[tobi_is_my_son_31405]

Hi, I have a three and a half year old dog and whenever I try to walk him he goes crazy! He oulls on the leash and he is literally gagging himself. So it has been about 6 months since I have walked him. So does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks

Danielle

[opokki]

To prevent him from gagging and to discourage pulling you might want to look into getting him a head collar such as the Gentle Leader or a front clip harness such as the Easy Walker.
These tools will allow you better management while you work on training him to walk politely. Be sure to reward him frequently when he is in the correct position and there is slack on the leash. It helps to change direction frequenlty too as he will learn to pay better attention to you.

[Sister]

I also recommend a gentle leader. They are wonderful devices for teaching a dog how to walk on a leash properly, and they do not choke the dog.

[Melos]

When first starting to walk my new dog on a leash, I just kept her next to me on a very short leash and praised her mightily (and gave treats) when she walked nicely. Little by little, I increase the leash length.

[yorkieagility]

I was subsituting for an instructor in obedience one time, and one of the dog that had a bad pulling and tugging problem was a 150lbs Bull mastiff. He dragged his 250lbs guy all over the training center. We put a gentle leader on him and work with him on it for awhile. At the end of class I was able to walk the Mastiff around without a problem and I weigh 40lbs less than the Mastiff.

So, I would advice using a gentle leader as well. Just make sure you know how to use it properly. It's kind of strange how it works.

Another thing is, the gentle leader is a transitional collar. It means that after awhile you wean your dog off of it and go back to the regular collar. If you wean your dog off it correctly, your dog shouldn't be pulling when it is on the regular leash/collar.

[Slashmire]

That does remind me of a dog I use to walk with, he would do the same thing...it never learned to actually take it easy...

[dogluver101]

My friend has a gentle leader for her dog and it works really good.

[Iko Iko]

You have to get one of two types of collars. I have a pit bull and when he pulled the leash I literally was not as strong as him and had no control. You can either get a harness that goes around the neck/girth and around his snout. The leash attaches to the harness under his neck so that every time he pulls his head will turn towards you and you then correct the poor behaviour. The other option is a limited slip collar with a bit of chain. You do not want something that will choke him, but you want the noise of the chain. Each time he starts to pull or step away from your side you want to very quickly pull the leash so the chain makes a quick clicking noise, you correct him at the same time so he learns that when he hears you click the chain he is to come to your side. Make sure that any collar you use is high around his neck, right behind the ears so that you have control over where he looks, also that area gives you the most control over how he pulls you. Good Luck, just stay consistent and be the boss.
p.s. the lack of walking is only making it harder each time you want to walk. He needs the energy release every day!

[kelkat]

Is the walk the only time he gets to play? I'm with Iko Iko that you have to get rid of that energy.

Has anyone had any luck using a choke chain?

[alundy]

I agree about trying the Gentle Leader. It does not replace proper loose leash walking, but assists you in the training.

Here are some tips on loose leash walking:

- Start out in your backyard or somewhere with less distractions/excitement.

- Show the pup that you have treats in your hand, the hand that is closest to his face. Use the treats to lead him as you take several steps while saying "Let's go!". Wave them in front of his nose if you need to. After several steps, stop, ask for a sit, and give the treats. Gradually increase the number of steps and give the treats randomly when he is staying beside you.

- When he lurches forward, stop and freeze in place - just stand there. Wait for him to notice that you are no longer walking. He may get frustrated and pull more - wait for him to give up and come back to you. If he doesn't come back on his own, guide him back to your side and make him sit. Then start again with "Let's go!". The idea is that he should figure out (eventually) that when he pulls, the walking ends. When he walks nicely, the walk continues and treats are given.

- Do not try to start by going for a 15 minute walk. Start by perfecting several steps (like 5-10). It is easier to perfect 10 steps and then expand, than it is to try to troubleshoot an entire 15 minutes walk. Once the 10 steps are going well, move it from your backyard onto the sidewalk or even just your driveway. You may feel like you are starting over again as he will be excited about the new things to sniff and look at.

- Important: Once you start this training, it is key that you NEVER let him pull you anywhere. You can't let yourself say "oh I'm too tired for this, I'll just let him pull me home tonight". Or "oh he wants to say hi to that person, he'll just pull me over there". Letting him pull you at all undermines your training and tells him "well if I pull hard enough and long enough, it will work". No!! Stick to your guns and do the stop-freeze-come back to my side routine every single time. It will be very arduous at first, and you may not get very far on walks. But after a while he will figure out the routine and work with you.

Good luck!

[Sister]

I agree that you should have someone show you how to use a gentle leader properly before putting it into effect.