[foxthegoldfish]

how do you work around exercising a dog vs training them to walk properly?

i found it hard trying to train my dog to not pull and giving her enough exercise, how do you balance it? i feel with training, being a tree etc that we don't walk very far in our short sessions, but the only alternative is to let her away with pulling. how do you work it out?

 

[hulkamaniac]

Strap on a pair of roller blades and let her pull you.

 

[Toby4Life]

You cannot allow the pulling if you want it to stop. If you are using the "tree" method than you have to do this every time you walk her on a leash or it will take you forever to get her trained.

If you have a yard than a game of fetch or tug can supplant the exercise she's lacking from your short and/or unproductive walks. Maybe try a flirt pole or find a doggie friend she can run around with (possibly a dog park though some have mixed feelings about them).

The other thing to keep in mind is that an exercise of the mind is often more tiring than a physical exercise. So even short training sessions at the house will help tire her out without the extended walks. Good Luck!!

 

[foxthegoldfish]

thanks for the advice, with my dog, who is 4 years old, i can understand fetch etc as good exercise, but what about a puppy that needs socializing? you don't want them to pull you but you want them to go out into the public, how do you work around that? as it can take weeks or even months to have your pup trained enough.

 

[Layladog]

The Easy Walk harness is pretty useful - it redirects pulling so that they are getting "trained" as you walk. If you have a truly dedicated puller I'm not sure it would work, but it has helped me, and it avoids damage to the trachea.

 

[hulkamaniac]

I've had some success with my basset by sliding his collar up under his chin and walking him with his chin held up like you see in a dog show. Any pulling is straight down, not forward.

 

[dakotajo]

walk faster? I have a large breed super puller. I tried the halti, she flipped it off in one of her frenzied moments, Martingale, works for some but is meant for slimmer longer necks[had absolutely no luck with this one may as well have been wearing a normal collar] Treats for trying to bribe them to walk beside you[treats have worked for obedience commands but NOT for walking with my dog anyway] Harness type as mentioned above[haven't tried this one] but I'm thinking if you have a breed that's bred to pull maybe it wouldn't work out] choke chain [haven't tried this one either but similar to martingale?] prong/pinch, I have read many times this one is safer than a choke chain although it looks nasty this one if used correctly works wonders an a large breed with thick neck and lots of fur and not aggressive. This one works for me. I have to be the absolute leader with my dog because she knows she is stronger than me. This one may not be for you though. Just experiment and find what's right for you and your dog. You know your dog best

 

[flipgirl]

Yeah I have a puller too. My brother tried the roller blade thing with her. It was kind of cute watching this little white dog trying to pull this 6-foot guy on roller blades.

I try the tree thing but a trainer told me it would work but it would take a long long time. She said you have to get his attention first by walking in the opposite direction as soon as he pulls in front of you and you can see histail. She said to hold 2 feet of slack in your hands and as you turn in the opposite direction, let go of the slack so that you don't pull your dog (as that will make him pull in the other direction). this means the leash is never tight. Do this at home and keep turning in the opposite direction. Then you can try it outside.

 

[JohnnyBlaze]

I've had some success with my basset by sliding his collar up under his chin and walking him with his chin held up like you see in a dog show. Any pulling is straight down, not forward.

This is correct.

 

[poodleholic]

how do you work around exercising a dog vs training them to walk properly?

i found it hard trying to train my dog to not pull and giving her enough exercise, how do you balance it? i feel with training, being a tree etc that we don't walk very far in our short sessions, but the only alternative is to let her away with pulling. how do you work it out?

Walking with humans isn't much exercise for most dogs, although it certainly can be for Toy and other small breeds. Loose leash walking is a training exercise; it begins at home inside the house, sans leash, then continues out in the back yard. THEN the leash is applied. I've noticed a lot of people seem to think that their dog should walk in the HEEL position when walking their dogs. This is SO unfair for the dog! I have different leashes for the type of walk I'm doing with my dogs. There's the 6' leash for loose-leash walking, which means just that. My dog does not have to be on my left side in the heel position for this, just walking along and NOT pulling. A long line lead means they can wander about and explore, but not pull. A 4' lead is our power walk, which is in the heel position, and the dog is required to pay close attention to me, so s/he can move in tandem with me, not missing a beat. I also use a 6' leash for heeling, giving the cue "heel" to communicate what it is I want and expect. Whenever I'm out walking the dogs, I mix it up; it's all in the communication, and keeping their focus on me.

Exercise is something alltogether different. Free running, interactive games, board walks, jumps, etc.

 

[novachampion]

have you tried a halti, i used that for a while and now im on a choker and short leash and ensure the dog walks behind me, it takes about 20 mins for the dog to settle into this, ignoring him while he is good works well too

 

[jbray01]

my dog pulls and also has a lot of energy and needs tons of exercise.

i like to use the walk as a means of exercising and training. it gets some of her energy out and gives her some mental stimulation. as she gets better on her walks, i make them longer and longer to further reinforce loose leash. ie no pulling=more walking.

i also try and play with her a lot to give her much needed exercise. fetch is a personal favorite.

 

[foxthegoldfish]

thanks for the advice

 

[LoveMyBirdDog]

Hey everyone... This is my first post on this forum, however I am a lurker....

I have a 6 month old GSP/Brittany mix that has an extremely high prey/chase drive. Walking him for the past 4 months has been an exhausting adventure for me. I've tried so many things to train him to walk with a loose leash. He does extremely well if we are just walking back in forth in the driveway or on the street in front of our house. However the minute we hit an area with new smells, squirrels, or other dogs he is extremely hard to control. I've been trying the "tree" technique religiously for 2 months with minimal effect. I also bring treats on every walk in order to praise him when he walks with a loose lead.

My dog has been in obedience school for 10 weeks and does extremely well with commands and focus.... unless he is on a walk. It is like he forgets everything he ever learned. I know that it is his age and I know that I need to be consistent.... however due to the constant strain on my back, arm, and shoulder I had to change something...... So with advice from my trainer I went and bought a prong collar....

The lady at the pet store tried to talk me out of it and tried to tell me I needed to take him to a different obedience school if this is what my trainer is teaching me... Well I bought it anyways...

I did a lot of research on the prong collar and learned how to properly fit my dog (A MUST). We went out on our first walk today with the prong collar and it was amazing. The collar did not upset him at all and he was able to walk around and sniff everything (up to 6 ft that is).

I know you may think this is a quick fix but I truly think it is the only option with some dogs. Maybe when he is older we won't need to use the prong collar but for now it is a blessing. I highly recommend the collar to anyone who can't seem to get their dog to walk loosely on lead. Even though it is a pretty scary looking collar!

LoveMyBirdDog

 

[Donna5503]

I just bought a Halter for my dog --- he pulled so much I was starting not to walk him --- but I kept researching, buying and returning new things, and finally came across this halter ---it's the Gentle Leader Halter -- the leash hooks in front of the dogs chest and comes around the front of his body --

It works great!....I'm able to walk him comfortably again! (and Huskies are bred to pull)

The best $21.99 I've ever spent!....and I think Chubby is happier too -- it doesn't pull on his neck.