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Pulls like a team of slead dogs

Behavioral Issues
  • S

    Hi all,
    I could use some suggestion.
    About 8 weeks a go I adopted Max from BRAT. Max is 5 1/2 years old and the sweetest guy. He is also one of the largest B's I've ever met or seen. He is 35 pounds of pure mussel. I've has him checked out and the vet says he is not fat and his weight is find for his bone size. Anyway, in the house he is good as gold, no paper shedding, no chewing, no garbage searching, etc.. Now you take him out side and he can pull you off your feet. He pulled so hard he was could heart himself. I purchase a genital leader and he figured how to get it off his nose. I got and easy walker harness and he was able to pull so hard that he could get his paws out. I now have a Waggles Wags and Whiskers harness. I have returned the regular one and got the one that has a lop at the chest and in the back. He can't get out but as for his pulling he doesn't care, he's still the team. I've tried going the other way every time he pulls and he goes the other way and swings back pulling as hard or harder. I've tried treats, short leashes, etc.. Nothing even slows him down.
    Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

    Steve

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  • lvossL

    You could try the gentle leader head halter.

    Also, if you are going to work on loose leash walking without something like a Gentle Leader, remember to start by just rewarding being able to recognize a loose leash without walking. The best method I have used for loose leash is using a long line in a park where I can run all over and get my dog's attention and then reward when they are next to me. Using that and then clicking and treating for just hanging around me on a loose 6 foot leash has really been great. Mine will still pull but that is only because it doesn't bother me enough to train them better.

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  • Robin_n_JackR

    I sure hope you meant Gentle leader and not genital leader…..ouch!:eek: :D

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  • agilebasenjiA

    @Robin_n_Jack:

    I sure hope you meant Gentle leader and not genital leader…..ouch!:eek: :D

    I thought that's what I read.

    Lvoss had some great advice. Here's some more good ideas:

    http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/LLW/

    Stick with it. You have to be more stubborn than the basenji. It's a test.

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  • lvossL

    Well, it says gentle now, but I am on my lap top and my typing can be really bad. Hope I didn't really make that mistake though.

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  • Robin_n_JackR

    @Steve:

    Hi all,
    I could use some suggestion.
    About 8 weeks a go I adopted Max from BRAT. Max is 5 1/2 years old and the sweetest guy. He is also one of the largest B's I've ever met or seen. He is 35 pounds of pure mussel. I've has him checked out and the vet says he is not fat and his weight is find for his bone size. Anyway, in the house he is good as gold, no paper shedding, no chewing, no garbage searching, etc.. Now you take him out side and he can pull you off your feet. He pulled so hard he was could heart himself. I purchase a genital leader and he figured how to get it off his nose. I got and easy walker harness and he was able to pull so hard that he could get his paws out. I now have a Waggles Wags and Whiskers harness. I have returned the regular one and got the one that has a lop at the chest and in the back. He can't get out but as for his pulling he doesn't care, he's still the team. I've tried going the other way every time he pulls and he goes the other way and swings back pulling as hard or harder. I've tried treats, short leashes, etc.. Nothing even slows him down.
    Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

    Steve

    Sorry- that's what I was talking about….

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  • lvossL

    Oh, I didn't even see that.

    Though, now that I have I should say that if a dog is successful in getting the loop off of its muzzle then the gentle leader is not correctly adjusted for the dog.

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  • jessi76J

    the best way I learned to teach loose leash walking, is with NO leash at all. exactly as lvoss said… when the dog is next to you, REWARD. I did this in a well fenced area, so I did not use the long lead as a safety-line, but it's definitely a great idea when not in a secure area.

    I also use the Black Dog head harness instead of a Gentle Leader (I must admit, I LOL at the "genital leader"). I found the Black Dog harness fit MUCH better, and did not ride up into the eyes.

    another product I've used with much success is the Easy Walk harness. it's alot like wearing a shirt that is too tight - it would be hard to lift your arms all the way up. this works the same way, it's tight across the chest/shoulder area, so the dog can't get much ground on you, making it hard to pull.

    I still think the best method is what lvoss described, rewarding good walking skills. The harnesses do help for the times when you need to walk the dog, especially in public, and your training isn't yet perfected.

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  • S

    Sorry about the spelling and there is no ouch he's fixed and I was tired. I used the Easy Walk harness and had it fitted to him. He laid in to the harness until he was able to cause one of the buckles to slip enough to jerk his leg out. I reset the harness a couple of times and finally returned it. I'll try the treats only in the yard and see how that goes.
    Max is like my Omar was he does not like to do his business anywhere near his home so I'll use the wiggles and wags harness on our walks. I walk Max about 6 times a day, short walks are about 1/3 to a 1/2 a mile and the long ones are about a mile. That's my top end I'm getting a little slow in my retirement.

    Thanks,
    Steve

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  • Robin_n_JackR

    I had the same problem with the easy walk harness…

    Don't worry about the spelling....it just gave me a REALLY humorous image...

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