[jbray01]

ok, so i have been working with Rosie for umm..lets say forever..on loosh leash walking.

i currently use the easy walk harness, but she pulls so effing hard that she is beginning to loose fur where it rubs her under the shoulders and across the chest.

so i am going for a bold move tonight. walking her on collar alone. i am hoping it is not a mistake, but i really need to give her a break from the harness. it's also a little scary, since she's been crated all day and she will be FULL of energy.

anywho, i have heard a bajillion different techniques for loose leash walking, ie stopping altogether, walking in a different direction, etc.
Lately, I have been walking with lots o treats, and when she walks loose leash i treat her and say "good walk".
the good news is, when she does that she's amazing. she is focused on me for the walk, my arm stays in tact, and no pulling. the bad news is, i want her to be able to walk treat free, and in this case if a leaf blows by, she's off charging ahead again. (imagine what happens when she sees her doggie friends on the walk)

so my question is for any of you who have reformed problem pullers (especially those with big strong dogs). which of the bajillion techniques have worked the best for you? i would prefer to just keep it to her collar and avoid harnesses, head collars, choke/pinch collars. and i know this question might make me look like a dummy, but how long did you stick with it until you started to see results? i know the most important thing with this is consistency, but i don't want to spend months working on a technique if it isn't working.

i know that after having Rosie for almost a year, I should have this walking thing down, but it is just a constant struggle with her. she pulls so hard, and with her being so big and strong it is just getting harder and more frustrating. any advice would make me love you forever.

 

[Thracian]

I'd love to hear from people with reformed pullers as well. I've been thinking about using a clicker on walks but I'm not sure if it would be effective if I only used it while walking (which is what I'm considering). So I'm interested in other responses.

 

[jesirose]

Have you tried this: Start at your house and set a goal like get to the next house. Every time she pulls, you go all the way back to the start. While you're going along feel free to c&t nice walking. Once you get to the goal, treat. Next time, you make the goal farther away.

Also try random sits, As you're going along randomly stop and ask for a sit. Also randomly change direction a lot.

 

[Toby4Life]

Toby used to pull like crazy and I tried every method, but the one I stuck with was the "tree" method. Everytime Toby pulled, I stopped completely and waited. Once Toby stopped pulling and gave the leash some slack, I started again.

I would say it took a few weeks before I started seeing the results I was after and in the beginning, our hour walk would get us no futher than around the block which was frustrating. But it has definitely helped and people always comment on how easy it is to walk him now. Worth the effort!!!

 

[hulkamaniac]

I've tried the tree method and the clicker method both. The clicker method did kind of work with my Spaniel. Didn't work with my basset. The tree didn't work with either one of them. Changing directions didn't work with either one of them. Random sits didn't work with either one. With the basset I just strapped on a pair of roller blades and let him pull me. I figured he would eventually tire out and I could click/treat at that point. So far he hasn't tired out to the point where I'm pulling him. Oh well.

I have seen a harness with the ring the leash clicks to on the front of the harness on the breastbone. The dog can't really pull because if he does and you do your tree routine he immediately swings around and is facing the other direction. Dog takes off, dog gets swung around opposite from where he's going. I've seen some people on here claim they worked wonders, but I've never tried one.

 

[drea]

Tucker is well on the way to being a reformed puller, though he's not there yet. When he uses the GL head collar, or the Sensible Harness (ring in front), it's a matter of being able to control a 90+ pound dog with one finger. Neither of these tools actually "trains", they are just used to control while I teach. I do this by using a clicker and lots of small, yummy rewards. I've also started the Ian Dunbar method of waiting for the dog to offer a sit, click and reward, take one giant step forward, wait for the dog to offer a reward, etc. Tucker is still on the one-step-forward stage, but there are a lot of distractions at our house (another dog, and two cats, specifically).