pulling on leash

[Baileysmom]

I am about at the end of my rope with Baileys pulling...... I may have posted about it before, Im not even sure now - on the leash she pulls like CRAZY! I have both a "martingale type" collar and a harness (she does slighlty better on the harness, but I think that may jsut seem like because its easier on me!) I have tried stopping and the "about face" methods, I have tried rewarding for slack - you name it - she jsut goes, goes, goes! she is a really good girl, and is very smart and learns quickly with most things, but this just doesnt seem to get better no matter what I do!
Im wondering what now? I have heard pros and cons aobut both prong collars and haltis - is it time to try one of those? what do you guys think?
for those of you that dont know, she is an almost 1 yr beagle mix about 30# :wink:

[DogPaddle]

[u]Halti Pro[/u]
Considered a gentler training method
Virtually eliminates strong pulling while on halti
Has some other training applications such as "watch me"

[u]Halti Con[/u]
May look like a muzzle to the uneducated
If you have a dog that bolts suddenly it can do neck damage in theory
Some dogs find haltis extemely irritating as they sit somewhat near eyes and across bridge of nose

[u]Prong Pro[/u]
Virtually eliminates strong pulling while on prong
Provides correction based on strength of pull independent of your actions - the dog chooses essentially
Solid construction

[u]Prong Con[/u]
May appear like a tough or mean training method to the unfamiliar
If you have a dog that bolts suddenly it may cause more discomfort
Some dogs may find the contraption intimidating

In general I would say it depends on your dog. For my dogs neither method is more effective but they find the halti more distressing than the prong so I use the prong. Every dog is different of course. I would go to a pet smart and see if you can try them both on your dog and see wich it accepts more readily.
As a note you should not make a correction (pull or snap) with either of these tools.

[courtnek]

Hounds, Labs, hunting dogs in general tend to pull. They follow their noses, and if you cant keep up their attitude is "oh well"....

I have both of mine on no-pull harnesses, which is different from a standard halter. The theory behind this harness is that it wraps around their front legs and attaches under the collar on their back. so when they pull there is no stress to the neck at all. it pulls in on their front legs, stopping them in their tracks or they will fall. They can feel the pressure on their legs and usually stop before they are pulled in from under them.
the major part of the harness is attached to a leash at the back below the collar. When they start to pull, they feel pressure on their legs, and after getting used to wearing it they stop once that pressure is applied. I use the command "NO PULL" when they start, and then let the leash run out.
Once the leash pulls in the harness, they have to stop, or fall. You can use these in conjunction with turning, stopping dead and reversing direction.
Stopping dead was how I started, and when they were forced to stop I then issued the NO PULL command. This puts no strain on you by the way. The dogs stops instinctively because it doesnt want to fall.

[Baileysmom]

courtnek - that one sounds interesting...... can I find that one at petsmart or something? I think if I could try each of them on her there, that would be the best bet. I dont have the money to keep trying different products :roll:

[courtnek]

you can get them at petco or Petsmart. they arent terribly expensive.

it's a tripod-like setup. two long "legs, with small rings at the end, and a top loop, which is cloth covered. the rings are metal. You slide the cloth covered loop under the collar (this provides more security) from the fron behind the dogs head, so the cloth covered loop is laying on his back under the collar. You then bring the "legs" up from in front of the dogs legs to behind them and up along the back. then put the metal rings through the cloth ring under the collar, and attach the leash. When they pull, it will put pressure on the dogs legs at the point where they meet the chest.
the chest takes most of the weight. feeling that tug at that juncture makes them stop pulling, but it takes oral commands too. I fin they have been remarkably useful with mine.

[imported_Matty]

What I used to do with a Husky I used to own was to walk in front of the dog and make a complete circle :lol:
I would catch up to him and dart in front of him cutting him off, it of course made him slow down. Then I would do a complete circle with him forcing him to make the circle with me. After that every time he started pulling me I would cut him off, he soon learned it wasn't worth pulling me down the road :lol:
This was long before any of the new training devises such as halties etc. ever came along. Its kinda the "old" school type training. Worked for me though.

[lsailor]

[quote name='courtnek']I have both of mine on no-pull harnesses, which is different from a standard halter. The theory behind this harness is that it wraps around their front legs and attaches under the collar on their back. so when they pull there is no stress to the neck at all. it pulls in on their front legs, stopping them in their tracks or they will fall. [/quote]

We have something very similar called the Sporn Harness, I believe they do carry it at PetSmart. I purchased mine online from Jeffers.

For us, it has been a miracle product. I tried a martingale (didn't deter him), a Halti (he thrashed around like a fish on a line) prior to buying the Sporn.

While it doesn't completely eliminate pulling for us, it does reduce it to a manageable level where I'm cursing a lot less now on our walks.

:cool1:

[gooeydog]

I've heard in a few places that to get an idea as to whether your dog will respond to the sensation harness, you can try hooking your leash to the o-ring in the front of the harness (on the chest area). This is apparently pretty close to the other harness, so if your dog responds to it, it's pretty likely they'll respond to the special harness.

[Baileysmom]

well, I went to petsmart this morning and asked to try three different ones they had - something that was called a "no pull halter" but it did nothing different than a standard harness and she still pulled me all over the place...... then I also had the sporn one, and they told me people are returning that one constantly because the little padded tubes dont stay in place and the "cords" under the arms rub them raw..... (ofcourse Im thinking now it could probably be "sewed" in place or something) they suggested the gentle leader (and about 3 people came up to me then and said they use them and love them) apparently dogs can get the snout loop off too easy in the halti one, but the gentle leader tightens better.
I didnt really want that because of the fact it looks like a muzzle - I tried it for quite awhile in the store and at first she thrashed around like crazy and Im sure she was cursing me - but before long she was actually walking like an angel! Im still a little worried about the possibility of neck damage, but I went ahead and got it because I can return it within a month if I decide I dont like it........
did I do the right thing or should I have held onto my first impressions?

[Guest Anonymous]

I use the gentle leader on both of my dogs, Zoey is a terror with out it, pulilng and going all over the place, you the GL on her and she's an gem, no pulling walks with loose leash etc. Cody with his GL still pulls a little bit but i'm workign with him on that with a persoanl trainer down in Portland, he will walk next to me nicely, but if you give him leash he's pulling away. even worse with a harness or regular collar and he's so sensitve id otn dare use a choke or prong on him.

the trainer i'm going to says has me practie around the house teaching cody to heal at my side iwth hotdogs as treast and a flash light ( our way of the clicker trainign ) as soon as he is at the spot i want him to be light/treat etc. it's working great !

Good luck with little miss Bailey ;)

[Guest Anonymous]

p.s. maybe that'ws her way of telling y ou she wants you to ake her to the dog park to see Cody and Zoey lol

[Baileysmom]

LOL - :lol: yes, youre probably right....... we should plan that soon!
btw- her first birthday is friday!!

[Guest Anonymous]

yes we need to do that!!! happy early birthdya!

[courtnek]

the gentle leaders and halti didnt work for me. on the harnesses that I have (sorry, got them so long ago I dont remember the name) there is nothing that can pop off. unless the leash becomes detached from the two metal rings, it stays put. the harder they pull, the harder it pulls back at them. The ones that were returned were probably from people who did not incorporate verbal commands (NO pull) with the harness, expecting it to do it all for them. then yes, it will rub them raw. it's a training device, not a cure-all. It just makes it more uncomfortable for the dog to pull. They still need to incorporate training into the equation. I put a leash on Free's collar (Laurel is mellow, and doesnt pull usually) and she is dragging me down the street. I put her harness on, and she quiets down and walks nicely, no matter what the distraction. Unfortunately, she seems to have
tied NO PULL to the harness, and not her collar. She ignores the command on collar alone.

8)

[__crazy_canine__]

I dont know if anyone posted this yet (I didnt feel like reading since I just read the seven pages about RnP and our heights lol) but I learned from a professional trainer at petsmart about pulling...

When the dog starts to pull youre supposed to pull them back and stop until they stop then start going again. If they start again you pull and stop. Its a LONG process but it works with a lot of the dogs Ive worked with... even the most stubborn.

[Baileysmom]

crazycanine - thanks, I appreciate the help - I did try that and the "about face" method for many months...... she never stops pulling, she doesnt seem to care that Ive stopped :roll: it seems she would choke herself or break something before she stopped, she was extrememly stubborn with it. I guess its the beagle in her!
courtnek - the part that apparently slips in that brand (it was the sporn one) are two sherpa typ[e tubes that slide on the cord to protect their arms, but I guess it slides up to their shoulders and doesnt do any good...... if you can find anything with the brand of yours let me know - I will keep trying this for now and then see. she hates the part over her nose, but she does seem to walk nice and keeps looking at me to se what to do :-?

[Guest Anonymous]

sorry to hijack your thread but lol you never textd me back did you go get the slurpie from 7-eleven???

the orange c reamcile is THE BEST! :lol:

[JackieMaya]

I use the gentle leaders on Jackie and Maya when I take them for walks, and they work fantastic! As long as they're not pulling, I usually let them go to the end of the leash for most of the walk so that they can smell stuff and have fun. And they will walk right beside me (one on either side) just beautifully with the gentle leaders. After I take the gentle leaders off, I rub their faces and make a big fuss over them.

Good luck!

[Baileysmom]

DAL - I just txt you :wink:

jackiemaya - thanks, I will definetely be sure to make a big deal aobut her face afterwards - if nothing else itll make me feel better :lol:

[Guest Anonymous]

lol mmmmmmmm.... slushie ;)

really we need ot meet up for the dog park thing!

[Baileysmom]

sounds great - when??

[MajiesMom]

I thought I already replied to this post. I'm confused. :eek3:

Bailey should go to OB classes.

As for Halti vs Prong collar - that depends on your dog.
My dog can get out of the Halti in less than 30 seconds. She has a Gentle leader that she can't get out of so easy but she hate's it with a passion!! I've never met a dog that likes their Halti or Gentle Leader, they must exsit tho because the darn things are so popular.
If you know what your doing (i.e. OB Classes) with the use of a Prong Collar you can have Bailey heeling beside you and not pulling in a few tries. The key is using your tool properly. You should only need the Prong Collar a few times to teach him how to heel/not pull. One good correction with the training collar is much better than a thousand nagging ones. It's much more safe and effective for the dog.

[Guest Anonymous]

Baielys mom. whenever works for you! usually weekends are better for me but let me run and see what days i have off. i know i have monday off andi have tomororw off but it's busy with a re newal of the vows and a M's game ;) ( goo boonie! )
hmm those are hte only days off this month. ihave every weekend off. it's supposed to be ok on Monday, no rain just clouds wanna do it that day? maybe their willb e less dogs ( i worry around cody csome times )

text me and let me know ;)

[kendalyn]

How about PMing the rest of this conversation DAL and Baileysmom? :wink:

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='kendalyn']How about PMing the rest of this conversation DAL and Baileysmom? :wink:[/quote]

Why ?