Loose Leash Walking
- Thread starter kat051207
- Start date
NewfieMama
New member
Our trainer told us to "be a tree" whenever Zuzu pulls, in any direction. Just stop. Stand still and wait. When the dog comes back to you, click/praise etc. and then keep walking with your usual cue "let's walk!" or what have you. This has worked well for us. I'm sure there are other methods.
HTH!
HTH!
lacey9875
New member
That's what we do. Maggie walks well on the leash, but is easily distracted by other dogs, people, leaves.... When she is walking where she should be, I praise her and tell her, "walk nice" and "good walk nice." She'll correct herself (sometimes) if I remind her, but it is a work in progress.
RiverTheNewf
New member
Eventually being a tree didn't work for us. We pulled a Victoria Stilwell (It's Me or the Dog) and we turn and walk in the opposite direction when she pulls. This works waaay better when my husband and I walk her together, because the person without the leash keeps walking...BUT if River is pulling, she doesn't get to join up with the other person. If she pulls, we turn and walk in the other direction away from the other person.
The idea behind this is PULLING DOES NOT GET YOU WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. If pulling works even some of the time, they're just going to try harder to pull where they want to go. Loose leash only for Petsmart (where we were very lax before), walking, swimming, joining up with other people/dogs, etc. Pulling must never pay. Now we're only getting pulls for the first two to three minutes of walks, and it's less and less every time.
The best thing the behaviorist told me is a behavior that is rewarded intermittently is MUCH stronger than a behavior rewarded all the time (same idea that you fade out the frequency of treats so they never know when a reward is coming). This works for bad behavior too. If you only reward a bad behavior some of the time, the dog will just try harder to get 'paid.' ie. pulling gets her where she wants to go some of the time, barking gets attention some of the time, makes her pull MORE or bark MORE to get what she wants. Hope this helps!
The idea behind this is PULLING DOES NOT GET YOU WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. If pulling works even some of the time, they're just going to try harder to pull where they want to go. Loose leash only for Petsmart (where we were very lax before), walking, swimming, joining up with other people/dogs, etc. Pulling must never pay. Now we're only getting pulls for the first two to three minutes of walks, and it's less and less every time.
The best thing the behaviorist told me is a behavior that is rewarded intermittently is MUCH stronger than a behavior rewarded all the time (same idea that you fade out the frequency of treats so they never know when a reward is coming). This works for bad behavior too. If you only reward a bad behavior some of the time, the dog will just try harder to get 'paid.' ie. pulling gets her where she wants to go some of the time, barking gets attention some of the time, makes her pull MORE or bark MORE to get what she wants. Hope this helps!
Alex
New member
Kikopup's LLW Video
I primarily use this method + changing direction when I have to. I find adding the clicker to the changing direction method makes it go MUCH faster, although I am adamant about NOT clicking the dog for returning to you, but ONLY clicking when you are actually walking and she's walking with a loose leash. If you click immediately when the dog returns to you, rather than after you take a step or two, some dogs turn into yo-yo's- go out pull, come back for treat, go out pull, come back for treat...
Another trick I used is I change direction while the dog is on his way to pulling, but before the leash is actually tight. When you see the dog's nose pass an imaginary line a few inches in front of your toes (maybe 6-12 inches for a Newf), you can change direction.
Pay attention to clicking a true loose leash, when the bolt clip is hanging straight down. Nothing else will cut it. If you are specific with that, the dog learns to notice much more subtle pressure than if you click anything else.
This page also has a really good LLW description, about halfway down under "LEASH"
Sue Ailsby's Training Levels
And ditto what Jackie said, behavior that's rewarded sometimes becomes very strong. You have to notice little things like the dog pulls to sniff something and you let them sniff because you were going to anyways (I'm guilty of that and trying to be more diligent), LLWing all the way up to something good (like a person or dog) and pulling the last few steps. Those last few steps turn into the last several steps...
The little stuff like that can be a pain in the butt.
I primarily use this method + changing direction when I have to. I find adding the clicker to the changing direction method makes it go MUCH faster, although I am adamant about NOT clicking the dog for returning to you, but ONLY clicking when you are actually walking and she's walking with a loose leash. If you click immediately when the dog returns to you, rather than after you take a step or two, some dogs turn into yo-yo's- go out pull, come back for treat, go out pull, come back for treat...
Another trick I used is I change direction while the dog is on his way to pulling, but before the leash is actually tight. When you see the dog's nose pass an imaginary line a few inches in front of your toes (maybe 6-12 inches for a Newf), you can change direction.
Pay attention to clicking a true loose leash, when the bolt clip is hanging straight down. Nothing else will cut it. If you are specific with that, the dog learns to notice much more subtle pressure than if you click anything else.
This page also has a really good LLW description, about halfway down under "LEASH"
Sue Ailsby's Training Levels
And ditto what Jackie said, behavior that's rewarded sometimes becomes very strong. You have to notice little things like the dog pulls to sniff something and you let them sniff because you were going to anyways (I'm guilty of that and trying to be more diligent), LLWing all the way up to something good (like a person or dog) and pulling the last few steps. Those last few steps turn into the last several steps...
The little stuff like that can be a pain in the butt.
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OurnewfDarwin
New member
Is there a way to establish a cue for when he needs to walk next to you vs letting out the lead and allowing him to run and play while on the leash?
NessaM
New member
I train using "With Me" to mean they need to walk on a loose lead, politely next to me, and "Ok, Go Sniff" to let them know they can be a dog At the end of their leash or off leash, and sniff, pee, etc. But even at the end of their leash I don't allow them to pull me around.
jane
New member
If I notice one moving too far ahead, when I'm loose leash walking, I slow down or stop. If they are focusing on you, they will see that little bit of you, that is in the corner of their eye, disappear and they will stop. If they don't stop, I will turn the other way and correct. Eventually they learn if you disappear, they need to slow down.
NewfieMama
New member
On a leash IMO you're either loose leash walking or heeling - some people have a command to allow a dog to go pee or sniff or whatever. But I don't think with a Newf you want to allow playing or running while on leash - he's little so it's fine now but in the next 4-6 weeks you may regret it. Just my $.02.
Alex
New member
oo good point, agreed
OurnewfDarwin
New member
Now, how to explain this to my husband! I keep telling him that this is important!