Pulls on lead, harness???

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#1
I keep hear about the Premier Easy Walker and the Gentle Leader, do these help with a dog that pulls on leash?

I have a 10 month old dog who is getting stronger and I am having a hard time with him pulling. I was a bit relaxed with his training when he was younger and now I am paying for it. I am being very diligent with him now but sometimes he pulls so much he chokes.

Any and all recommendations and advise welcomed.
 

Maxy24

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#2
I would definately use a no pull harness for better control, plus the dog won't choke. The harness will not stop the pulling though, just make is easier on you and on his neck. So you'll have to actually implement some sort of consistent training regiment. Either stop moving each time he pulls or carry along treats and a clicker and mark and reward each time he is not pulling. Or both.
 
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#3
Of all of the new front clip "no pull" harnesses on the market today, I find the best one to be the Halti brand.

Halti Harness - No Pull Harness - Dog Training Supply

It fits better than most and fits more breeds than the others as well. It also has the secondary clip back up to the collar which helps to keep the chest strap from riding low and causing tripping and sternum injury.

While no tool trains the dog not to pull, this certainly will help you with pain free control while training progresses.

In 'MY' perfect world, all dogs would wear harnesses anyway, perfectly trained or not.:)
 

Maura

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#4
This is what I do with all my fosters:

I put them in a harness. I use a regular harness because they are small, but if the dog is large I'd use a front clip harness. I use a 20' lead, but have been able to use a 10 or 6' with a real tiny dog, at least to start. Go to a place with a little room (I use a field, but you can use a park) start walking. Head off like you have somewhere to go. Abruptly change directions without warning the dog. Presumably, he will be surprised when he feels the pull of the leash. Unless he is in full chase mode, he will follow you. If you have a small dog, you can walk directly behind him but in the opposite direction. If he is too large, make sure you are perpendicular to him (looking at his side rather than his tail). When he comes to the end of the leash he will be pulled off balance, giving you better leverage, and he'll suddenly find himself following you. Repeat over and over. You can use a triangle as your path, a square, a zig zag, just keep moving. You are also being trained, and as you work out the details, you can make sure that when he a) comes to the end of the lead; and b) gets out in front of you, that you change directions. You shouldn't be dragging him, if you are maybe you are walking too fast. If he puts the brakes on, you can either walk real slow so he's getting just a bit of a tug, or you can wait him out. Some dogs figure this out in ten minutes, others 25 minutes, but I just trained a puller who'd been pulling for about a year, 5 days. When he's figured it out and is paying attention to you so that he's never getting tugged by the leash, you have accomplished step one. Keep working him on the 20' lead a few days, then switch to a longer lead. At this point you can work on sit and down at a distance, and the recall.

If you were only going to walk him on a long lead and only care about him not pulling, you are there, but you should really train him to walk beside you. It is a safety and management issue. There are a few methods you can use, one is treating (or click and treat) whenever he ends up by your side. Another is to work him at home and extend the training on the long line walks. If you will mostly be walking him in an urban area (I assume using a park for the long line work) you can move to a 10' lead around the neighborhood, he will quickly get used to the shorter leash and learn that in the area with houses he must stay closer. On the 10' work on recall, down, sit, heel.
 

lizzybeth727

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#5
I keep hear about the Premier Easy Walker and the Gentle Leader, do these help with a dog that pulls on leash?

I have a 10 month old dog who is getting stronger and I am having a hard time with him pulling. I was a bit relaxed with his training when he was younger and now I am paying for it. I am being very diligent with him now but sometimes he pulls so much he chokes.

Any and all recommendations and advise welcomed.
I like front clip harnesses a lot too. Gentle Leaders are great, they just sometimes take a lot of time and patience to get the dog used to wearing them. And they do not work with dogs that are too short, or with certain head shapes. What breed do you have??
 

Maura

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#7
With the average golden, any consistent method you use should work. If you do what I suggested, he should come around in the first session. You are teaching him that when he feels he is at the end of the leash he should stop or move in your direction. If you use a head collar, he's learning the same thing, but it will take more vigilance on your part. You could use the long line work, then when he is responding well to commands at a distance, work on heel training with the head collar, if you feel it's necessary.
 

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