# Walking... Pulling...



## Patriks7 (Jun 6, 2013)

Hi guys!

It's been almost two years since I posted here about being terrified of getting my first dog. Well, I must say that it has been an incredible journey so far. And I must also say that I can't imagine my life without him anymore!

During the first months, I read a bunch of training books and slowly worked on many of the things. I would like to think that he is pretty obedient. Unfortunately, we weren't able to socialize him properly in his early months and I would guess that due to this we are having two pretty big problems right now. The first is that when he sees another dog, or is playing with another dog, it's pretty much a coin flip if he will listen or not. I have been working on this with him a lot recently and I would say it has been improving slowly (maybe it's because he's getting older, too?), but sometimes I'm still a bit afraid to let him out freely when there are too many dogs around. The second, and more significant, is that he pulls like crazy when we go for walks (not to mention when he sees another dog). I have tried to work on this, but so far haven't had much success.

As such, I would like to ask for some advice on what I could do to improve both of these situations.

PS. Is this a "normal" sleeping position for V's, or is mine just a bit crazy?


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Hi, Patriks7... Love the photo!! I know they get into some crazy snoozing positions, don't they?! I was hoping some other members would offer training tips, because honestly, my 8-year-old boy still pulls on the leash. His recall isn't all that reliable, either. Anyone care to advise? ;D ;D ;D


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## SuperV (Oct 18, 2011)

With respect to pulling... For shits and giggles, look at it from the dog's perspective ...dog thinks "Why does my owner want me to pull when we walk. We go for walks and she is always pulling me backwards yet still wants to move forward. its terribly annoying. I wish she would walk me with a loose leash". In other words - it takes two to pull. 

When you go for a walk, you shouldn't ever have tension on the leash. If you offer a correction, its a "pop" of the leash followed by a release so the dog knows where it needs to be to not be corrected... If there is, you are simply teaching the dog that if he wants to go from point A to point B, he can and *you are teaching* that he can because YOU LET HIM by pulling. This might mean your walk around the block is just a walk to the end of the driveway. Define for yourself EXACTLY what you want the walk to be. How far away can the dog be from me, right side, left side, in front of me, behind me? I would suggest, walking the dog on one side, and keeping his head at your knees. Its a very clear boundary for the dog. If you let him in front of you, he can't tell if he is 3 ft or 5 ft, so it is more difficult for him to judge where he is allowed to be and more frustrating for everyone..... If he is right beside you, and you are diligent with keeping his head at your knee's and not a whisker more, he'll learn quickly that a walk means that he is next to you and no where else.

I wouldn't try to make any excuses for the dog, just identify what you want from the walk and expect nothing less, but be clear to communicate to your dog what you want. Most are willing to tell the dog what he isn't doing right, but rarely tell the dog when he is doing it right. So when you have a loose leash, tell him GOOD BOY!

You might try treating the dog with a treat in you hand in front of his face, so he can't get it. Walk forward, say heel, and bait him with the treat. Stop, tell him to stand/sit, and then reward. You can also treat while walking too.



2. What is exactly is your fear about letting your dog off around other dogs? They may fight? Just remember if you aren't confident and exude a feeling of insecurity/anxiousness your dog will pick up on it and will make a situation potentially worse. Dogs pick up on your ques...

Hope some of that helps....

nate


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## Rbka (Apr 21, 2014)

I don't worship the dog whisperer... But I did find these tips helpful: http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/thebasics/problems-on-the-walk

We now hold the leash in the opposite hand of the side Nico is on and route it behind our back so we are always leading him. He walks beside or behind, never ahead on leash. These are hunting dogs bred to scope out what's ahead and run large, leash walking is a different type of work than they instinctively want to do.

We got Nico a halti (http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/halti-dog-head-collar). As our trainer said "pulling is uncomfortable for you but not the dog -- you may need to find a way to make it uncomfortable for him to get the message." We tried the easy walk harness but his chest is so muscular it didn't do much. Loving the halti in conjunction with our training -- plus he doesn't hate it, he lets us put it on without shying away or whining.

Remember walking on leash is training - not exercise!
Good luck!


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## miru (Sep 9, 2014)

Hello,

For me and Leo(9 mo) heeling is permanent training-walking -fun.
This means that I always have a treat and if he advances ahead of my knee i call him back,he slows and looks for the treat.He gets it sometimes,sometimes he gets the "good boy Leo "and the smile.
It works.

But ,to underline their huge ability to get clues about our emotions,yesterday I put him on leash while being in the forest in an unknown place.I was looking for the road a little anxious cause it was getting late.He started to pull as if he forgot everything about heeling.Calmed when I found the way and relaxed.

Good luck and nice walks 

Miru


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## Patriks7 (Jun 6, 2013)

Wow, thanks for all the replies, a lot of information to take in!

@mswhipple Yes, I have a whole album of just his sleeping positions!

@SuperV So how should I keep him next to me like that? Whenever I try, he will walk next to me for a few steps and slowly starts walking ahead. What's funny is that when I have him without a leash, he doesn't have as much problems walking next to me. 

It's not really a fear, not sure how to phrase it. In my area, most dog owners seem to be older people and they seem to get very easily annoyed and offended when my dog comes running up to them and wants to play (luckily there are still a few that have no problem with it), and since he's still quite young, he can get quite crazy when playing.

@Rbka Thanks, I actually bought a similar collar a while back, just never got to using it. Maybe I'll dig it out and give it a try!

@miru I always have a bag of treats with my when we go for a walk and I do my best to stop him or at least slow him down, but sometimes he's so determined that he won't even look at me when I try to call him.

With the weather seemingly slowly getting better, looks like I have a lot of work to do with Enzo...


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## SuperV (Oct 18, 2011)

I actually start this drill in the house. I tell the dog to sit/stand by my side. I hold a treat in my hand in front of his face so he can smell it, and then I say "heel" and at the same time take a step or two forward so he follows. Once he follows a few steps, I stop. (Note that the stop should be a 2 to 3 step stop - not a slam on the brakes type of stop). As I come to a stop over a couple steps, I tell him to sit/stand, and then treat and reward. You could also treat intermittently as you walk if that works. But you are teaching the dog that he gets treats when you ask him to heel and he walks by yourside. 

You'll likely find the dog will be more tired from trying walk this way as he uses in brain and trying to focus on you. Eventually you can draw out the time between treats and such. 

I am fortunate as I have about a 5 minute walk to a canal path where I can let them roam off leash. So I focus that 5 minutes on walking by myside/loose leash. Remember corrections are a CRISP and Clear, following by a release so you can praise your dog for doing what you want him to do. Look at it this way, there are a 1,000 things the dog can do on a walk. There is 1 thing you want him to do right. Don't make him learn the 999 things he can't do by only telling him when he is doing something right - be sure tell him when he is doing right!!

Nate


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## Patriks7 (Jun 6, 2013)

Awesome, thanks, I'll start giving this a try! 

We live a few minutes from a big forest, so we spend most of our walks there. As such, he doesn't spend a huge time on a leash, so I'm not going to go crazy over this, but it would be nice if I could teach him for when he does have to be on a leash. I just feel we are both happiest when he is running through the woods and sniffing out everything possible ;D


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## Patriks7 (Jun 6, 2013)

Also forgot to add - is it normal for them to drool so much? At home it's not much of a problem unless he's in the kitchen when someone is cooking, but outside I need to have a pack of tissues with me at all times...


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## Vizsla_Luka (Sep 8, 2015)

Hi Patriks7,

I know it's been a while...how is your V doing these days on loose leash walking?

We're going through this at the moment with our V and I learnt a great trick with our dog trainer about getting their attention onto you (which is the key to an obedient dog!)

You count out 5 pieces of treats (they'll moan and groan so stop if he starts jumping or biting, then continue when he calms down) give him a 6th to reward him for being patient. then throw a treat a few metres away and as soon as he eats it (and before he has time to do anything else) call his name. This should make him look at you in the eyes. Mark the moment they look in your eyes with a clicker or "yes". You then throw the next treat in the other direction a few metres away. and you repeat this until you have no more treats. I only do this once a day at the moment, but has enormously helped with loose leash walking as Luka will actually look at me now if i call his name in anticipation of pulling on a lead!

The joys of training a V. Remarkable how smart they are though, they're the best dogs!


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

DOES NO ONE USE A WHOA BOARD ANYMORE ? a place - a command - voice - a place - hand signal - then whistle - how simple is this ?


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

R said:


> DOES NO ONE USE A WHOA BOARD ANYMORE ? a place - a command - voice - a place - hand signal - then whistle - how simple is this ?


not easy when adolescent pup wants to be top dog/leader of the pack....mild expletives help in this case, harsher expletives if they persist.....they take no notice, but at least I get to vent some steam


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Har - who said a V was EASY - not me !!!!!!!!! did you ever use a WHOA board - just a 2 by 8 4ft long - walk them on it - say whoa with hand signal - takes a lot of tries - young pups can not do 2 things at once - a place and command works - trust me on this - PIKE still sees his every 3-4mo - just 2 remind him - WE ARE A TEAM !!!!!!!!!!!


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## trevor1000 (Sep 20, 2013)

R said:


> DOES NO ONE USE A WHOA BOARD ANYMORE ? a place - a command - voice - a place - hand signal - then whistle - how simple is this ?


I loved the whoa board with Bacchus. I am going to take the off season in the basement to see if I can fine tune his whoa a little. He took to it early but I'm sure some dogs do not, but that just means they need more time on one.


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