Leash Training

ever since i can remember my dog hated the leash! its a battle whenever i have to take him on a walk.. he just walks like he pleases dragging me along with him.. he is a large shepherd mix.. how to i get him to walk beside me? nothing seems to work for me

you should check out kikopup, she has more videos anout leash walking

ill check it out later thanx!

This video, also by Kikopup, has some more info on same topic.
Almost all kikopup videos are only 3 to 5 minutes long, not big time investment,
but, watching them over and over, you get more and more out of them, imo.

In above video,
at about 1:30 seconds,
kikopup demonstrates a method that reeeally helped *my* dog,
was asking the dog to CHOOSE to return to her, whenever he pulled.
didn't happen right away, but that helped my dog 'reset' his brain whenever he pulled, to sort of help him 'snap out of it' and CHOOSE to participate in having a nice walk.


but, every dog is unique. So kikopup posts other ideas, as well.

also, hiding my extenda-leash helped, (just using plain ol 6 foot leash) NOt sure why that helped, but, it did.
*my* dog had trouble sorting out, "Yesterday, i could pull and get more leash, but today i can't?? what?"

also, mayyyyyyyybe the slight but continuous pull of an extenda-leash made it harder for my dog, too, to realize when he IS pulling too much...not sure.
Shortening it up, and locking it in place as only a few feet long, did not help my dog, for some reason...i had to get 'normal' leash, and start all over..

Another thing that helped was--------- *trying* to convince the rest of my family to NOT allow Buddy to pull ,
all helped as well. If *some* ppl are letting dog pull, it slows the dog's ability to understand what is okay, wayy down.....

and here's a great blog post,
http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/forums/threads/leash-training.4349/

from the owner of this site, Jean, explaining his ideas on how to help dogs learn what it is we DO want our dogs to do when on a walk, & has some GREAT TIPS on how to begin this training inside your home.

still, it's good for all frustrated humans being pulled down the street,
to know that this is not easy thing for many dogs to get the hang of,
and for some dogs, helping them learn loose-leash walking
takes
patience and TIME
TIME
TIME
TIME
so hang in there! You can do it!!

It's not like teaching "sit" or "rollover"------------ teaching loose leash takes way more practice than a trick, as you are struggling against the dogs's natural urge to move forward,
and all types of distractions, etc etc.
So maybe Jean's blog post (link above) about working INSIDE your home, might be helpful to help your dog get the idea.

Part of the pulling thing is stress related. The collar pulls on the neck which creates stress which the dog tries to free itself from. See this diagram; Why dogs pull.

You have to teach the dog that walking beside you is more rewarding than pulling. As Tigerlily says it take lots of TIME. The other thing you have to think about before starting is where do you want the dog to walk? as "not pulling" looks different to everyone....for some its a proper heel, for someit just no leash tension.

For us Oka walks with her shoulder near to my out going leg. So she walks slightly in front, mostly to do with that fact that both Mark and I walk her and we have different strides. For others it's just no pulling but walking out in front, for someone else it could be a full 'heel' - though i think thats a little rigid for a run-of-the-mill walk.

i downloaded videos of leash training.. still have to watch it though.. hopefully it will help my doggie.. if i should think of sims he has the adventurous trait lol..

LOL sims!