# walking my 4 month old spoo? help!



## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

after almost 15 years of playing tug with my minipoodle-sized lowchen and trying everything humane, as well as just plain throwing in the towel, i finally decided to just stick my leg out to block my dog every time he tries to get ahead of me. now if i were more consistent, it would work like a charm, because he has been getting it. the fault is in the owner (me) in this case. the squeaky toy/ treat in hand, turn and walk the other way techniques all work - but not for all dogs.


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## Petitpie'sDH (Mar 22, 2013)

Not sure, but maybe try one of the harnesses, like "easy walk harness" or similar. I have used them when walking Toddy and Gabriella together, and although they are not bad about pulling, I think the easy walk harnesses do encourage them walk on a loose leash.


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## TrueColors (Nov 18, 2012)

I'm no were near being a professional but this is what i did with Jenna to stop her pulling on the leash.Remember not every method works with ever dog. So what i did is similar to what you already tried except what i did was when she pulled I stopped for a few seconds and made her sit in a heel position then make her continue walking by my side with a tight leash then if she walks by my side i tell her to hike and give her more slack on the leash but if she pulls again I stop make her heel by my side then continue walking a for 30 seconds or more then give her slack. but you must be *very* persistent . I use a slip collar and a martingale sometimes too they can be a good tool to use if you know how to use them correctly . It can also help if you use a cue word like " Beside me ".

Another thing you could try is to get your puppy tuckered out before you walk him it'll be easier to train him to stay by your side. I also suggest to train loose leash walking inside then you can progress to outside.

Here's some good videos
















here's a video on slip collars and martingales


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## ChantersMom (Aug 20, 2012)

We are using the Easy Walk Harness; however, I do walk him all the time on his collar to keep up with the practice. Hang in there!


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## Ciscley (Jul 16, 2013)

*Long winded, sorry. :\*

The biggest secret is that whatever method you try will only be successful if it is something you truly understand / believe in and will do 100% of the time to prevent the pulling from becoming a habit. However long the puppy has been pulling it will take you twice that long to teach a new habit to override it. Doesn't mean it will take that long to see results, but will take that long (at least) to make those results "permanent."

For example, our new poodle boy walks great for me, but horrible for my husband. Hubby gets frustrated, is used to walking SD trainees who are much more advanced than our little never been on a leash before at 8 months boy and he just doesn't do anything consistently - other than dwell on what the puppy is doing "wrong." Expecting the dog to be on my left side and walking with a slack leash is so much MY habit, that when he even remotely veers behind me to my right or stops dead in his tracks (we have the opposite of a puller, a no-goer), I respond the same way everytime. It means slowly every walk he's getting better. Still not 100%, but better.

Here's an opposite example, I hate using treats. I know, crazy, I'm a +R trainer but I hate constantly carrying and feeding treats into a dog, especially for a life behavior like loose leash walking. So while I *know* how well the peanut butter paint stick or a super fast rate of reward works for teaching a puppy to walk in a good heel, it is a constant struggle for me to do it. I *have* to do it with the SD dogs because we rotate dogs and the training must be consistent but I definitely don't do the same with my pet dogs.

That's why I say you need to review all the suggested methods you've found and then pick the one or two you really believe in and just keep on doing it. You are training yourself much more than the puppy with this.

Edited to add: And like *RunChanter* and *Petitepie'sDH* said, don't be afraid to use better tools that make it easier on you. Just because you start out using an EasyWalk doesn't mean you can't later switch to a head harness or a martingale or even a flat collar. You just must stop the bad behavior now so it doesn't continue to be ingrained.


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## NYNIC715 (Oct 15, 2012)

Anyone ever use / hear / know anything about the Horgan No Pull Harness? I have been looking at this to prevent the pulling... Tried doing the loose leach with treats - but - Polo gets soo darn excited he will start sitting, laying down etc - but will not continue to walk even if I try to continue on with him... Seems that treat training for loose leash is more and more of an obstacle! 

Here is a site that shows what it is:
Horgan No-Pull Dog Harness, Unique Back-End Harness


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## Carrie-e (Oct 23, 2012)

How strange ciscley,Billy walks really nicely for me but not so good for my hubby. He is on a harness and I walk him and Tia who is also on a harness together. They walk beautifully together,if hubby comes,he walks billy and I walk Tia,and billy pulls him a bit,not too bad as being on a harness stops bad pulling but he definitely doesn't walk as well as with me. But hubby is quite impatient with him. Billy hadn't walked on a lead until we got him at 8 months,similar situation to you,so it took a few weeks for him to understand what he had to do. I agree with what you say,what ever method you choose to train,you must be consistent and do it the same way every single time.


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## Ciscley (Jul 16, 2013)

NYNIC715 said:


> Anyone ever use / hear / know anything about the Horgan No Pull Harness?
> 
> Here is a site that shows what it is:
> Horgan No-Pull Dog Harness, Unique Back-End Harness


Wow, that's one unique harness. I think I'd try the TTouch or Balance harness first myself, just because I know how hard it is for most people to correctly fit a "correcting" style harness (fit makes a BIG difference in how it works) and that one looks like it'd be a pain to put on and off every time you want to walk. I'd also worry about strain on the hips for some dogs.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I found the best way to teach loose leash walking was without the leash - starting by making walking close to me a fun game with treats and praise, and then adding in a "With me" cue. Once the pup had that down pat, I added in the leash, but still played the With me game with treats and praise, little by little reducing the frequency of treats and encouragement. Any pulling and I either stand still till the dog slackens the leash, or chang direction, with a cheerful "With me!". And I try to walk at a pace that is comfortable for my dogs - Sophy finds my usual walking pace agonisingly slow!


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## frankgrimes (Nov 28, 2011)

We did many many things to help Ralph learn not to pull, but I think the biggest help was having him on "umbilical" where you take your 6' leash, loop it through the handle and wear it "hands free" around your waist. Then, walk your dog. Don't touch the leash, ever. Weave, stop, run, slow walk, jerk yourself fast to the right, etc. walk like an idiot, sporadic and all over the place. RUN full speed, weave through trees etc. the dog has no choice but to learn to look at you for direction or get jerked all over the place. The dog learns that YOU lead the walk, not him. It takes a lot of work and consistency but we found it was what worked best for Ralph. Also, if Ralph would try to pull, we'd have him on umbilical and make him walk directly behind us, like right on our heels, and we could block him immediately with our hand if he tried to pass, once he gave up on getting in front of us we'd let him walk beside us nicely again. When the leash is around your waist you can use your body weight to counter the pulling better and save your shoulder. You should be changing up your pace, direction etc before the dog has a chance to really pull. This, in conjunction with the dog pulls one way person immediately goes the other way rule worked. We also did a bunch of training classes. There's no quick fix, just keep working on it.


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