I'm in tears
- Thread starter krisykris
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Have you tried a harness? Not the kind that clips on the back, but the kind where you clip the leash to the FRONT. Because it is clipped in the front, whenever the dog pulls, it forces their body sideways.
But, that is ONLY a tool, and you will still need some training.
Are there any obedience classes in your area?
But, that is ONLY a tool, and you will still need some training.
Are there any obedience classes in your area?
Aw 
that's tough. What have you tried?
There's an article that I really like. I'll see if I can find it. I think Red put a good one on here now
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/541
that's tough. What have you tried? There's an article that I really like. I'll see if I can find it. I think Red put a good one on here now
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/541
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You've got small dogs right? I don't like using any kind of training 'collar' on toy breeds, I'd suggest trying a head halter. Yes, it's a quick fix, and you'll need to keep working on training to get them to walk nicely without it, but there's nothing wrong with a quick fix once in a while.
It'll give you a chance to praise and reward them for good behavior and you'll be less frustrated on your walks. Win/win situation.
It'll give you a chance to praise and reward them for good behavior and you'll be less frustrated on your walks. Win/win situation.
^^^ I agree with what has been said.
But also, are YOU staying CALM while walking them? That helps a TON, make sure you are not getting mad at yourself or them when they do some thing wrong..it make the situation much worse
Trust me, I have gotten mad at myself when Lizzie starts to pull and it make her want to pull more....so I know I HAVE to stay calm when walking her.
Also make the walk better for you too
But also, are YOU staying CALM while walking them? That helps a TON, make sure you are not getting mad at yourself or them when they do some thing wrong..it make the situation much worse
Trust me, I have gotten mad at myself when Lizzie starts to pull and it make her want to pull more....so I know I HAVE to stay calm when walking her.
Also make the walk better for you too
I haven't had any formal obedience classes with them because there aren't any within an hour of me that are what I'm looking for. I've tried harnesses that clip in the back and regular collars. I do the technique where once they pull I stop. But then they sit, then charge forward again.
I just worry because they pull SO HARD that they are gagging and coughing and I'm afraid of what that could do to them. I normally end a walk as soon as I sense I'm getting frustrated but today I was far from home and just started crying. I was worried about them and mad that I can't teach them how to walk on a leash.
I just worry because they pull SO HARD that they are gagging and coughing and I'm afraid of what that could do to them. I normally end a walk as soon as I sense I'm getting frustrated but today I was far from home and just started crying. I was worried about them and mad that I can't teach them how to walk on a leash.
Are you walking them all at one time? Maybe short walks for each is in order for one on one time and some training with you. I would go home and cry to if I was out walking 3 untrained young pups LOL! That would get me frustrated to. Just until they get a little older and you have them more leash trained/manners that is what I would do.
I was wondering the same thing ^
The hardest part of having multiple dogs (IMO) is the walking. I had to do lots of training individually, and sometimes they slip up to be honest. It really does require lots of work and continuing practice... I usually do walk them seperatly, because I think they deserve their individual attention, and because their size differences make it difficult sometimes
But like I said, I had to do lots of training one and one, and then when two dogs "got it" I put them together and walked two at a time. I had to practice and almost retrain so they knew what I wanted when we walk together...
They're doing very well! It takes some work (still) and lots of reminding, and praise.
Anyway, I second the easy walk harness. Its a good tool to use while in the process of teaching them what you want. That way you won't have to worry about them choking themselves...
They're so young They're puppies, don't get too worked up about it.
The hardest part of having multiple dogs (IMO) is the walking. I had to do lots of training individually, and sometimes they slip up to be honest. It really does require lots of work and continuing practice... I usually do walk them seperatly, because I think they deserve their individual attention, and because their size differences make it difficult sometimes
But like I said, I had to do lots of training one and one, and then when two dogs "got it" I put them together and walked two at a time. I had to practice and almost retrain so they knew what I wanted when we walk together...
They're doing very well! It takes some work (still) and lots of reminding, and praise.
Anyway, I second the easy walk harness. Its a good tool to use while in the process of teaching them what you want. That way you won't have to worry about them choking themselves...
They're so young
They're puppies, don't get too worked up about it.
Wow! You have your hands full with three puppies. I sure wouldn't be brave enough to take on all that. You have your work cut out for you. I'd do like it was said. Take one pup at a time out in your yard if it's fenced or find a fenced area. Use a harness when you have to walk the dog on a leash rather than a collar so you don't cause tracheal damage. Get some high value, yummy tasty treats....tiny pea sized and put them in your pocket. (mozerella cheese, turkey hot dogs sliced lengthwise twice and then cross wise, microwave on paper towel for a minute and dried off make good quick treats.)
What I'd do is let your pup chase a ball in this fenced area and get the zoomies out a little bit...no leash. Let him (I'll use him even if it's a her) explore the area a little. Make sure this is not right after a meal so your pup is a bit hungry. In fact, practice a long time after he has eaten.
Start walking away from him and make some goofy, squeeky, fun sounds or take along a squeeky toy....whatever might entice your pup to come close to you. Have you used a clicker? Read up on that but for now I'll just explain what I'd do if I didn't have a clicker. When the dog comes somewhere close to along side you, praise and give a little pea sized treat. He doesn't have to be perfectly close, just sort of close for now. Keep walking, don't stop. Walk all around the field or yard. Don't pay much attention to your pup. Look straight ahead. If your pup follows along with you, either hand him a treat or drop it on the ground but keep going. Then stop. If your pup looks at you, praise/treat. Use treats liberally for now. The trouble may be that when your pup takes a few nice steps, you haven't reinforced those enough. If you wait for him to give you more and he blows it by lunging, you just missed an opportunity to reinforce nice walking. So you want to build up a store room or an account of lots of reinforcments. The more the dog gets for nice walking, the more likely he'll be to repeat that which got him the goodies.
If he walks somewhere else, don't pay any attention. Now this should be an area where it's fairly boring, not too many exciting things and no other dogs or people....very low distraction area. He's already checked out everything when you first started and he got to run around freely a bit.
Just practice for as long as he's interested. In fact, before you think he's apt to lose interest, stop and do something super fun with him. You want to end on a good note where he was successful.
Remember to reinforce often, every couple of steps where he is close to you on your left. (or however you want him positioned) As he gets approximately close to you and often, raise the criteria so that he has to be even better positioned than before in order to get a treat....just gradually ask for better. This is all with NO leash. He's going to get to choose and you need to make sure you have something which motivates him more than whatever else is in the environment which may be motivating or interesting to him. You set him up so that your motivator is even more interesting by taking him when he's hungry, when he's gotten the ants out of his pants, where it's a relatively boring environment. (low distractions)
After you do this for a while and he starts having fun keeping along side you, start adding a cue word, "let's go." (for example) Only use this when he IS alongside you for the time being. Once you think he's made the association between "lets go" and being along side you, you can start adding it ahead of time. Be sure to reward for a correct response EVERY time for now. Only when he gets very reliable and solid will you start skipping a time or two or three...phasing out somewhat the number of treats for nice steps. In other words, instead of treating every 2 or 3 steps as you've been doing, you'll ask for 6 or 8 before giving a treat. Then 10 steps, then 3, then 12, then 6. Skip around a little. Keep him guessing and trying to earn the reward. Later still, you'll be able to phase them out a lot more. But that's not till later....till this is like habit to him.
After you've practiced off leash for a week or two, if he's walking along side you nicely and associating "let's go" with that, if he's been reinforced enough for looking up at you by getting "paid" for it, and (I forgot to add this) you've associated "watch" or his name with his looking at you....he's really quite engaged with what's going on, snap on the leash and do the same thing with the leash on. Do some stops and turns as you have all along but now with the leash. If he comes to the end of the leash and there's any tension, stop or turn the other way.
If you make walking nicely the best thing ever, lots of fun, tasty treats, he'll get onto it. It takes time. Your dogs are just pups and you need to enjoy your training time. So make it short, look at it like a game and don't get too serious about it. After all, these dogs aren't going to pull you out in front of traffic. There's no big rush. Take it easy and skip around too. If you get frustrated with that, switch for a while and do some other tricks something you both like and come back to it later.
What I'd do is let your pup chase a ball in this fenced area and get the zoomies out a little bit...no leash. Let him (I'll use him even if it's a her) explore the area a little. Make sure this is not right after a meal so your pup is a bit hungry. In fact, practice a long time after he has eaten.
Start walking away from him and make some goofy, squeeky, fun sounds or take along a squeeky toy....whatever might entice your pup to come close to you. Have you used a clicker? Read up on that but for now I'll just explain what I'd do if I didn't have a clicker. When the dog comes somewhere close to along side you, praise and give a little pea sized treat. He doesn't have to be perfectly close, just sort of close for now. Keep walking, don't stop. Walk all around the field or yard. Don't pay much attention to your pup. Look straight ahead. If your pup follows along with you, either hand him a treat or drop it on the ground but keep going. Then stop. If your pup looks at you, praise/treat. Use treats liberally for now. The trouble may be that when your pup takes a few nice steps, you haven't reinforced those enough. If you wait for him to give you more and he blows it by lunging, you just missed an opportunity to reinforce nice walking. So you want to build up a store room or an account of lots of reinforcments. The more the dog gets for nice walking, the more likely he'll be to repeat that which got him the goodies.
If he walks somewhere else, don't pay any attention. Now this should be an area where it's fairly boring, not too many exciting things and no other dogs or people....very low distraction area. He's already checked out everything when you first started and he got to run around freely a bit.
Just practice for as long as he's interested. In fact, before you think he's apt to lose interest, stop and do something super fun with him. You want to end on a good note where he was successful.
Remember to reinforce often, every couple of steps where he is close to you on your left. (or however you want him positioned) As he gets approximately close to you and often, raise the criteria so that he has to be even better positioned than before in order to get a treat....just gradually ask for better. This is all with NO leash. He's going to get to choose and you need to make sure you have something which motivates him more than whatever else is in the environment which may be motivating or interesting to him. You set him up so that your motivator is even more interesting by taking him when he's hungry, when he's gotten the ants out of his pants, where it's a relatively boring environment. (low distractions)
After you do this for a while and he starts having fun keeping along side you, start adding a cue word, "let's go." (for example) Only use this when he IS alongside you for the time being. Once you think he's made the association between "lets go" and being along side you, you can start adding it ahead of time. Be sure to reward for a correct response EVERY time for now. Only when he gets very reliable and solid will you start skipping a time or two or three...phasing out somewhat the number of treats for nice steps. In other words, instead of treating every 2 or 3 steps as you've been doing, you'll ask for 6 or 8 before giving a treat. Then 10 steps, then 3, then 12, then 6. Skip around a little. Keep him guessing and trying to earn the reward. Later still, you'll be able to phase them out a lot more. But that's not till later....till this is like habit to him.
After you've practiced off leash for a week or two, if he's walking along side you nicely and associating "let's go" with that, if he's been reinforced enough for looking up at you by getting "paid" for it, and (I forgot to add this) you've associated "watch" or his name with his looking at you....he's really quite engaged with what's going on, snap on the leash and do the same thing with the leash on. Do some stops and turns as you have all along but now with the leash. If he comes to the end of the leash and there's any tension, stop or turn the other way.
If you make walking nicely the best thing ever, lots of fun, tasty treats, he'll get onto it. It takes time. Your dogs are just pups and you need to enjoy your training time. So make it short, look at it like a game and don't get too serious about it. After all, these dogs aren't going to pull you out in front of traffic. There's no big rush. Take it easy and skip around too. If you get frustrated with that, switch for a while and do some other tricks something you both like and come back to it later.
Let us know how things come along and if you're having problems, post again. I know your dogs can get this. But sometimes it takes longer than we imagine. We picture in our minds the end result and the tend to be disappointed when that doesn't happen right soon. So, instead, try picturing something part way to the end result as your goal so that baby step can be what you're looking forward to. Then when you get there, move your goal up a notch to something more. That way you tend to not get so frustrated.
Thanks Doberluv. I think I was just having a stressful day, then when they started pulling and gagging themselves I got worried, and more stressed then totally lost control of the situation. In my new house, I have a finished basement so I think I'm going to work with them down there one at a time, to prevent distractions.