Dog pulls on walks - advice please

[Anonymous]

We think we’ve tried everything: front clip harness, back clip harness, gentle leader muzzle leash, treats, stopping whenever she pulls.

She continues pulling with each of the above. She’s a four year old, 50lb mix of what seems like pure muscle. Wonderful at home (nondestructive, great with kids and cats), but walks are a nightmare.

If you had a similar problem, what worked for you?

[Anonymous]

You will need to train her. You say you have tried stopping whenever she pulls, but you need to truly stop when she pulls. Which can mean an hour before you even get out of your driveway, if you get more than a few feet from your house at all. For a long time. But eventually they learn.

Hire a trainer to help you, you aren't likely to succeed on your own.

[Anonymous]

Martingale prong collar, properly adjusted so it sits behind her ears, not low on her neck. It's not "mean", it's effective. Used properly, they're great tools because they work. They communicate, in dog, "we're stopping now" in a way that makes it a clear directive and not an invitation the dog can (and will) decline.

Buy a good one (Sprenger), not a cheap one, so you don't get overly-sharp prongs or cheap metal that will break or rust.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You will need to train her. You say you have tried stopping whenever she pulls, but you need to truly stop when she pulls. Which can mean an hour before you even get out of your driveway, if you get more than a few feet from your house at all. For a long time. But eventually they learn.

Hire a trainer to help you, you aren't likely to succeed on your own.

This is effing mental. Maybe for a tiny puppy, but for an adult dog? There's "gentle" and there's ridiculous, and this is well over the line into nonsense territory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You will need to train her. You say you have tried stopping whenever she pulls, but you need to truly stop when she pulls. Which can mean an hour before you even get out of your driveway, if you get more than a few feet from your house at all. For a long time. But eventually they learn.

Hire a trainer to help you, you aren't likely to succeed on your own.

This is effing mental. Maybe for a tiny puppy, but for an adult dog? There's "gentle" and there's ridiculous, and this is well over the line into nonsense territory.

It isn't "effing mental." It can take a long time for a pulling dog to learn if it isn't very biddable. You take a step, they pull. You stop. Take a step, they pull, you stop. That usually means not getting very far for quite some time. And regarding your "maybe for a tiny puppy" comment, it can be more challenging with an adult dog, who has already trained the OP to allow the pulling.

Are you the OP? If so, this attitude is likely part of how you got here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Martingale prong collar, properly adjusted so it sits behind her ears, not low on her neck. It's not "mean", it's effective. Used properly, they're great tools because they work. They communicate, in dog, "we're stopping now" in a way that makes it a clear directive and not an invitation the dog can (and will) decline.

Buy a good one (Sprenger), not a cheap one, so you don't get overly-sharp prongs or cheap metal that will break or rust.

Do not use a prong collar on the dog. It's cruel. There is the potential for puncture wounds, for starters.

[Anonymous]

I really like the halti harness with the double ended leash that clips at the front and the back.

Also, practice "heel" or "walk with me" in the house and yard, with food. Then you move out to walks with food: when they pull, reverse course and call them along, reward for the moments they're not pulling. If the dog knows any tricks (touch, shake, etc) you can use those to break up a pull as well.

I agree it's slow. And a pro is helpful too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You will need to train her. You say you have tried stopping whenever she pulls, but you need to truly stop when she pulls. Which can mean an hour before you even get out of your driveway, if you get more than a few feet from your house at all. For a long time. But eventually they learn.

Hire a trainer to help you, you aren't likely to succeed on your own.

This is effing mental. Maybe for a tiny puppy, but for an adult dog? There's "gentle" and there's ridiculous, and this is well over the line into nonsense territory.

It isn't "effing mental." It can take a long time for a pulling dog to learn if it isn't very biddable. You take a step, they pull. You stop. Take a step, they pull, you stop. That usually means not getting very far for quite some time. And regarding your "maybe for a tiny puppy" comment, it can be more challenging with an adult dog, who has already trained the OP to allow the pulling.

Are you the OP? If so, this attitude is likely part of how you got here.

I agree. This is what we had to do with our dog. It worked but it was a painful process. I’d just stand there and scroll my phone. She walks really well now but I still have to stop sometimes to remind her to stop pulling and she immediately stops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You will need to train her. You say you have tried stopping whenever she pulls, but you need to truly stop when she pulls. Which can mean an hour before you even get out of your driveway, if you get more than a few feet from your house at all. For a long time. But eventually they learn.

Hire a trainer to help you, you aren't likely to succeed on your own.

This is effing mental. Maybe for a tiny puppy, but for an adult dog? There's "gentle" and there's ridiculous, and this is well over the line into nonsense territory.

It isn't "effing mental." It can take a long time for a pulling dog to learn if it isn't very biddable. You take a step, they pull. You stop. Take a step, they pull, you stop. That usually means not getting very far for quite some time. And regarding your "maybe for a tiny puppy" comment, it can be more challenging with an adult dog, who has already trained the OP to allow the pulling.

Are you the OP? If so, this attitude is likely part of how you got here.

I’m the OP and the above wasn’t me. I’m genuinely here for all the advice.

[Anonymous]

Train her.

Prong collar.

[Anonymous]

She might like pulling like it’s an activity for her. Sometimes I hook up a red wagon to my dog and let him pull it as an activity. He doesn’t pull on our regular walk anymore. He’s a lab.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Martingale prong collar, properly adjusted so it sits behind her ears, not low on her neck. It's not "mean", it's effective. Used properly, they're great tools because they work. They communicate, in dog, "we're stopping now" in a way that makes it a clear directive and not an invitation the dog can (and will) decline.

Buy a good one (Sprenger), not a cheap one, so you don't get overly-sharp prongs or cheap metal that will break or rust.

My trainer recommended one. Not cruel

Do not use a prong collar on the dog. It's cruel. There is the potential for puncture wounds, for starters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Martingale prong collar, properly adjusted so it sits behind her ears, not low on her neck. It's not "mean", it's effective. Used properly, they're great tools because they work. They communicate, in dog, "we're stopping now" in a way that makes it a clear directive and not an invitation the dog can (and will) decline.

Buy a good one (Sprenger), not a cheap one, so you don't get overly-sharp prongs or cheap metal that will break or rust.

Do not use a prong collar on the dog. It's cruel. There is the potential for puncture wounds, for starters.

There's also the potential to choke a dog to death with a flat buckle collar. Prong collars are not any more cruel than using a "gentle leader" (which are detested by many dogs) or continuously yanking on a leash during walks.

With that said, if your dog pulls their way through front clip and gentle leaders, they may just pull their way through a prong collar as well. Have you tried an EZ-walk harness set really low on the chest with the leash threaded under the front legs?

[Anonymous]

we used a trainer and they recommended the stopping approach. actually, not just stopping, but turning around and going in the opposite direction when the dog pulls. and then rewarding when dog heals. it was very tedious but worked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we used a trainer and they recommended the stopping approach. actually, not just stopping, but turning around and going in the opposite direction when the dog pulls. and then rewarding when dog heals. it was very tedious but worked.

This.
I'd go even further - changing direction before dog has a chance to pull to encourage him to watch and follow you. That way you walk the dog ( eg make decisions where to go), not the other way around..
And yes, treats for checking up/paying attention to you.