Stop Pulling on the Lead
Lead-pulling can turn a pleasant walk with your dog into a constant tussle making it a nuisance rather than a pleasure. Quite often this means the owner goes on less or shorter and shorter walks. This has the net effect of reinforcing the dogs tendency to pull when you do get out on a walk – he is even more excited to be out with all the new sights and smells.
The average dog needs at leat 45 minutes walk every day, more if possible. If he does not get these walks, release some of his energy he’s ready to explode on your next walk. So the key is keep taking your dog on his walks. Tackle the problem do not try to avoid it!
First it time to look at how you behave on the walk, as well, because you may be contributing more than you think to your dog pulling on his lead. As soon as you get the lead out, even before you go through the door to the outside world. You need to make sure that both you and your dog are in a calm state of mind and body. Keep in the front of your mind that you are in charge on the walk and it will proceed in the way you want it to.
Y0u probably need some time to carry this out properly, so do even think about trying this if you are in a rush. If, when you get the lead out, your dog gets excited and bounces around you – put the lead away and go away and sit down. The walk will not start with your dog in that frame of mind!
Taking him out on his walk when he is so excited means the walk is ruined before you start it – so don’t do it. This behaviour is not wanted and if you permit it, by going on the walk, you are just reinforcing the message – this is the way we go on our walk. No it is not, you must correct this behaviour!
Make sure you’re giving your dog a consistent message : over excitement is not acceptable.
It is great that your dog is HAPPY to be going out for a walk – but happiness and excitement are two very different things to your dog. They show themselves in different ways. A happy dog is relaxed and calm in it’s approach to life, it’s big friendly, “soft” eyes and the lack of any tension in the way he stands and moves. His tail could well be wagging, and he might showing signs of excitement, but he’s calm, relaxed, and is open to the fact that you are in charge – the leader, his leader who he will obey without delay.
On the other hand an excited dog is tense and bursting with nervous energy. An excited dog will jumps around, with fast, sharp breathing. Heart racing and possibly barking or yelping. A dog in this state definitely finds it difficult to give in to your leadership. Where you might, in the past, have seen this as cute, now you know it’s not. Excitement like this is not the state your dog needs to be in. What you are trying to do is to show your dog that his over excitement is not a good thing. He does not get what he want – his walk.
So point one: no walking until he’s relatively calm. It’s quite easy to do this: all you need to do is reward the behaviour that you want to see repeated, and stop all progress toward the door whenever he starts to get excited. I said you needed some time to do this. Be patient your dog will get the message eventually!
Get him to sit and stay while you get out and put on his lead. If he can’t contain himself and starts getting excited again, don’t worry. Just take the lead off, if you got that far, turn around go and put the lead away and ignore him. You are training him that his over excitement means the walk stops before it even gets started. Once he’s calmed down and sitting down you can try again. Repeat this as many times as you need to, until you can put on his lead and he remains seated.
A note about the type of lead (leash) to use here. A six foot standard lead is the best to use for walking your dog. Retractable leads and longer or shorter leads all will bring about their own difficulties on the walk.
Point two – walk the few paces to the door – no excitement. Any excitement from your dog means, you guessed it, the walk stops. You will have to start all over again from the beginning.
The aim now is to get to the door and get your dog to sit and wait for you to open the door. You should be able to open the door, your dog sitting at your side waiting for your instruction to start the walk. When everything is ready say “heel” and step outside the door. Stop outside the door, have your dog sit again while you close the door behind you. Success the outside world. You and your dog are now ready to go on your walk.
If at any stage of trying to follow this procedure your dog get excited pulls or does not act in a calm manner – have you got it yet? Yes, the walk ends. Back inside, take off the lead and wait for calmness to return before you start again.
It will probably be as frustrating for you as for your dog at first but please just stick with it your will get there – outside the door I mean. However many times and however long it takes you must end on success. If you can only get as far as putting on the lead whilst your dog is sitting still and calm – stop there and play with your dog as the reward.
Tomorrow get that far again and then move to the door. Succeed in getting to the door end the session there and reward the dog then with playing a game or with some other treat. Build it up gradually, you the person who knows your dog best. Be patient and consitent, you and your dog will get there in the end.
Using a Dog’s Hearing Ability to help Training
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Train my dog not to jump up at visitors
Train my dog to stop pulling on the lead
Train my dog to not show anxiety when I leave him along
Training my dog to use a crate
