Joined
·
8 Posts
Johnny is a golden retriever/yellow lab mix that just WILL NOT walk nicely on a leash. He will be 2yrs old on July 5th; I've had him since he was about 8wks old. He is highly food-motivated, and has been VERY easy to train with treats and a clicker. He knows basic obedience commands, and many "tricks", and he's picked them all up within just a day or two of my starting to train them . His recall needs work, but that's my fault, and in the past week, I've really been hunkering down on it - he's showing major improvement already 
Our major problem is with walking. This 70lb dog pulls, and pulls, and pulls......and pulls. I have been lurking on this forum since long before I got a dog, and one thing I have really learned is to be consistent with training. So, for 18mos, I have been a flippin' tree.
This is our routine:
1. We play fetch in the house. Try as I might, I can't get him to play fetch outside, so we play inside, until he is done.
2. We run around the backyard. I try to play fetch with him, but he shows absolutely no interest. So we run around, and he will run with me for about 15 minutes. When he starts losing interest, we go on a "treasure hunt". I start finding things, like a rock, or a new hole in the ground (crawfish holes, mostly, lol), or a new stick that has fallen, etc. He likes this exploring game, so we so this for another 15mins or so, until we run out of new things to check out. I kick a soccer ball around, and he'll chase it, and we'll play a kind of doggy soccer for a few minutes, before he gets bored, and lies down. I try playing other games with him, I try getting him to move around more, to check things out, and I try to switch up the toys, but I cannot get him to really exercise with me around the house for more than half hour before he gets bored & just lies down (totally understandable).
3. We go inside (Johnny sits anytime we go through any door, and waits for my "Okay" command), and I take the leash off the hook. Johnny immediately sits and waits for me to put the leash on him. He will continue to sit until I say "Let's go".
4. Johnny walks calmly with me to the front door, sits, and waits for me to open the door, walk through it, and say, "Let's go".
5. Johnny walks out the door, and as soon as I take a step away from the door, immediately bolts to the end of his leash. I am a tree.
6. Johnny looks back at me, and sits, at the end of his leash, for anywhere from 3-5mins. I am a tree. When he looks back at me, I say "By me", and I tap my thigh with a treat.
7. Johnny gets anxious, and starts pulling, pacing back and forth, for another 3-5mins. I am a tree.
8. Johnny eventually comes back to me and licks my hand. When he comes up to my side, I say "by me", & he gets a C&T, and I start to take a step forward.
9. Johnny bolts to the end of his leash. I am a tree.
Rep #6-7 for at least an hour (how long it takes me to get around the block like this).
Before Johnny gets to the end of his leash, I always say, "don't pull", and sometimes, he will slow down (he still gets to the end of his leash, but he does it slower than a full-on run). He doesn't bolt after cats, squirrels, etc that are always around. He just lunges forward to GO. He does like to mark every mailbox and tree along the way (he was neutered as a puppy), and if he lunges toward one of these, I am a tree, and he will sit, and wait for me to get nearer to him, and for me to tell him to "check it out".
My dog is exhausted after a walk, and usually, by the time we are 3/4 through the walk, he is tired enough that he walks near me, and he gets C&T when he is walking close enough that I can reach him. He NEVER walks right by my side. I treat him with kibble (his meals), because if I use anything better, he will simply sit (as he always does when awaiting a treat), and stare at me, waiting for more treat. He will not budge, and I will be a tree for hours. When that happens, I call my kids to come around the block to meet us, which distracts Johnny long enough to get us moving toward the house for a minute, before he starts pulling badly again, or remembers that I have treats, and sits and stares. I've just stopped using the super yummy treats.
I have tried the front-clipping harness, that supposedly makes it harder for him to pull forward. Johnny was quite happy to just walk sideways, pulling me along just as hard. Other than that, I have not deviated in our walking routine. We use a 4ft flat leash and flat collar. I usually have the leash run across my backside, because I am not strong enough to keep from jerking forward when he lunges forward by just using my hands/arms.
All in all, he is a smart, inquisitive, loving, well-socialized dog. I know I MUST be doing something wrong with this leash training! I am not really intent on having him in a full heel; as long as he walks without pulling, and pays attention when I give a command (he's pretty good at that, he will "sit" and "wait" if I need to readjust the leash, or pause for a crosswalk, or anything).
I'm sorry this got to be so long, and I appreciate anyone reading this far, lol. I just wanted to give as much info as possible, so I could get some advice. I NEED to start making progress, because I am taking my dogs with me on a 2mo long 6000mi road/camping trip this summer. I'll be stopping every 2hrs for short walks, and every 4hrs for long walks. I don't think Johnny is getting enough exercise right now, although he doesn't show any negative behaviour. I really don't want my other dog, Walker (sweet, neurotic, brain-damaged rescued border collie that doesn't know his tail from his ear, but recalls and loose-leash walks perfectly) to miss out on appropriate exercise while on this trip because I have to be a tree for Johnny at every walk.
Picture of my boys, Johnny, and Walker
Our major problem is with walking. This 70lb dog pulls, and pulls, and pulls......and pulls. I have been lurking on this forum since long before I got a dog, and one thing I have really learned is to be consistent with training. So, for 18mos, I have been a flippin' tree.
This is our routine:
1. We play fetch in the house. Try as I might, I can't get him to play fetch outside, so we play inside, until he is done.
2. We run around the backyard. I try to play fetch with him, but he shows absolutely no interest. So we run around, and he will run with me for about 15 minutes. When he starts losing interest, we go on a "treasure hunt". I start finding things, like a rock, or a new hole in the ground (crawfish holes, mostly, lol), or a new stick that has fallen, etc. He likes this exploring game, so we so this for another 15mins or so, until we run out of new things to check out. I kick a soccer ball around, and he'll chase it, and we'll play a kind of doggy soccer for a few minutes, before he gets bored, and lies down. I try playing other games with him, I try getting him to move around more, to check things out, and I try to switch up the toys, but I cannot get him to really exercise with me around the house for more than half hour before he gets bored & just lies down (totally understandable).
3. We go inside (Johnny sits anytime we go through any door, and waits for my "Okay" command), and I take the leash off the hook. Johnny immediately sits and waits for me to put the leash on him. He will continue to sit until I say "Let's go".
4. Johnny walks calmly with me to the front door, sits, and waits for me to open the door, walk through it, and say, "Let's go".
5. Johnny walks out the door, and as soon as I take a step away from the door, immediately bolts to the end of his leash. I am a tree.
6. Johnny looks back at me, and sits, at the end of his leash, for anywhere from 3-5mins. I am a tree. When he looks back at me, I say "By me", and I tap my thigh with a treat.
7. Johnny gets anxious, and starts pulling, pacing back and forth, for another 3-5mins. I am a tree.
8. Johnny eventually comes back to me and licks my hand. When he comes up to my side, I say "by me", & he gets a C&T, and I start to take a step forward.
9. Johnny bolts to the end of his leash. I am a tree.
Rep #6-7 for at least an hour (how long it takes me to get around the block like this).
Before Johnny gets to the end of his leash, I always say, "don't pull", and sometimes, he will slow down (he still gets to the end of his leash, but he does it slower than a full-on run). He doesn't bolt after cats, squirrels, etc that are always around. He just lunges forward to GO. He does like to mark every mailbox and tree along the way (he was neutered as a puppy), and if he lunges toward one of these, I am a tree, and he will sit, and wait for me to get nearer to him, and for me to tell him to "check it out".
My dog is exhausted after a walk, and usually, by the time we are 3/4 through the walk, he is tired enough that he walks near me, and he gets C&T when he is walking close enough that I can reach him. He NEVER walks right by my side. I treat him with kibble (his meals), because if I use anything better, he will simply sit (as he always does when awaiting a treat), and stare at me, waiting for more treat. He will not budge, and I will be a tree for hours. When that happens, I call my kids to come around the block to meet us, which distracts Johnny long enough to get us moving toward the house for a minute, before he starts pulling badly again, or remembers that I have treats, and sits and stares. I've just stopped using the super yummy treats.
I have tried the front-clipping harness, that supposedly makes it harder for him to pull forward. Johnny was quite happy to just walk sideways, pulling me along just as hard. Other than that, I have not deviated in our walking routine. We use a 4ft flat leash and flat collar. I usually have the leash run across my backside, because I am not strong enough to keep from jerking forward when he lunges forward by just using my hands/arms.
All in all, he is a smart, inquisitive, loving, well-socialized dog. I know I MUST be doing something wrong with this leash training! I am not really intent on having him in a full heel; as long as he walks without pulling, and pays attention when I give a command (he's pretty good at that, he will "sit" and "wait" if I need to readjust the leash, or pause for a crosswalk, or anything).
I'm sorry this got to be so long, and I appreciate anyone reading this far, lol. I just wanted to give as much info as possible, so I could get some advice. I NEED to start making progress, because I am taking my dogs with me on a 2mo long 6000mi road/camping trip this summer. I'll be stopping every 2hrs for short walks, and every 4hrs for long walks. I don't think Johnny is getting enough exercise right now, although he doesn't show any negative behaviour. I really don't want my other dog, Walker (sweet, neurotic, brain-damaged rescued border collie that doesn't know his tail from his ear, but recalls and loose-leash walks perfectly) to miss out on appropriate exercise while on this trip because I have to be a tree for Johnny at every walk.
Picture of my boys, Johnny, and Walker
