Does anyone think a coupler is a good idea even though Charlie pulls on his lead? Just wondered if he would walk better attached to Hattie who only pulls a little on occassions? Grasping at straws here!! Charlie slept in his bed, door closed last night and no problems - hurray a small step!! Thanks Helen
Re: Coupler Hooray for small victories! I am not an expert, but I would not imagine that a coupler would be a good idea for a dog that pulls... But a friend of mine was telling me yesterday about a harness she uses with her dog, where the lead attaches UNDER the chest, so the dog is not pulling from its neck. If she pulls, she is being corrected from her body, and for some reason this really seems to work for her. I have no idea whether this would be useful for you, but just thought I'd mention it... It seems to me that you need to have some good experiences with Charlie, walking nicely on his lead. You say he does walk better on the lead when he is tired, but that you dread going out with him because he pulls so much. It sounds like a vicious circle - he wants to go out, you dont like taking him out because he behaves badly, therefore he is even more keen to get out and pulls even more... How about taking him somewhere in the car, where he can run around and tire himself out, perhaps playing with other dogs or doing some dummy work or swimming or whatever it is that he enjoys and where he can get some exercise safely. Then when he has worked off his excess energy, you'd have more chance of getting him to walk nicely on the heel, so you could end on a positive note before getting back in the car. Just trying to think of ways to break the pattern!
Re: Coupler Interesting re the under chest harness. I had a lot of trouble getting Lady to stop pulling when she was younger and I found quite by accident that if I passed the lead under and between her front legs she stopped pulling immediately. I think it was the downward pull she disliked.
Re: Coupler I agree that the coupler is not a good idea. It isn't fair on the other dog and will probably just end up with two dogs that pull. A number of different people have had success with a front fastening harness and though I have not used one, I think it might well be worth a try. The theory is that the dog does not like pushing with its chest and that seems rational enough as it is not a natural behaviour for a dog. Although anti-pull harnesses do not train the dog to walk to heel, anything that prevents him from doing so and can be a helpful temporary aid in breaking the habit. Pippa
Re: Coupler Thanks for your comments. I won't use a coupler. Have used the harness you have suggested for a little while but he still pulled into it and made his armpits bleed so I didn't use it again. Believe me there is not a product that I haven't tried and a method I haven't tried. We just keep going. Karen, unfortunately I cannot let Charlie off lead at the moment as I am doing Pippa's Total Recall as his is very limited to non existent. We take him to a paddock nearby before our walk and he has a good run with other dogs/Hattie if they are around and lots of play with a tennis ball too if he's interested. He could run around for hours and still have the energy to pull. Charlie also has real problems getting into the car which is yet another issue we are working on. I am trying with placing treats where he can reach and placing larger ones further in, we are having some success, but when he really doesn't want to he starts to slobber so I leave it. We have taken him to nice places in the car for walks, I take him to the school to pick the children up etc. but he is not convinced. I think I will do as Pippa has advised and concentrate on his recall first as this is vital or I think I am going to go nuts!!. Can dogs have ADHD!!!!?
Re: Coupler Oh dear, you really have a got a difficult one there! How old was he when you got him? Is he neutered? Do you know anything about his past? So sorry, this must be really hard for you! And obviously you love him, or you wouldnt be putting all this time and energy into his training... Just sending you positive thoughts and support, really!
Re: Coupler Hi Karen, we got him at 9 months and he is 21 months now, he is neutered. His past is his family in Ireland gave him up at 6 months old and gave him to the pound to be PTS, he was rescued with other dogs and brought to a rescue centre in Wales where he stayed for a while then he was fostered by a family with 4 children and dogs for little while, he was adopted by a couple who only kept him for a month and returned him to the fosterer because he ran off on the beach after seagulls, we then we saw him and fell in love with him (heart ruled head!!) and the rest is history!! We are a family consisting of 4 children ranging from 26 years down to 12 years and he is a star and because he is such a character and we do love him we really want to help him. Fingers crossed we can. Thank you for your thoughts, much appreciated. Helen
