Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:45 pm Post subject: Pulling on the Lead.... A HUGELY common problem....
.....So therefore noone should feel embarassed or fustrated that their dog does.
Pulling on the lead is something that is learnt quite quickly by a young dog or puppy and its a bit of an addictive habit, because, I'm sure you can imagine (speaks generally to the room not anyone individually...) dogs respond to what THEY consider 'works'. They pull, and every SINGLE time they get where they think they are going. They don't understand that they would have got there anyway, they consider the pulling ESSENTIAL to get them where they want to go because, they have almost always pulled, and almost always got there.
I note in another thread, in Rubyrubyrubys post on this problem, she mentions something we almost all do. Ten minutes walk there, then a long free run. Completely normal. But the pulling is anticipating the freerun and trying desperately to speed up that part occuring. The fact they get there and GET a freerun consistantly is not something that should STOP them pulling, but infact is pretty much causing the pulling, if that makes any sense.
Its like drviing a kid to a party and them excited and yelling 'drive FASTER! Drive FASTER!'
Dogs work chains of events 'backwards' very well to anticpate things. Its amazing that to anticpate a meal to begin with they have to hear the chink of a bowl a few times. Then its walking towards the sideboard with the bowl ON.... then its sighing and closing your newspaper consistantly at mealtimes, or saying 'Righto....' at the right time of day.... they work it all backwards... then forwards....and anticipate. So some dogs are pulling before they even leave the house in their own sweet way because picking the lead up causes them to throw themselves around madly and huff and puff and start hyperventilating immediately! A dog hurling himself about in the house anticpating a walk is most commonly NOT a dog about to meekly walk at your side quietly up the much loved and familiar road to freerunville The pulling is really just a mirror of what is occuring before the lead even goes on....
The problem why probably 75% of pet dogs pull is because firstly they were never shown when tiny and really responsive that pulling doesn't get you anywhere, and more IMPORTANTLY training them NOT to is SO boring, pretty long winded, hugely repetitive and pretty fustrating once you have a problem.
Few people, honestly, go the whole nine yards to do so but drop out half way and just think 'blow it, its not ALL the time/I can buy an anti pulling device/drive them to walks in the car/get my husband to walk him TO the park and I'll walk him home' and you can understand that because its not something like recall which can mean the difference between life and death, its just the difference between a wrenches shoulder and knowing the first ten minutes of each trip out is a utter pain for you and sometimes others who offer to walk your dog....
I had a dog once I had to work with that pulled like crazy on the way HOME from a walk.... but not on the way there. Completely the opposite to most. Working it through, he was not a hugely dog social dog AND a touch lazy so his freerun was NOT the be all and end all of his world.... but his dinner WAS... and so because he was fed every time after his afternoon walk, he wrenchd his owner home to that meal!
Changing so he was fed at 8pm at night, hours and hours after they returned, changed this behaviour in about two months. Just as an interesting little side story.
But you can draw paralells. I totally agree that the changing direction, stopping and walking backwards thing etc etc can and does work. BUT the problem is you tend to need to do it SO consistantly, NEVER giving him an inch that most don't have the patience. No critism, but when we pick to walk our dogs its because we have a window to walk them. We can't spend all that small window 'not getting anywhere'...
Only to help with pulling, you have to. You have to do one of two things. You either have to forget walking to freeruns for the time being and drive them there only, and make ALL your onlead walks, training walks where you will be 100% proactive and consistant and NO freerun at the end of it just lots of praise.... until the habit is broken.... OR you need to get SERIOUSLY tough and memorably physcial, and most are not up for that nor do they have the timing and strength needed to do so effectively.
A puller can vary from a dog that just leans and puts a reasonably amount of pressure on your hand and the lead, which becomes stronger if he sees something he wants to get to quicker.... right through to dogs who cause themself pain and harm by choking and wheezing and building up big muscles in their shoulders and neck by the constant use of the same, negative, muscles.
If you have this dog it could kill you. I have known weak and elderly people pulled under cars by their dog seeing another across a road. I have CERTAINLY heard of two deaths in seven months of dogs on roads where their lead has broke OR their halter has come off as they haul themselves along.
Pulling makes life unpleasant for you both. There is, like a 'peace' that comes over a dog when he realises there IS a way to get to the park and still not need a sit down to recover from the walk THERE when he arrives!!!! Ditto the owner!
I have had dogs that pull. I have trained many dogs that pull. I have written about pulling. I'm not an expert, I just feel the pain of all involved and any questions welcome on this topic with others chipping in hugely welcome. Its the MOST common canine behavioural problem of dogs of all sizes and ages and breeds. lets have a big old chat about it and see if we can't help even one dog be a little happier....!!!
Di
____________
The boys!
Read: Wylanbriar Dog Blog on the website: Updated! 1st February 12´!
Very well written Di. As you know I have been there done that. Cadbury has improved, but on his hols he went straight back to pulling. I take this to be due to higher excitement and a new location.
Fortunately, aside from that he has seriously improved, probably greatly helped by the fact that my trainer insists on us practicing our loose lead walking at the start of every obedience class.
But it is definitely a problem that can drive you crazy.
One thing I would really like to know is how you go about training a pup to walk nice from the very start?
I've read a lot of books where it talks about encouraging dogs that are unsure of being on a lead to come FORWARD and walk to heel, but nothing about the pup who on his very first lead walk sees the gate being opened and charges headlong for it.
I would really like to know how to correct that problem from the very first walk.
Elphie is a keen member of the 'pulling brigade' . I have just relented and bought a head halti, which seems to be doing the trick. I find that she pulls mostly when walked with Skylar. She is so much better walking on her own, but I don't always have the time to walk my two separately. Sky doesn't pull so I thought really that Elphie would copy her. Not so!
Elphie is a year old tomorrow, and I thought that by now she would be well over this hurdle. I have tried the turning direction (makes me dizzy), stop start routine (extremely tiresome), and the treats theory, which doesn't make a blind bit of difference. Elphie is a stubborn missy by all accounts, and this is her one downfall. I am very interested to see others comments, helpful hints on walking their dogs to heel.
I think most dogs end up pulling because their owners get into their heads that a puppy needs taking for a walk. However, what they really need is a combination of training, socialisation and an opportunity to let off some steam.
If the owner thinks more along these lines than just taking an A to B route just to give the puppy some exercise then they are far more likely to end up with a dog that walks nicely on the lead and is well behaved in other aspects as well.
Most people can physcially cope with a small puppy pulling, so they tend to leave trying to correct the pulling until after it has become an ingrained behavior, rather than preventing the habit from developing at all.
How timely Di, for me anyway. I've never had a huge problem with my dogs pulling, none of my three adults do, so I must have done something right at some time!
I now have my lovely 5 month old pup. On my own at home, in the garden on a walk she is perfect, focussed on me and sitting when I halt, even with my other 3 running around, she is also fantastic at this at obedience training in a hall!
I have recently been walking with Tracy's daughter and some other rather lively dogs, now this is a great training opportunity, I also went to our first gundog class outside at the weekend and visited Vicky's scurry day, to watch, yesterday. All three of these events, she pulled like crazy, I do the stopping as soon as she starts to pull until she sits therefore slackening the lead then walking on, Sarah's happy for me to do this on our walks but at the gundog class this wasn't really possible as we were in a line walking on to the next field! She is so focussed on the other dogs that it's very difficult to gain her attention, which oddly this isn't the case when I'm walking just with my dogs or at obedience training class. So I was thinking walking as much as possible with the other dogs and continully stopping if the lead tightens, there isn't really any free run reward as the only time she is allowed off is for a dip in the pond and the pulling still continues after this as it's the other dogs she wants to get to. My ideas for tomorrow were a squeaky ball or I had thought perhaps a spell on a lupi, what's your advice.
Well written Di - we have an inconsistent puller mostly when he's excited and we do work with him constantly but I definatley agree with the point we aren't totally prepared to have a going nowhere walk just cos he's pulling a bit. However he did go back to basics for a variety of reasons had no offlead walks and his heelwork came a lot better. Interestingly with Theo if you ask him to walk to heel offlead he is a lot better than when he is onlead. It's almost as if he see's that being on his lead he can walk as far away as possible. He is one of these that goes mental at the sight of his lead. I'd say he was more the type you describe as a leaner but will pull towards other dogs however this is slowly improving.
Posts like this always interest me because you get to see so many points of views in the replies and often they make you stop and think about how you could make things better.
Hi Di, you posted a reply on my post( first walk) about this problem. The next walk was a big improvement when I kept pulling him back and letting him know that I had a treat. Is this right ? he was still pulling a little but we aren't going to master it on one walk I know. I think your post is brilliant & would it be possible for you to give us all some tips
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:03 pm Post subject: Re: Pulling on the Lead.... A HUGELY common problem....
Diana wrote:
OR you need to get SERIOUSLY tough and memorably physcial, and most are not up for that nor do they have the timing and strength needed to do so effectively.
I once had a trainer who said to me "what is better for the dog, being tough now or a lifetime of yank, pull, yank, pull, yank, pull....?"
How do you deal with a 6mth collie pup (being fostered) in his first ever home, first ever lead etc. If he is taken out with the older dogs he is ok, but when on his own,all he wants to do is get back to 'the pack'. He is also quite scared. I am walking him on a harness plus a halti. Any suggestions would be gratefully recieved!
I really feel for people with pullers, I had rescues that came to us pulling and some we really never cracked completely.
Nellie isn't a puller EXCEPT for when she sees her mate Jules' Pickle and then she squeals and yanks up on two legs in anticipation until her mates are out of the car and with us.
Yed oddly if I had her off lead and made her stay until released she'd mamage it, but that's not possible when we meet in a car park.
I'm now not letting her greet or go off leash when we walk with Pickle until she is calm, because even though it's only a moment or two it hurts my hands and really stresses me out
Apart from that, mine both walk nicely and when unleashed don't release until I say 'go play'. There's something really nice about having a dog walking at your side, it's much more relaxing and enjoyable for us both
Last edited by Basil on Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
All times are GMT Goto page : 1, 2, 3 ... 10, 11, 12Next
Page 1 of 12
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You cannot download files in this forum
