I have a 5 month old pup that I have gone through basic ob with, but I have not taught heel yet. I am waiting til he gets about 6 months to introduce the choke chain and begin teaching heel. I have taken him for walks the last couple days and he is really bad about pulling while on the leash. Is there a good product out there that will help teach him to properly walk on a leash? I have read to just stop when he pulls and then start back walking when there is slack in the leash. Is this the best way or would a pinch collar or some other product be better. I am pretty new to this. Thanks in advance.
Leash Training
B-Rod
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I have a 5 month old pup that I have gone through basic ob with, but I have not taught heel yet. I am waiting til he gets about 6 months to introduce the choke chain and begin teaching heel. I have taken him for walks the last couple days and he is really bad about pulling while on the leash. Is there a good product out there that will help teach him to properly walk on a leash? I have read to just stop when he pulls and then start back walking when there is slack in the leash. Is this the best way or would a pinch collar or some other product be better. I am pretty new to this. Thanks in advance.
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Pinch collars are the easiest. I didn't like the choke collar because it slides down and if not used correctly can harm the dog. The pinch collar, at least to me, was straight forward. Dog gets ahead of you and a quick pull on the leash for a correction and keep walking. The dog should learn quickly that if their head gets a certain distance ahead of your knee there will be a correction.
At least that is how I did it.
Good luck
At least that is how I did it.
Good luck
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buy this, click - http://www.google.com/products/cata...p&cid=2912931484635626310&sa=X&ei=fU-KTpfOCInw0gH0g_TpBA&sqi=2&ved=0CJABEPMCMAI
and hook it to a chunk of rope.
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and hook it to a chunk of rope.
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Didn't look but is it a special 2x4 made out of sugar maple?
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no goofy it's a herm springer
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Agree w/ the herm springer, but you really need to TEACH the heel position first. I use a treat for this--- only treat at proper heel position. You can wean off the treats as he learns to stay at heel even if you are turning left, right, about turn, stepping sideways etc (basically I'm describing Rally moves--- if you have a class near you, it'd be good for your pup). Once the dog learns the heel position, then the prong will come into handy.
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If pup is not paying attention to you turn and go the other way. Talk and lots of praise when they do the right thing!
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we were taught to have our dog between us and a wall right away, then all you are trying to control is keeping them in line with you and it's easier to control their distance. We had our OB class in a gym, I also wish I would have used a pinch collar. If the dog tugs it's making a correction on it's own too.
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I had the same issue awhile back with my pup and I ended up using a pinch collar due to everyones suggestions here and it was the best thing I could of purchased to date. He was horrible on a leash and no matter what method or trick I used he would not walk on a leash with out almost choking himself to the point of gagging. After the third or fourth walk on the pinch collar he was a different dog. I use it when ever I train with my pup it gets fast results and after understanding how to use it correctly before I used it I feel it was a wiser decision then the choke collar I was going to use
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With a pinch collar, the dog will train himself. Way easier on you! As stated, get one with small links, and make sure you learn how to put it on and fit it properly. It should fit fairly high on the neck. Give just enough leash for proper heel position, then add a slight bit so that the leash is slack when the pup is in position. Start walking. As long as pup is in the right place, the collar is loose and the leash is slack. If he forges or lags, the collar will tighten. Don't pull, pop, or jerk the leash yourself! Just let the pup figure out that if he stays right by you the collar is loose, he'll figure it out. I once heard someone say that a pinch collar would give you power steering, and I think they were right 
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I use the large link
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Pinch Collar by far is the best thing to use. I would buy one to fit a full size lab and take some of the links off at first. Make sure you do not try to slip over the head, than it will be too loose. I start walking with the pinch collar from the beginning. I do not wait until 6 mos for OB training. I walk in the neighborhood and make sure the pup stays at heal. Always, when they get in front of you, you pull back and say HEAL so they understand what heal means. After the pup gets heal down pack, I start with walking and stopping so the pup learns that when I stop they are suppose to stop and sit. After the pup is doing good with that, I incorporate the whistle with the stop. Helps to teach them that 1 whislte blow means stop. Has always worked well for me.
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The one I use is about 3/4 if inch wide. I have a 75lb female it that is big enough for her.
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Do you have a training club near you? I'd highly recommend it.
In a nutshell, you have to explain to your dog-- no different than teaching Hold or anything else, WHERE "heel" is. It's when his neck/shoulder area is in line w/ the seam of your pants. So hold that treat at heel position and lure him into a nice position. Praise him----"Good heel"! Treat.
Now you can start w/ more random treats, so make the dog do a few steps before sitting at heel. Praise! Then add a turn or 2, but all the while, he's at heel (and the lure is still there). Good heel! Treat! Eventually fade away the treat.
He has to learn where HEEL is before you start correcting or using a prong--- imo, it's no different than using an ecollar. It doesn't do the training for you, it's simply a correction tool. Do you hit your kid across the head for mispronouncing a word (when they hardly know their ABC's?). Doubt it. Teach the concept first, enforce it after it's taught properly.
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I agree with windycanyon but would add that at 5 months I'd hope to be well into heeling. Every day you delay proper heel work whilst still walking the dog is simply reinforcing poor behaviour through repetition. Nothing to be gained and much to lose.
Dogs don't get much out of heeling, there isn't anything in it for them, and that's why some folks struggle with the concept; they have no way of rewarding the dog for continued good performance other than with verbal praise which given the length of the exercise loses it's effectiveness very rapidly. Saying "Good dog" for five minutes reduces itself to meaningless noise.
Using a prong collar won't teach the dog the one thing you want (the precise relationship between his head and your knee) it'll only indicate to him that in certain circumstances he'll be uncomfortable. Those circumstances will be defined by the dog, not you. You may tweak him for being out of position by your knee, but he may decide it's because you walked past a nice smelly gatepost. You'll get a result in time, but it will imprecise and slow.
Our group now teaches heel via clicker without even using a lead; quick, precise, and relatively easy given good observation and timing. When reinforcement is needed after the teaching phase a loose slip lead stopped up behind the ears is sufficient. There is a technique in using a lead in this way, it's not nearly as easy as it looks; again you need good timing, a reward system other than praise or treats and a degree of self discipline.
With a bit of luck come the Spring I'll have a pup of my own breeding; if I do I'll post a few clips of the procedure we use.
Eug
Dogs don't get much out of heeling, there isn't anything in it for them, and that's why some folks struggle with the concept; they have no way of rewarding the dog for continued good performance other than with verbal praise which given the length of the exercise loses it's effectiveness very rapidly. Saying "Good dog" for five minutes reduces itself to meaningless noise.
Using a prong collar won't teach the dog the one thing you want (the precise relationship between his head and your knee) it'll only indicate to him that in certain circumstances he'll be uncomfortable. Those circumstances will be defined by the dog, not you. You may tweak him for being out of position by your knee, but he may decide it's because you walked past a nice smelly gatepost. You'll get a result in time, but it will imprecise and slow.
Our group now teaches heel via clicker without even using a lead; quick, precise, and relatively easy given good observation and timing. When reinforcement is needed after the teaching phase a loose slip lead stopped up behind the ears is sufficient. There is a technique in using a lead in this way, it's not nearly as easy as it looks; again you need good timing, a reward system other than praise or treats and a degree of self discipline.
With a bit of luck come the Spring I'll have a pup of my own breeding; if I do I'll post a few clips of the procedure we use.
Eug
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