[drmrgirl47]

Hi,
I have an 8 month old Boston Terrier. He weighs approx. 32 lbs. I had a trainer when he was 6 months old to help us walk him as he was pulling something awful. He is so strong that it hurts my hand and shoulders. I feel like I am constantly jerking the choke chain and he just doesn't get it. He had 6 lessons and seemed to be doing okay. As soon as the trainer left us, he gradually got worse. I feel like I am doing exactly what I was told and this little guy just won't listen. He got so bad that we got a prong chain and it really works. Problem is, it is horrendous looking and I feel so bad. What do you all think about this type of collar. It seems to be the only solution I have left other than calling the trainer back and paying him again. Thank you. Annette

[Curbside Prophet]

Were you shown the proper use of the tool? If fitted correctly and properly used, it can be a safe and effective management tool until you've taught loose leash walking.

What methods have you tried in teaching loose leash walking?

[007Dogs]

I often ask people, "Do you know why your dog pulls?" The answer is, "Because the dog knows it makes there person go forward." When the dog pulls the dog should not be allowed to go forward. I have litterally stood for hours with a terrier pulling. I just don't go, so they do not get rewarded for bad behavior.

Another exercise that works well, is put the collar on the dog, and put the dog in crate, in a quiet area. While the dog is put away, go set up four big orange cones(or some other markers) about 30-50 feet apart. Get a long web training line. After the dog has been in the crate for about an hour, go get the dog, DO NOT SAY ONE WORD TO THE DOG. Clip on the long line and take the dog to the first cone. Do not look at the dog do not talk to the dog. Stand there for a minute or two, and then go directly to the next cone at a quick pace. Do not talk to the dog, do not signal the dog. Just go, and and if the dog gets pulled or drug to the next cone, then so be it. Continue this exercise to the next cone, and so on and so one. It is the dogs job to be watching you and knowing where you are going. It has worked wonders with my guys. It only took them about twice of doing this and they were watching for me feet to begin to move. This helps the dog to learn to focus. When you finish the exercise completely, take the dog back in, remove the collar and give treat.

[TooneyDogs]

There are basically 4 techniques for correcting pulling:
Stand still...make like a tree.
Turn around and walk in the opposite direction.
Use lots of leash corrections.
Cut the dog off with a left about turn.

I find the last one to be the most effective. It more closely imitates what the Alpha will do when a pack member tries to take over the lead...turn into them/cut them off but, without the bite or snarl.

[AkiraleShiba]

We are using a regular collar, 4ft leash and a squeaky toy that he does not have the right to play with unless it is a reward.

So we start walking with the dog and when he's not paying attention we squeak the toy. We use the command heel and when he starts pulling we pull very quickly and abruptly the leash. It is not to hurt the dog but to surprise it and if it's done correctly its paws should not leave the ground.

[georgygirl]

Wow, you've got a pretty big boston there! I haven't had pulling issues with my boston, but I have had a lot of problems with my min pin. We've started using a gentle leader and its made a huge difference. Good luck with whatever method you chose!

[Dogstar]

I think a choke chain is not a good choice for this dog. If you prefer to use a collar, I'd use a prong collar and no leash pops at all (but I'd let the dog correct himself) or possibly an EasyWalk harness- I'm not a huge an of them in general but they might work well for your specific situation. I would use those as management options.

For training, I *love* a free-shaped heel or vague heel. I use a clicker and either treats or toys to teach this, but you can use any conditioned reinforcer. Simply put, that spot right off your left hip becomes the most rewarding spot in the world. Pick someplace boring (I use the entry of my apartment, or a tennis court, but I've also taught this in an empty exam room at my vet's, a bathroom- wherever. You don't need much space at first anyway and it should be free of interesting things to smell- the living room is probably the best choice for most folks.) and stand still. When he crosses through that space (after pulling doesn't work), click and treat as he's in the right spot. Shower treats on him. Treats should RAIN FROM ABOVE when he's on a loose leash. Once he's figured out the rules of this game and won't leave your side, stop for the day.

During the next session (still someplace boring), start with treats falling from heaven when he's in the right spot, only this time, change it around. Make a 90 degree turn to your right. Off your hip is now in a different spot! C/t for that spot- you're establishing that that spot is what gets the treat and that it's in relation to you and which way you're facing. If you imagine yourself as standing at the center of a clock, you're going to treat whenever he's 3' or less from you and between 9 'o clock and 12 'o clock. When you turn, the clock face turns with you. He should figure this out fairly quickly. Once he has the idea, make bigger turns- stick to right turns for now though- left turns are harder since he'll have to either back up (very hard) or turn around and face the opposite direction from you (and we want to encourage him to go WITH us). Once he's doing this easily, stop the session there and let him think about it.

The next session, we're going to throw a wrench in the works. Start by doing little turns in place. Then, take a step diagnoally away rom your dog- forward and to the right. By this time, he should have figured out the rule of the game. C/t a soon as he gets back into heel position. Go very slowly and gradually and move either straight forward or to your right but gradually increase the distance. Turning and then stepping forward is fair game though!

(con't in next post)

Lemme stop and talk about toys here for a second. If your dog likes toys, you have a GREAT advantage here. Does your dog like to play tug? I *love* dogs who will tug for teaching heeling and LLW, because especially if they're small, it's easier to let the end of the toy drop whenever they're in the right spot, rather than bending over to treat them. While a toy that can be pounced on and squeaked is rewarding, it's easy to lose control of it- if you throw it, you have to take it back from the dog, unless the dog brings it back. With a tug, you can control the game better.

You mentioned that your arms and shoulders hurt, so YMMV with this. It may be better to go with tiny, really delicious food treats. I like pea-sized bits o natural balance rolled dog food, or cheese, or lunch meat. Don't worry that he's going to get dependent on it. We're going to wean him off it, but not yet. Right now, keeping a high rate of reinforcement means he'll stay focused and interested longer and concentrate better. High rate of reinfrocement means he's getting treated for every single behavior- we're going to ask him gradually to give us more behaviors (walking with us for multiple steps at a time) for a single treat, but part o the thing about LLW is that it's really easy to teach IF you go super-slow. Almost no one has the patience to do it, though.

Okay. For our next training session, you're going to ask him to walk with you for three steps and staying on one side. This is probably as much as you can do in this location if you're someplace small and boring. That's okay. Get this session out of the wya and get those three steps REALLY strong. Try doing a turn, three steps, and another quarter turn. Make it interesting and fun.

Next session, find a boring outdoor place- I use the grass right outside the door. The dogs have been there a zillion times, there's nothing new once everything has been sniffed, and if I have treats, I'm generally more interesting than anything in the grass as long as there's no one else out there. Because we've changed the environment, we're going to make it easier again- go back to just rewarding the dog for being in the right spot. You don't have to take it as slowly this time- just enough to let him see that the rules are the same out here. Once he's back up giving you three steps? End the game.

One thing about these three and two step exercises is that the dog may stay with you adn then hit the end of the leash when you stop to treat. Click when the dog is in the right spot and don't worry about the pulling afterwards- you clicked or used your CR- that means the behavior is over.

Okay. (Sorry to break this up, but it gets LONG.

So you've got the dog walking three steps with you- and then he hits the end of the leash. What good is that? Well, it's a foundation. The next session, you're going to ask for 4 and then 5 steps. Throw in turns. Then ask for 6 steps, then 10. Keep inching up in tiny incriments till you can walk all the way across your training space, or 25'- whichever comes first.

After this, up the distractions again, a tiny bit. Try the front yard, or putting something mildly interesting (an empty, clean plate, a towel, a toy he doesn't much care for, someone he likes but sees all the time and isn't particularly excited about.) in the yard. Start with it close. Walk to it nicely and reward him for interacting with it. If he pulls- don't move forward and keep the leash short enough that he can't reach what he wants. (Google "leash walking penalty yards" and an article on this method should come up). You can use JUST penalty yards to teach LLW- but I find it works better to teach the dog what TO do first. Start with 3-4 steps, and work your distance back up- and work walking AWAY from the item too, until you can walk to the item on the far side of the yard, and back again to your starting place, without the dog pulling.

Continue on in this vein, slowly increasing distance and distractions- and before you know it, you'll have a dog who walks nicely on leash.

[scintillady]

It's too bad you can't use a "gentle leader' head collar on a Boston Terrier because of the short nasal passages, because that is what worked absolute wonders with my dog Ruby. She would pull so much that I was worried I would choke her to death, but as soon as I tried her with the gentle leader it stopped immediately. I get a lot of strange looks and comments because people assume it is a muzzle at first, and think it's cruel, until I explain it is to keep her from hurting herself. She's a marshmallow, but she's a scary looking dog, so when I walk her at night I don't care if people think it's a muzzle!

[allab]

I think you should try Gentle Leader Headcollar,I use it for one of my Weimaraners ( she pulls like a train, we have tried every thing possible:training w/pro, treats, you name it, nothing worked except for this collar).
here is a link, and there is a picture of Boston Terrier with it on.

http://www.schatzistreasures.com/gentleheadcollar.html

[scintillady]

I'm really surprised that there is a picture of the Boston Terrier on their ad. When I bought my gentle leader, the brochure that came with it said that it was not recommended for short nosed dogs such as bulldogs or Boston terriers. I suppose they could have changed the design, but the actual gentle leader website still advises caution when using on short nosed dogs. This is the best product if you can use it, and stops the problem immediately.

[sobreeze]

I have 7 Boston Terriers of my own and have and do foster mostly Bostons . They are high energy dogs for short periods wear them out . I have a farm they go out many times also do chores with us . Some will try to pull but do not let them as you walk them if they pull stop make them stay beside you .Do not walk forward till they relax if you only go a foot and they pull forward stop again it takes time but they are a smart breed they will get it. And never let a pulling dog go in or out the door in front of you you are the boss remember a dog is what you put into them. And 32 lbs is at the top size for Boston I have from 13lbs to about 27lb but this is a great breed loves people you just have to put in the time . Also I would never use a choke , prong collor And the collors that go over nose just dont work on the short noses .A harrnes work great if he pulls ahead just put him right back at your side you are bigger than he is you can do it.

[wvasko]

Originally Posted by drmrgirl47

Hi,
I have an 8 month old Boston Terrier. He weighs approx. 32 lbs. I had a trainer when he was 6 months old to help us walk him as he was pulling something awful. He is so strong that it hurts my hand and shoulders. I feel like I am constantly jerking the choke chain and he just doesn't get it. He had 6 lessons and seemed to be doing okay. As soon as the trainer left us, he gradually got worse. I feel like I am doing exactly what I was told and this little guy just won't listen. He got so bad that we got a prong chain and it really works. Problem is, it is horrendous looking and I feel so bad. What do you all think about this type of collar. It seems to be the only solution I have left other than calling the trainer back and paying him again. Thank you. Annette

Think about it. 1. When you correct with a choke collar jerking on collar actually chokes the dog. A prong collar adjusted properly when jerked upon closes only to the circumference of the neck not choking the dog. 2. The corrections due to the prongs actually can be lighter. I tell people that it's like power steering, easier on the dog and easier on the owner doing the work. My experience with the gentle leader collar is that due to the short nose would be tough to keep it on. I guess you will have to make the choice of sore hand or a bad looking collar. Nobody can help you there.