I have a horrible time walking my 1 year old Wheaten Terrier. He pulls like crazy and tries to jump at everyone and everything that we see. We tried a Halti but it's impossible to walk him because all he does is bury his head in the snowbank and won't move. He loves to go for walks or runs and is okay if he is tired but after school when I get home he won't stop running in circles around me. What i'm really worried about is his neck because of the constant tugging. We recently got him trimmed fairly short and his neck seems to be a lot longer and skinnier than last time he was trimmed. Does anyone have any idea on how to get him to walk nice? Up until about 6 months he was really good but since then all he does is tug and run and sniff everything in sight. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Walking my 1 year old Wheaten. Help?
- Thread starter joe333
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every time he tries to lead..switch directions..you might get dizzy but not as much as he will. He will figure out the only way to go forward is to follow you..after that you have his focus where it needs to be..walking with you, but also waiting , anticipating a signal, then you are a team. I learned this trick from my friend and it works like a dream. I didn't learn that until years after i left the kennel. It would have saved me so much shoulder and muscle pain teaching those big young labradors. They were never brought in for obedience when they were cute and little, only after their owners couldn't handle them anymore.
Smkie's idea isn't to use force to make him follow you. You should use all kinds of positive encouragement to get his attention and make him follow and as soon as he starts to lead pivot and go the other way still holding his attention and getting him to follow. I believe that's the idea.
This is one of my favourite websites on dog training. http://www.clickerlessons.com/lessons.html There is a section there on loose-leash walking. There is a whole procedure to follow to get there but I think it would be worthwhile.
Also, you mentioned that when you come home from school he is always jumping all over you are really excited. It sounds like you need to ignore him when you get home for at least 10 minutes every day. He associates your coming home with a chance to get TONS of attention and that is very exciting
This is one of my favourite websites on dog training. http://www.clickerlessons.com/lessons.html There is a section there on loose-leash walking. There is a whole procedure to follow to get there but I think it would be worthwhile.
Also, you mentioned that when you come home from school he is always jumping all over you are really excited. It sounds like you need to ignore him when you get home for at least 10 minutes every day. He associates your coming home with a chance to get TONS of attention and that is very exciting
I posted this to Lucky's owner. Sorry for the cut-and-paste, but I think the same principle applies.
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Something else I find works well is this: Make sure you have plenty of time and a long leash. Set yourself a short trip goal, around the block is a good distance. Before you clip the leash on the dog, put it around your waist and put the clippy end through the loop and pull it tight. That should secure the leash around your waist and then you can clip it on Lucky's collar. Make sure the leash is long enough that, when it's wrapped around your waist and clipped to Lucky, it will have a little slack in it if Lucky is standing right beside you.The reason for the leash around the waist is this: when a dog pulls on a leash you're holding in your hand, he has a TON of slack to work with before you even become conscious of the pulling; he's got the whole leash and your whole arm to work with, which makes it harder for you to communicate to him how close you want him to be. With the leash around your waist, you notice immediately when Lucky's pulling, and he has less slack to work with.Now you're set up to go for a very educational--if goofy-looking--walk. The rules are simple: if you feel the slack go out of the leash (meaning Lucky is pulling), you stop. Make like a tree. You don't budge an inch until Lucky turns around and comes back to you. The moment he gives you the lead again, start moving. There are a few reasons dogs pull on the lead. First, up until about 150 years ago, dogs were beasts of burden. If you've ever watched a dog sled team, you know that pressure on a lead is not something that bothers a dog. They're bred to have strong necks and shoulders and to pull on a load (in this case, YOU!). Second, mammals have an instinct called the opposition reflex, which is simply that they will apply force to anything that's applying force to them. You can test this by walking up to someone and pushing on their should; long before you knock them off balance, they'll push back just to stay on their feet. So your pulling backward on the lead makes Lucky pull back. Third, from Lucky's standpoint, choking himself is a small price to pay to sniff this bush...oh, and that tree...oh, and that person.... He gets a reward when he pulls, namely the chance to explore. This practice takes away Lucky's reward. When he pulls, he gets nowhere. When the leash is loose, he gets to explore. As long as he's walking nicely, then he gets what he wants and you get what you want. At first, you won't feel like you're getting anywhere. One step, stop. One step, stop. But by the time you're halfway around the block, his mental wheels will be turning. I've had a one-block walk take an hour with a particularly persistent dog, but it WORKS!! You just have to be patient. Bring along some yummy treats and pop one to Lucky occasionally when he's walking the way you want him to. He'll get it!
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Something else I find works well is this: Make sure you have plenty of time and a long leash. Set yourself a short trip goal, around the block is a good distance. Before you clip the leash on the dog, put it around your waist and put the clippy end through the loop and pull it tight. That should secure the leash around your waist and then you can clip it on Lucky's collar. Make sure the leash is long enough that, when it's wrapped around your waist and clipped to Lucky, it will have a little slack in it if Lucky is standing right beside you.The reason for the leash around the waist is this: when a dog pulls on a leash you're holding in your hand, he has a TON of slack to work with before you even become conscious of the pulling; he's got the whole leash and your whole arm to work with, which makes it harder for you to communicate to him how close you want him to be. With the leash around your waist, you notice immediately when Lucky's pulling, and he has less slack to work with.Now you're set up to go for a very educational--if goofy-looking--walk. The rules are simple: if you feel the slack go out of the leash (meaning Lucky is pulling), you stop. Make like a tree. You don't budge an inch until Lucky turns around and comes back to you. The moment he gives you the lead again, start moving. There are a few reasons dogs pull on the lead. First, up until about 150 years ago, dogs were beasts of burden. If you've ever watched a dog sled team, you know that pressure on a lead is not something that bothers a dog. They're bred to have strong necks and shoulders and to pull on a load (in this case, YOU!). Second, mammals have an instinct called the opposition reflex, which is simply that they will apply force to anything that's applying force to them. You can test this by walking up to someone and pushing on their should; long before you knock them off balance, they'll push back just to stay on their feet. So your pulling backward on the lead makes Lucky pull back. Third, from Lucky's standpoint, choking himself is a small price to pay to sniff this bush...oh, and that tree...oh, and that person.... He gets a reward when he pulls, namely the chance to explore. This practice takes away Lucky's reward. When he pulls, he gets nowhere. When the leash is loose, he gets to explore. As long as he's walking nicely, then he gets what he wants and you get what you want. At first, you won't feel like you're getting anywhere. One step, stop. One step, stop. But by the time you're halfway around the block, his mental wheels will be turning. I've had a one-block walk take an hour with a particularly persistent dog, but it WORKS!! You just have to be patient. Bring along some yummy treats and pop one to Lucky occasionally when he's walking the way you want him to. He'll get it!
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I use the "tree method". Whenever the dog pulls, stop and say, "No pull." then a few seconds later call the dog to you "Come." give the dog a reward (pat on the head or a treat) and say, "Sit" once the dog has sat, reward. After a few seconds of waiting to walk again, say, "Let's walk" and start walking. The important thing is that you be consistent so that the dog can learn quicker.
That is how I taught Blackie to walk nicely on a leash. We would tug, chew, and roll whenever he was on leash, but I was finally able to teach him to walk nicely on a leash. But now, if he really doesn't want to move, he will lay down and rollover if you try to tug on the leash. 
Smart, but it does get on my nerves. lol He has only done it twice though. The first time was when a neighbors two Aussies were coming toward us and we (me and my mom) were trying to get Blackie and Rose over into the side ditch of the road, and the 2nd time was when I wasn't letting Blackie pee on a mailbox, so he got mad and laid down in the middle of the road. Silly dog....
Smart, but it does get on my nerves. lol He has only done it twice though. The first time was when a neighbors two Aussies were coming toward us and we (me and my mom) were trying to get Blackie and Rose over into the side ditch of the road, and the 2nd time was when I wasn't letting Blackie pee on a mailbox, so he got mad and laid down in the middle of the road. Silly dog.... 
In addition to all that wonderful advice, here's what I do: I teach the "watch me" command. Eye contact = treat. I use that and periodically ask the dog to watch me while we're walking....teaching him to give me his attention. Also I do lots of zig zagging on my walks. I make lots of random turns and say each time, "watch me" and pop tiny treats when he complies. That turning this way and that gets the dog to pay attention because he doesn't want his neck to get hurt and he wonders what are we going to do next. I did the same thing with horses who were not paying attention. (I am careful and do it gradually enough and make sure he's about to turn before it jerks on him) I don't want to injure his neck and that's why I'm afraid of head halters. Those can really cause skeletal injuries. But that in addition to the stopping sometimes, being a tree, reversing directions and frequent sits all help to mold a nicer walk. Lots of praise and treats for even small improvements. Be consistant. Don't let tension develop in the leash even once. Stop or do one of those other things.
Other training practice at home during TV commercials or whatever helps too. You can practice sit/stay, down/stay, shake hands, wait (till you put his bowl down for him and give a release word.) All this helps the dog develop more respect for you and that is key to his not barging ahead on his walks in his out of control enthusiasm to see the whole world. LOL. It all works together.
Other training practice at home during TV commercials or whatever helps too. You can practice sit/stay, down/stay, shake hands, wait (till you put his bowl down for him and give a release word.) All this helps the dog develop more respect for you and that is key to his not barging ahead on his walks in his out of control enthusiasm to see the whole world. LOL. It all works together.