properly especially the instructions on introducing your dog to the head collar as dogs may initially dislike having a band around their nose.

The head collar is a ‘quick fix’ and is not a long term solution for your dogs. Instead use it as a tool to supplement your alpha dog training. Two important things that will assist your alpha training are greater socialisation of the dog with other dogs and lots of exercise to reduce energy levels. The head collar allows you to do both of these. It will allow you to take your dogs into situations where it will encounter many distractions and dogs and thus have a chance to socialise. It also will encourage you to continue to exercise your dogs because the walks will be more pleasant.

I hope you find this helpful and if you have any more questions don’t hesitate to ask.