Kaylee loves to tugg on her leash ... help appreciated

[CaSHMeRe]

Hello All !!!

Happy Monday :tequila:

Kaylee is the sweetest dog ever (i'm sure everyone thinks their dog is the sweetest) The only flaw Kaylee has is her love to pull on the leash. When we leash her up to go potty, for short 5-10 minutes walks, and pretty much anytime she is outside (until she gets older) she pulls, tuggs, and leans. She does get some free play in the yard about 3-4 times a week, but is very limited as we're scared to death of her injuring herself. Anyways...back on topic.

Kaylee pulls and leans with her body, if she wants to go somewhere. When we take her potty, she normally goes right away (within the first 2-3 minutes) and we are ready to go in, however, Kaylee has alternative plans :nono:

Daily, its seems to be getting worse. To the point where she literally chokes herself, and you hear her huffing and puffing ... and we are just simply standing still :lol: She is sooooo intent on going to where she wants to go, she is litterally tipping herself over trying to get there. Its cute BUT we need to get it under control before she gains another 50 lbs, and we can't control it.

YES, Kaylee is already signed up for beginning Obedience Classes starting in 2 weeks (for those telling me to get her into classes )

I don't want to use a choke collar nor a prong collar on Kaylee because she is so young. (Almost 14 wks.) However, I wanted to hear your thoughts on the Gentle Leader?
http://www.premier.com/View.aspx?page=dogs/products/behavior/gentleleader/description

I think it would be a great idea if I can get her used to it before obedience classes

BTW ... Kaylee is a VERY smart dog. She sits, shakes (with either paw), lays down, and stays already!!!

Anyone else use the Gentle Leader, and what are you thoughts on it?

Thanks !!!

 

[Pam G]

I agree with your thoughts on the prong or choke. She is too young for that. A gentle leader may work ok. I would give it a try. You also may want to try changing directions. If you are walking and she starts pulling..stop and then change directions. You may be walking in a circle for awhile..but it does seem to work.
Good luck!

 

[Wash]

Our policy on tugging is that if Wash starts pulling on his leash we automatically stop moving. We stand there until Wash stops pulling and comes and sits next to us, no matter how long it takes.

 

[CaSHMeRe]

Pam ... Its hard to change directions when she drops the ground and hugs the grass/cement. When she starts to pull or lean, we stop, and she continues to pull/lean until she gets so tired, she just drops to the ground and gives up.

Wash's Mom ... We do stop moving, and so does she. She drops. then doesn't get back up.

 

[Charlie'sMom]

I just let Charlie drop and lie on the ground when he pulled then threw a little "tantrum" yes, I did look like a crazy person when he did it in my front yard and he pulled, I stopped, he pulled and pulled and pulled and I stayed still, he dropped, so I sat down ... and there we sat for almost a hour before he decided to get a move on ... in the direction I was headed.

 

[CaSHMeRe]

Jen ... love the story. I would be more then willing to do that if it was on the weekend or after work or during an afternoon at home training session. However, in the morning and at lunch when time is of the essence, its hard.

p.s. -- just went out and worked with her a little. She was too sleepy though, and just dropped and started to sleep ... lol

 

[jordansmom]

I would say at that Jordan started to pull when he was quite young as well. And I too did not want to put him in a choke collar, so I did try the gentle leader. Although Jordan absolutely hated the thing for the first week or two, for me it worked like a charm. Jordan was no longer in control. Did we still do circles and change directions? Yes, but he learned not to pull (because of the pressure on the top behind the ears) without me having to yank on his neck. The only concern I did have about the leader is how the nose band would rub up against the cheek under the eye. Otherwise, I have no complaints except at my own forgetfulness for losing the thing. Jordan, at 4, wears a choke collar. Very seldom do I have to issue a correction.

 

[Ksullivan]

Purdue U reccomended a Gentle Leader to me, and boy what a difference that made!!

 

[charityd]

When I brought Katie home I didn't do the best job with her leash training and I have paid for it by having to work extra hard to reverse bad habits.

When Louis came home I was determined not to make the same mistake. I followed the advice given to me by so many and also mentioned in above posts. NEVER let them get anywhere by pulling. Stop walking when the pulling starts. Wait for the dog to look back at you to figure out the reason for the delay. The second they look at you say "yes" or whatever your special marker word is. Offer the dog the most tasty treat to get it coming towards you. Tell the dog "with me", "heel" or whatever command you use. Offer a tiny treat with every step the dog takes beside you. Then cut back to a treat every two steps, then every three steps etc. Talk cheerfully to your dog the whole time to keep their attention and their spirits up. To be continued...

 

[Brody the Newf]

Whenever Brody pulled, I walked in the opossite direction. He had the choice of following me or being pulled. Once he found out his temper tantrums didn't work, he listened.

Brody is a nut but he's wonderful on a leash.

 

[wrknnwf]

As much as I like Gentle Leaders, they can inflict neck injuries, especially on rambunctious pups. Premier, the manufacturer of Gentle Leaders has come out with a better product called the Easy Walk harness.

But training is essential. You might find yourself in a situation where you don't have or can't use the Gentle Leader or Easy Walk so don't become dependent on them.

Standing still is good but you must also reward ANYTIME the leash goes slack. Even briefly. Stay alert and focused on the dog while you train this. Keep treats on you and use lots of praise, introducing a command like "easy" or "slow" after she starts to make the connection. If you're walking and she starts to pull, stop. When the leash is slack or she turns towards you, praise and reward and then move forward. If the leash gets tight, stop again and wait for her to respond.

You can also try shaking the leash which many dogs find annoying. The idea is that she will learn that she can stop the shaking by letting up on the leash tension herself. This is usually more effective if the dog has tags on it's collar but can work without them. You must start the leash shaking right before the leash gets taut or you won't have much effect.

Persistance and patience is your key here. This is a good time to start too. You don't want to wait until she's so big that she body surfs you across the lawn. And that will be coming sooner than you think.

Anytime you take her somewhere, plan on doing a lot of stopping along the way. It might take 20 minutes to go one block but in the long run, it will be worth it. NEVER, EVER let her get away with pulling.

 

[charityd]

Sorry for the interruption...I had to run home and feed Louis

Jane saved me some typing :lol: I also wouldn't recommend the Gentle leader due to risk of injury. I also don't recommend becoming dependant on a training tool. I'm currently working hard to wean Katie off her training collar. She is doing better but it has not been easy.

Louis is SO much better than Katie was at his age because I did things right from day one. I know that training devices are helpful for some dogs, but I am going to make every effort not to even get that started with Louis. If I work my butt off and am having problems then I will consider it, but that will be a last resort. He is doing so fabulously though that I am very hopeful about a fun filled future of training together.

One idea...if Kaylee is at the end of the leash and for some reason you don't have time to wait on her I would try walking towards her while removing all slack from the leash until you are beside her. Make her sit, then use your with me command to go forward. I know sometimes circumstances won't allow you to wait 20 minutes

Good luck with sweet Kaylee!

 

[lola]

It also takes patience, but when it clicks, it seems like it's pretty much never a problem again, besides more training to have them ignore people passing by which we are still working on..

 

[CaSHMeRe]

YaY !!! Newf.Net is back up and working !!!

Sooo many replies, thanks! The last 2 days have all been geared towards correcting the behavior with a normal collar/leash and she starting to get better !!!! You're right, its takes LOTS and LOTS of patience, but she eventually understands. She now tugs until she is out of breath, then stops, and walks back over to me and sits on my feet ... ... Its amazing what just a couple days and several short walks can accomplish. Thanks for your help !!!

lola -- This is a HUGE problem for Kaylee as well. She LOVES ALL PEOPLE. She see's someone, and charges for them. She thinks people are only supposed to give her love and do nothing else in life. I always wanted a friendly dog, but i want to be able to control it to a certain extent. When the stranger/friend see's me holding Kaylee back as she is struggling/choaking/foaming at the mouth trying to get to them, they think she is trying to attack or that she is just a crazy dog, when all she wants to do is run over to them and give them lots and lots of kisses .... ..... Any suggestions in this area would be great too!

 

[lola]

I wish I could help, but Mack still ends up slobbering on anyones hand if they walk by us.. He just wants pats and I can't stop him from doing it. I keep him on a short leash so he's pressed against my leg when people pass us and now at least he continues to walk with me, but he still reaches his nose out for a sniff and possible pat eveytime without fail. Sometimes a quick reminder of "Leave it" or a quick leash correction makes it stop, but yet again, I think it's a practice thing..

 

[wrknnwf]

Is she enrolled in puppy classes yet! She's not too young. Be sure to ask the instructor to show you proper "meet and greet" (CGC-Canine Good Citizen) exercises. She can get started on learning the basics now.

 

[CaSHMeRe]

Is she enrolled in puppy classes yet! She's not too young. Be sure to ask the instructor to show you proper "meet and greet" (CGC-Canine Good Citizen) exercises. She can get started on learning the basics now.

Yup They start on Saturday June 14th !!! Our trainer is a CGC Evaluator

 

[Murphy]

Read latest post under Zakatak .. LOLLL

 

[charityd]

YaY !!! Newf.Net is back up and working !!!

Sooo many replies, thanks! The last 2 days have all been geared towards correcting the behavior with a normal collar/leash and she starting to get better !!!! You're right, its takes LOTS and LOTS of patience, but she eventually understands. She now tugs until she is out of breath, then stops, and walks back over to me and sits on my feet ... ... Its amazing what just a couple days and several short walks can accomplish. Thanks for your help !!!

lola -- This is a HUGE problem for Kaylee as well. She LOVES ALL PEOPLE. She see's someone, and charges for them. She thinks people are only supposed to give her love and do nothing else in life. I always wanted a friendly dog, but i want to be able to control it to a certain extent. When the stranger/friend see's me holding Kaylee back as she is struggling/choaking/foaming at the mouth trying to get to them, they think she is trying to attack or that she is just a crazy dog, when all she wants to do is run over to them and give them lots and lots of kisses .... ..... Any suggestions in this area would be great too!

Steve,
This was the exact cause of my failure with Katie. She adores most humans on the planet and truly believes they were put here to give her affection. When she was tiny I would let the cute little princess pull me toward her subjects. She quickly developed some bad habits (due to her naughty Mama). Now I make Louis and Katie sit and wait while I ask kind strangers if they would pet my dogs only when they are sitting nicely. If they are not calm with zero tension on the leash then no loving for them. They seem to learn this pretty quickly.

 

[JoAngel32]

Another thing Kaylee likes to do (only with mommy for some reason) is bite my pants when we're walking. She only does it if she's mad at me for not letting her go where she wants to go, or sometimes if she's really hyper (which isn't too often). I try to correct it by either spraying my pants with bitter apple, or holding her mouth closed right when she does it and saying "NO" sternly, but that just seems to fuel her fire. I'm going to talk to the trainer about that as well when classes start, but any suggestions in the mean time? Has anyone else had a puppy that likes to bite your pant legs?