Apologies for the long post, just wondering what experience lead walking experts think of my progress... So i've been continuing daily practicing George walking on a loose lead, he is just over 5 months now and pretty strong for his age when he wants to be. I suppose i'm just wondering how i'm doing, as i have no other reference point really. He will follow me around the garden to heel if he thinks (or knows) i have a treat in my hand, i practice that indoors and outdoors, slowly introducing distractions. We set off taking different routes out of our little estate left and right from the house, walking him on the left holding lead in my right hand and the slack in my left with the treats also. Any pulling forward is promptly stopped and he either sits down or i try and bring him back around to my side with a treat. Now he never is pulling me down the street, the only pulling forward with me walking forward happens perhaps when crossing a road sometimes, i'm obviously not keen to stop and bring him back around in the middle of the road! Anyway so i'm not particularly fast but i think we're getting there, i dont think he knows pulling will get him anywhere quick. The problems so far come, when he fancies a sniff in a bush or to eat some grass, he will pull off to the side or round the back of me etc. Now what i've been doing is stopping and just holding the lead sometimes pulling him away myself, or try and encourage him back to my side by pulling him and giving him a treat. Is this the correct thing to do, or should i be letting him sniff at everything? He is still toileting at home and no leg lifting just yet. I suppose what i'm getting at, is he learning that he can pull to the side or behind, angle whatever to sniff as in getting his way, will this cause problems in the future? The other issue is other dogs and people, 9 times out of 10 everything goes out the window, treats are nothing usually and i just have to stop and let him pull (not going anywhere) whilst they pass. To be fiar sometimes he doesn't seem fussed and i can distract him early enough to walk on by. So how's my progress going, should i be further on using less treats and just verbals or am i just being too harsh and he's doing fine? We've never let him pull once forward so i'm hoping he never know what that means, he spend lots of time walking alongside looking up at me, is this good or bad i'm using too many treats? I'm trying to fade the treats a little here and there but i'm worried he wont stay a long side and start doing what he wants. Thanks for any thoughts
Re: Pulling on the lead progress...? Have you read this Jez? How to stop your labrador pulling on the lead
Re: Pulling on the lead progress...? [quote author=editor link=topic=553.msg2443#msg2443 date=1339527610] Have you read this Jez? How to stop your labrador pulling on the lead [/quote] Yes I have and I'm trying to implement with regular practice, just wondered what a good reference point would be for George, should we be doing better or is he just right for his age... People keep telling me it's natural puppyness to explore the world, indeed true. But I'm far too stubborn and mean to let him do anything he wants. He'll be too big before we know it & will pull over my oh given a chance!
Re: Pulling on the lead progress...? He sounds to me to be doing ok My Sam is a big lad , 11 months old and 34 kilos so his early bad pulling had to be addressed and smartish ! I realised that Sam only pulled on lead on his way to where he knew he would be released , he would walk back home from his off lead session like an angel , loose lead and right by my side . I started to take him out , not to an off lead place, but to stay on lead and again he walked really nicely . However, like you, I found that seeing other dogs had the effect of great excitement , so what to do ? Basically , I had to make me more interesting then other dogs and small pieces of sausage did the trick He could smell the sausage as we set off and stuck to my side beautifully and if I spotted another dog , I would tell Sam to look at me and sit , and when he did, he was rewarded with the tiny bit of sausage by which time, the other dog had gone , just distraction really . Dealing with the excited pulling on the way to an off lead area , I realised that Sam was saying Faster Faster ! So , the ultimate punishment for him was to stop dead and begin to walk backwards very slowly, ok you get some funny looks but it works ! Slowly he realised that pulling would actually take him away from where he wanted to be , getting nowhere fast !
Re: Pulling on the lead progress...? Hi Jez, Perhaps the question you should be asking is not "is he progressing fast enough?" but "is he progressing?" If your lad is improving, not every day maybe, but on balance, does it matter how he compares to other peoples dogs? You are going to get where you want in the end ). And after all, plenty of dogs never make it to where yours is now! Sam.
Re: Pulling on the lead progress...? [quote author=Sam link=topic=553.msg2471#msg2471 date=1339787482] Hi Jez, Perhaps the question you should be asking is not "is he progressing fast enough?" but "is he progressing?" If your lad is improving, not every day maybe, but on balance, does it matter how he compares to other peoples dogs? You are going to get where you want in the end ). And after all, plenty of dogs never make it to where yours is now! Sam. [/quote] I am quietly confident with how he is going, as i said he is never pulling us down the road. Its more whether i'm doing it right i suppose. He spend a lot of time walking a long side looking up at me waiting for the next treat, he sometimes trots off in front but the lead rarely becomes tight. The only real problems are pulling off behind for a sniff and stopping to stare at other dogs, he'll only start pulling if they come within saying hello distance. Amazing how strong he is even now only 24 weeks old!
Re: Pulling on the lead progress...? The sniffing the ground can be infuriating, can't it! I think its because we can't tell there's anything there, so its all the more annoying to have to stop while they examine it. I like to teach my dogs a 'leave that' command (I think Pippa mentioned this somewhere else on here recently), and then apply it to interesting smells (and gross rubbish!) while walking them. ("Leave that" "Good" "Heel" ....and on we go. Theoretically, at least!) This is quite handy once they are off lead, too. I realise a 'perfect heel' means they don't sniff stuff anyway, but this is my compromise! I don't know if anyone else here 'mixes' commands like this during a heel?
