Good Dog

[Ina]

Hi all,

I have been working on dog manners on every walk since over a week. It's amazing what positive feedback can do to a dog. It has now become a pleasure taking my puppy out to meet other dogs and people. All I did was to tell him every few minutes "good dog". Everything I liked was reinforced with this "Good Dog".

A strange thing I found is that if I wrap the leash around my waste instead of re-adjusting the length of the leash with my hands all the time, the pulling disappeared completely. Passing other dogs doesn't even affect him and both my hands are free. I guess my constant jiggling the leash made him nervous?

I use the "Easy Walk Harness" which clips the leash on at the chest. Because the buckle on the belly seems to break soon I decided to buy another harness which connects the leash at the top. The moment I put the new harness on the dog pulls again? Use the old harness - perfect dog?

The funny part about it is that Smokey now thinks his name is "Good Dog" <snicker>

 

[mewzard]

I'm really surprised the Easy walk has broken or did you mean it seems to pull on Smokey sooner? I use one with Oka and she's 35kg - never had a problem with it. I find that it pulls at just the right time, so Oka can never walk further ahead then where i'm about to place my foot, essentially her shoulders are in line with my leg. The problem with harnesses that connect on the top is that when the dog pulls forward it pulls on thier chest, making them push forward more (called opposistional reflex), the Easy Walk gets rid of that by connecting to the front and when they go forward they get turnt back towards you.
I found with Oka that if i put her on just a collar she would pull again, you really do have to teach them that by your side is the best place to be. I walked Oka on the collar with the harness on a few times, that helped, and just piled treats in her mouth when she was next to me. Also taught her to walk by my side in the garden with a cue word without a lead.

If you are nervous or worried, he will feel that down the lead, also off of your body language. I hold mine as if Oka decides to spring off and it was round my waist i'd look like one of those cartoons.

I hold the handle in my left hand and the slack in my right, Oka walks on my right. Thing is as humans we subconsiously react to things in our enviroment and the dog notices it. Example; If you see another dog and grip the lead tighter in anticipation of your dogs reaction then your dog thinks 'ohhh, somethings happening' and the reaction happens in part because of the humans reaction....hope that makes sense, I see it alot with Oka and myself. As i know what will happen when she sees that dog (excitement, pulling, dragging) and i know that she could pull me over in that excitement, so i 'brace' myself and then she's clued into seeing the dog.

LoL on Smokey thinking his name is 'good dog'. I used to use 'Good girl!' as a reward marker whilst walking...she'd get so proud of herself that she'd start strutting, then pull ahead and then i'd have to stop and wait for her to come back to my side, we'd set off again 'good girl!', then she'd pull and so on Took me a few short walks to realise that i should quit saying 'good girl' and just treat her. I can say it now and most of the time she is ok.

 

[tigerlily46514]

Ha, my dog, i can not praise him for either loose lead, or a perfect heel, either one, not often, or not much anyway! Soon as i praise him, he begins walking too fast or pulling. sigh. He can be doing perfect, and soon as i praise him, he loses it, starts pulling. so i don't, anymore, and he walks perfectly now (most of the time, all bets are off for cats and bunnies...). I am no fan of dog whisperer, at all, but, he does get some things right, i heard him say, "Your dog already knows how you feel. He knows you are happy." I do think DW got that part right.

I also put the leash around my waist, I LOVE DOING THAT,
however, i took one of my guy's belts, and put that on over my coat, and slip whatever leash i am using (usually extenda-leash, or plain cloth leash) over the belt, and then i can power walk, fully swinging both arms, to keep my stride going. This also spares my wrists and elbows from sudden yanks. My dog is 50lbs, and if he gets really too excited to chase a cat, or yell at "Enemy Dog" or whatever, well,
50 lbs can get some torque going at the end of a 20 foot extenda leash! OUCH! My wrists just can't take it. PLus, no way he is getting away, either. He once bolted after a bunny while i chatted with neighbor, and pulled leash right out of my hand...not anymore!

Also, since i am working with my dog-aggressive dog, it is really great for me to have both hands free to either train him, give treats, or reel him in, when potential targets come by!! ha ha!!

I carry a mini-flashlight, even in the daytime, to use to wrap the cord, to pull it in, to spare my hands that leash burn. Luckily, i have to do that less and less often...however, skunk season has started here...Buddy really likes going for skunks....sigh...

 

[Ina]

Hi Tash,

the Gentle Leader broke because someone stepped on the buckle (with no dog attached in case you wonder ). I guess for now my best bet is to get another Easy Walk Harness for the walks in the park and use the other one in the garden to practice.

I hold the handle in my left hand and the slack in my right, Oka walks on my right. Thing is as humans we subconsiously react to things in our environment and the dog notices it. Example; If you see another dog and grip the lead tighter in anticipation of your dogs reaction then your dog thinks 'ohhh, somethings happening' and the reaction happens in part because of the humans reaction....hope that makes sense, I see it alot with Oka and myself. As i know what will happen when she sees that dog (excitement, pulling, dragging) and i know that she could pull me over in that excitement, so i 'brace' myself and then she's clued into seeing the dog.

Yeah, well - that would be me... looking ahead constantly. And since I am this nervous wriggly person it reflects on the dog when I hold the leash. With the leash around my waist he doesn't feel my wriggleness that much :-)

LoL on Smokey thinking his name is 'good dog'. I used to use 'Good girl!' as a reward marker whilst walking...she'd get so proud of herself that she'd start strutting, then pull ahead and then i'd have to stop and wait for her to come back to my side, we'd set off again 'good girl!', then she'd pull and so on Took me a few short walks to realise that i should quit saying 'good girl' and just treat her. I can say it now and most of the time she is ok.

I found myself saying "good dog" to one of my kids when I asked the 5-year old to sit in order for me to put his shoes on. Matter of fact is that the dog training helped a lot with the kids too. Simple commands like Sit, Stay, Shush work well with my 3 boys . And when we go for walks I have a bag full of treats for the dog and one for the kids. I told them if the treat is crunchy in their mouth I probably mixed the bags up

Let's hope I NEVER slip up and say "Good Dog" to my husband!

 

[Ina]

Luckily, i have to do that less and less often...however, skunk season has started here...Buddy really likes going for skunks....sigh...

Oh dear - did he ever get sprayed by one of the skunks? Shuddering just thinking of it.

We have heaps of wild bunnies in the parks. So far Smokey never got into real hunting mood yet. But I have seen dogs disappear after spotting a rabbit somewhere in the bushes. We now avoid that section of the park because the rangers are spreading poison to get rid of the rabbit plaque.

 

[sara]

See I find that clicker trained dogs think that a marker work is also the end of the exercise, and will pull ahead. I had the same problem with Oliver, so after I give the verbal marker, or the click, I repeat the command. my walks are a constant onesided conversation "Heel....... Good!, Heel....... Good! Heel... Good! Heel...." You get the drift!

But I have found the perfect walking combination with Oliver. I use a Black Dog Training Halter, an Easy Walk harness, and a double ended leash. He doesn't like to pull against the halter, and the Easy Walk is there for insurance when he lunges, as head halters are, imo, dangerous to spinal health. So I have steering power, attention getting power, and a safety net!

 

[Ina]

See I find that clicker trained dogs think that a marker work is also the end of the exercise, and will pull ahead. I had the same problem with Oliver, so after I give the verbal marker, or the click, I repeat the command. my walks are a constant onesided conversation "Heel....... Good!, Heel....... Good! Heel... Good! Heel...." You get the drift!

But I have found the perfect walking combination with Oliver. I use a Black Dog Training Halter, an Easy Walk harness, and a double ended leash. He doesn't like to pull against the halter, and the Easy Walk is there for insurance when he lunges, as head halters are, imo, dangerous to spinal health. So I have steering power, attention getting power, and a safety net!

Hi Sara,
had to look up the Black Dog Training Halter. Haven't seen many around in this part of the world.
Steering power ..hihi.. I like that term!
Well, I am still looking to rescue a Border Collie - haven't come across one yet. Steering power with a bigger dog sounds good. I'll keep that in mind. Especially since I have 3 kids that want to hold the leash all the time.

 

[sara]

Actually, the Black Dog COMES from you're neck of the woods! I had to order mine from Australia! LOL WAAAAYYYYYY better than a Halti, Gentle Leader, or anything else on the market. It doesn't ride up on the dog's eyes, and adjusts to fit every dog perfectly, with only 4 sizes. I mostly hate head halters, but they certainly have their place, and the Black Dog is the best of the best! (NOT the Infin8, BTW, the Training Halter) It was recommended to me by an Aussie deaf dog owner.

I think I'm the only person in Canada with one! LOL

http://www.blackdog.net.au/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=2&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=5&vmcchk=1&Itemid=5

 

[Ina]

It definitely looks a LOT different than the normal halters. But that company should get a new marketing manager

 

[mewzard]

See I find that clicker trained dogs think that a marker work is also the end of the exercise, and will pull ahead. I had the same problem with Oliver, so after I give the verbal marker, or the click, I repeat the command. my walks are a constant onesided conversation "Heel....... Good!, Heel....... Good! Heel... Good! Heel...." You get the drift!

But I have found the perfect walking combination with Oliver. I use a Black Dog Training Halter, an Easy Walk harness, and a double ended leash. He doesn't like to pull against the halter, and the Easy Walk is there for insurance when he lunges, as head halters are, imo, dangerous to spinal health. So I have steering power, attention getting power, and a safety net!

Yes it think that was what Oka was thinking...'good girl' "yup! we are done, off i go....". In the end i removed both the verbal marker and the clicker, just used treats. If she was in position next to my leg - she got a treat, for every step; a treat (then increased to more steps slowly), if she went ahead, i lured her back to position and lured one step, treated and carried on.
Now if there are no dogs/bird/cats around, she 'heels' 95% of the time.

I use a double ended lead on her Easy Walk and collar, its really effective. I also used the harness for recall on long lines as i was worried about neck injuries if she ran on the lead and hit the end of it. Oka is 76lbs - so like Tigerlily - i know about it if she bolts after something! She weighs over 1/2 of my body weight and i know about it if i'm standing still and she pulls just to sniff something! I think i'd be more worried if she was strapped to my waist!!

 

[tx_cowgirl]

I use cues for faster/slower paces, mainly for heel(Hurry!/Easy). If one of the dogs decides to speed up/slow down when they shouldn't, I can use that cue to get them to correct themselves. THEN the "Good boy/girl!" for correcting themselves/following the cue. No confusion there and there is much less of a chance for me to give the praise at the wrong time.

Also my tone of voice is very specific for each cue. "Hurry!" is excited and fun, but at a normal volume. Not so excited that the dog is going to go racing off, just more excited than a boring normal voice. "Easy," is a low-volume, relaxing tone like cooing to a baby.

On the Black Dog--maybe I'm not seeing this right, or maybe I didn't read well enough, but doesn't the Infin8 Halter pull/tighten on the neck? High on the neck, but still on the neck. At least that's what it *appears* to do just from the images. The "Training Halter" does not appear to do this, I would have been extremely interested in this had I not already weaned Zekers completely off his GL.

 

[sara]

I use cues for faster/slower paces, mainly for heel(Hurry!/Easy). If one of the dogs decides to speed up/slow down when they shouldn't, I can use that cue to get them to correct themselves. THEN the "Good boy/girl!" for correcting themselves/following the cue. No confusion there and there is much less of a chance for me to give the praise at the wrong time.

Also my tone of voice is very specific for each cue. "Hurry!" is excited and fun, but at a normal volume. Not so excited that the dog is going to go racing off, just more excited than a boring normal voice. "Easy," is a low-volume, relaxing tone like cooing to a baby.

On the Black Dog--maybe I'm not seeing this right, or maybe I didn't read well enough, but doesn't the Infin8 Halter pull/tighten on the neck? High on the neck, but still on the neck. At least that's what it *appears* to do just from the images. The "Training Halter" does not appear to do this, I would have been extremely interested in this had I not already weaned Zekers completely off his GL.

If you watch the video on the website about the infin8, you'll see clearly how it works. It pulls on the bridge of the nose, the front part of the "collar" portion is loose (only there for insurance against breakage) but it can be tightened to wean the dog off the head halter portion, then it works like a martingale collar. But I've been told that the Infin8 doesn't work nearly as well as the Training Collar does.

The Training collar is so light an unobtrusive for the dogs, it doesn't ride up on their eyes, and Oliver does not mind wearing it at all. It doesn't even slightly bug him, unless he's pulling against it, so he wont pull against it.

 

[tx_cowgirl]

I didn't get a chance to view any videos; thanks for clearing that up. I'll have to go watch.
I do like the design on the Training collar very much. Might be suggesting that to one of my clients.

 

[tigerlily46514]

so Sara, you are saying this Black Dog Training collar is better than the Gentle Leader? I, too, am confused by the pictures, it looks like, since the part going around the nose is not buckled, that it would ride up or get too tight, since it appears to have a variable tightness across their nose....wouldn't it just rub around and chafe their face up??

and Yes, Buddy has been skunked numerous times. I am now the DeSkunk Queen, so, if your dog ever gets skunked, let me know. (and no--- tomato juice is not effective!!)
My neighborhood is overrun with skunks, just tons of them. I don't mind if he/we get skunked on a walk, it's when he gets skunked in his OWN YARD, ohmidawwwwgg, what a nightmare, because, he gets REskunked every time he goes out into yard, and brings it all back into the home with him....this takes MONTHS and MONTHS to get skunk smell off of YOUR OWN LAWN....

Buddy does not seem able to discern skunks from cats or bunnies, etc. Buddy's vision is not better than my own, i've seen him get excited over a leaf, when i could plainly see it was a leaf....he's lunged towards a cardboard cat decoration in a yard at halloween, it wasn't even a realistic cardboard cat...
see? he can't see as well as i can!

I asked the vet, about Buddy's vision is not as good as my own, and she said that is true. She said dogs are near sighted, and do not see distance as well as humans, which surprised me, as i thought all their senses were superior, guess not. She said most humans see better in the dark than their dog does...and skunks are mostly nocturnal, coming out about twilight time. And skunks do not hide, nor run, just sit there, wiggling around.......very brave lil things. They have few predators, except for MY dog, who thinks they look like very lazy bunnies...

so, with skunks, it seems unlikely Buddy will be able to get good visual on them in the dimmer light or the dark, BEFORE he gets within spraying range...which is like 15 feet to 20 feet....he can't see that far that well....sigh. That is all the closer we have to get, to ruin the rest of the evening!!

and nope, having Buddy strapped to my waist has never created one problem, but, holding leash with my hand, has hurt my wrist or elbow any number of times. OUCH! I love walking him that way, so i can swing my arms fully for power walks, or even jogging. But, yeah, if your dog IS pretty close to same size as you, it might not work for you!!

but, come twilight time, he is in a heel nowadays!!! still, we can come around a corner, and BAM!

 

[sara]

It really is wayyyy better than a GL, or a Halti, or anything else you can find here. Everyone who ever uses one is hooked. I've never heard from anyone who's used it that doesn't like it.

It never rides up, or chafes the face, it's made of very soft material, with no sharp edges (like both the halti and GL), and it's extremely adjustable, so fits every dog, with only 4 sizes. it's one simple clip, so easy to put on and take off. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now, and am totally hooked, and would recommend it to anyone.

In my opinion (and I've tried every head halter I could find here) it is the absolute best on the market... I will never use anything but a Black Dog ever again.

I'm toying with trying their Balance harness for Oliver, as I just discovered the easy walk harness has chafed his armpits, so I bought a step in harness, but I really like front clip harnesses, the material, and design might be better than the easy walk... but I have to wait so long for it.

 

[Ina]

I'm toying with trying their Balance harness for Oliver, as I just discovered the easy walk harness has chafed his armpits, so I bought a step in harness, but I really like front clip harnesses, the material, and design might be better than the easy walk... but I have to wait so long for it.

Is the company slow in sending it off? Shouldn't take more than a week to get to you from Australia?

 

[tigerlily46514]

DOES YOUR DOG LIKE IT????
My dog loathed loathed loathed his GL, as do many other dogs i know. One guy told me his dog, who never ever destroys anything ever, took the GL and chewed it up to bits.

 

[Ina]

Well, mine loves the GL.
The other halter I have you have to put the front legs in first and then clip it closed on the dogs back. Smokey doesn't like that at all. When I hold the GL he just slips in by himself and I close the buckle on his belly.
Just goes to show that our furry friends are all individuals

 

[sara]

Ollie tries to rub every other one I tried, but he doesn't bug this one, he barely knows it's on. That doesn't mean every dog is fine with it, but most people I have talked to about them, say the same thing.

shipping to Canada from Australia takes approximately 8-12 days, from the time they ship them. I bought the double ended lead and halter from a supplier in Britain, last time, as it was cheaper, due to exchange rates, but it took them nearly 2 months to get the stuff to me. I'll buy directly from the manufacturer in Australia this time though. I like the material so much, I do believe I'll buy the tracking lead from them also... much nicer than the tracking leads here.

 

[sara]

Well, mine loves the GL.
The other halter I have you have to put the front legs in first and then clip it closed on the dogs back. Smokey doesn't like that at all. When I hold the GL he just slips in by himself and I close the buckle on his belly.
Just goes to show that our furry friends are all individuals

You're thinking of something different. the GL headcollar is what tigerlily is talking about, and imo, it is very uncomfortable on the dogs, rides up on the eyes, material has sharp, uncomfortable edges.
http://www.gentleleadercanada.com/product.html