How can I train my dog to not pull on the leash when I walk him? He was a year old when I adopted him and I have had him about two months now. Everything I have tried doesnt seem to stick. So now I am thinking about getting a choke chain…. Anyone have any suggestions?
Choke chains should not be used without professional help (dog trainer) if you are not extremely experienced yourself. They can be extremely dangerous when used improperly or placed improperly, and I personally do not think they do anything that could not be accomplished with training and no pain or discomfort. Get signed up for a basic obedience class, it will help. In the meantime, dog pulls= you stop walking until the dog releases the pressure. Then proceed. Give treats when the dog isn’t pulling on the leash. The first few days it may take you an hour to go ten feet. This is normal. Keep at it and be persistent and he will realize if he pulls he doesn’t get to go anywhere.
I wouldn’t try a choke chain, they can cause numerous problems, as well as cause damage to your dog’s coat and neck. If you must, Pinch Collars (the ones with the prongs on them) are completely humane, IF USED PROPERLY, under the instruction of a Professional trainer.
I would try a martingale collar before any kind of pinch collar. It looks like a flat collar (the ones with the snap buckles on them that are very commonly used) with a chain on the back that allows you to give a simple yet effective correction to the dog, to let it know that the behaviour is not okay. It doesn’t hurt, and you must do it hard enough to get your dog’s attention, but not too hard.
The main reason that dogs pull on the lead when walking, is because you havnt effectively established your role as “pack leader” or “alpha”. In the wild, the pack leader will lead his pack wherever they go. He will ALWAYS be out front, and no other dog would ever dare to try and go ahead. This is essentially what your dog is doing to you.
To correct this behaviour, while you are walking, slip the lead around your waist (I reccomend using a 6ft lead for this) and when your dog pulls out ahead, step BACK with enough force to get your dog to stop. You may add the command “heel” when you step back if you please. Continue to do this, until your dog realizes that you mean business. He will eventually learn to walk beside you, through alot of hard work and determination.
Hope this helps!
: )
When I was training my dog to walk correctly I looked like an idiot. First I tried a range of different harnesses and found that the EasyWalk worked the best with my dog. There are lots of different types but this by far worked the best for me. Then I took him out and everytime he stepped in front of me, switched directions and said “Let’s Go!” When he started walking correctly, lot’s of praise and treats. I kept mine in a waist pouch for quick access. He learned to follow pretty quickly and now is a picture perfect walking partner.
Hm, I wouldn’t recommend a choke chain. I agree with pretty much else that has been already said in this thread. It’s quite a lot of things that can be done, and depending on your dog, different things will work. Remember that as no two people are the same and respond to the same things, so with your dog, they need a bit of a different treatment.
I remember when I first started out with my dog I was so lost, and worse, I was living in a place with many cats in the streets, all stray cats unfortunately, but there were not many dog owners. Go figure….Finally I broke down and bought a guide book on training your dog from http://know-your-pet.com/ , and that helped me out enormously, there were so many things I had no clue about. I’m not using the book anymore, but I know it had its major uses in the beginning. I was at first so desperate I had my thoughts of giving back my puppy to the guy who gifted it to me. Thank god I didn’t do it 🙂
Good luck with your dog, I know once you get the hang of how to handle him, you’ll have one loyal friend.
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