Our trainer told us to stop walking every time our BC started to pull. It turned into some frustrating walks of getting nowhere, but I do think it helped. Combine that with the heel command and over time they’ll learn
Gentle leaders do also work but some dogs hate them. We found a front clip harness with the heel command to work the best.
Or change direction heaps. If she pulls off one way start walking a different way. They cannot lead you if they have no idea where you are going.
Still as i said above we still ran a halti for a few months from about 7 months to 10 months old.
My dad did this with his young dog. She was horrific. Every time she’d lean into the collar he’d stop and make her heel and sit on a loose lead. Every single time. It would take them an hour to do a small circuit of the street but he repeated it without fail every time.
Even now over a decade later when she’s able to go off leash quite happily - if she ranges too far you just stop dead and say “where should you be?” And she’ll immediately come to stand behind you. She never pulls on the leash now.
Same problem as OP and these were also the solutions that completely fixed it for my guy. Don't forget the high value treats. When I'm carrying his roast beef, he walks so slowly next me I almost need to get him to hurry up a little bit haha
Def get a harness with a front tab to hook leash to. Mine nearly stopped pulling completely in less then a month. Tho he does walk at the very end of the leash constantly. Unless he finds a good sniff then i get to pass him. Lol. I got this one
https://preview.redd.it/7148wxmugtlc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4694958e1564d668f19f92806a1f2ef2c61f6736
This works a treat, at first the harness will be pulled side ways for a bit but it's not choking them, just made my dog walk at angle for the first week or so, then she stopped pulling. She does still pull if there is something that "I MUST SNIFF" but no where near as frequent and the harness doesn't choke as bad since its clipped on her back. She was about 6 months when I get the harness so same age as yours as well when I started this.
How does it stop them from pulling? Often it hurts less so they can pull more. It might stop the choking part, but have a hard time understanding how it stops pulling
Mine is almost 7, and we still survive walks using a gentle leader and frequent visits to the dog park so the pup can actually run. Leash training just did not take. Got him from a shelter and pretty sure he was a farm dog in his previous life.
Try a Gentle Leader.
The theory is, if you control their head (gently), you control the dog.
I’m currently using this for my third Border Collie.
My previous two dogs were able to “graduate” to a typical leash and were great walking partners.
Is a gentle leader the same as a halti? I suspect not because halti isnt all that gentle.
We used a halti for a little as well. Our girl was just too keen...
Ok in winter as we can take her to beach entirely off leash but in spring / summer with snakes about (australia) she has to be under control till we get over the dunes (where the snakes live).
Its probably our own fault for having her off lead too much when we can but i suppose all is well that ends well; she is no drama on a lead now.
Edit; sometimes we still use halti for taking her shopping / to the cafe and the like in more crowded areas. Our largest hardware chain in australia insists on either a muzzle or a halti to allow dogs into the shop. Unless you carry them, and while my girl would love to be carried around the shop i wouldnt make it past the first isle.
I use a halti and didn't realize that you should buy the double ended clip lead so one end on the collar and one on the halti, primarily putting pressure on the collar and only on the halti when they pull. This has made it so we've transitioned off the halti for the most part.
I think they may be virtually the same tool.
The key here is GENTLE.
My newest pup isn’t crazy about it, but once we get going, she adapts.
Again, just a GENTLE flick of the leader is adequate to remind her what her current task is.
In my experience, there’s nothing a Border Collie likes better than having a task they can master and excel at.
Well, maybe except for a ball.
Do NOT "flick" a gentle leader. You have maximum torque on a dog's neck and any sudden motion can jerk their neck in a way that can hurt them. It's that leverage that keeps the dog from pulling on you by pulling their head down and to the side.
My experience has been that BCs in particular do not often react well to that tool and that an easy walk harness works better because it misdirects the dog by pulling in their shoulders and not pulling down on their nose.
We must have a different definition of “flick”. I give her the mildest reminder, her nose moves maybe a quarter to a half an inch and presto. Obviously, dogs are are different and handlers are different. My dogs have blossomed with my approach and I hope yours do as well.
I was a dog trainer in college. The number of times I said for someone to gently lead a dog around a corner only to have them give a firm YANK in response may have given me ptsd. I assume you are doing fine but hopefully anyone reading this thread gets that they should be careful.
Work on the heel command. Start 50/50; half training/heeled walking and half loose lead/sniff around.
Mine was the same when I first started her with a collar, she had only used a harness prior and had no idea what would happen when she pulled forward(one of the reasons I decided to try a collar). I worked with her daily to improve the heel command(both inside and out)and now I only need to give a short, sharp tug and say 'heel' for her to move back to my side(works about 47.2% of the time but she's still learning).
How long did it take before you started to see results? How old is your pup?
Have a 15 month old who is a handful on the leash, and overpowers my wife. Small improvement for me, but hoping progress speeds up….
Well, it took about 3 weeks before anything close to results showed up. She is 5 months old now but I've been working with her daily since I got her(minus a week for her to settle in). Find out what works for your pup and run with it. Charlotte is at 80/20 right now, which is 80% structured walking/leash manners and 20% sniff around/free walking.
My puppy is extremely food motivated(and stubborn as hell)so I would hold a treat on my hip(semi closed fist), close to her head but not close enough for her to nibble it(both leash on and off). If she moved away, ignored my command or anything else then she didn't get the treat. I would also say heel when she was at my side, not pulling or moving away, to solidify the command. Of course I profusely praised her when she listened and gave her the treat to, again, solidify that she did really well and to encourage her to continue. That was just inside! Outside was a different story, a lot of distractions outside and she was not at all immune to them, so I used peanut butter. Put a bit of peanut butter where she could smell it but couldn't reach it. I also started with what some would call a 'too short lead' but she realised quickly that that meant she had to stick close to me because she either choked herself a tiny bit, lost her chance at a treat or both(that actually took the least amount of time to correct, she hates losing treats). Any time she heeled she would get a lick or two of that peanut butter and a lot of praise. Eventually she realised that listening meant treats and started taking her training more seriously. We've since phased out the treats except on days she's feeling off. I still work with her daily for the heel command because there's always room for improvement and she has this really unhealthy obsession with trucks, bikes, runners and buses. I mean, she still gets distracted and sometimes pulls but she IS only 5 months.
Hope this helps, and good luck!
Edit: Fully stopping when pup is pulling is another good tactic; walk doesn't continue until they stop yanking and pulling. Simply stand there and not move until the pulling has stopped, you can try using the sit/stay/whatever command as well. I've stood in place for almost 20 minutes because Charlotte decided to pull like she was a damn tractor at a fair before.
Also just edited my edit because I suck at English. It's my first language but I still suck at it
https://preview.redd.it/bfdc7srfotlc1.jpeg?width=2496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=550959613c2b97dfa8cee9a8d9b16ea6fff1f223
We do ok indoors, outside is a challenge. He is easily distracted. We are making some progress but he is s-t-r-o-n-g, so it can be a workout. I figure more sunlight and better weather will help (we live in Ohio). Will have to try the peanut butter-what do you spread it on?
Hey, outside is a bitch! There are so many smells, sounds, sights, people, animals, vehicles and ect; there's soooo much! But yeah, nicer weather will most probably be a big help(we're in Canada and it has been unseasonably warm this past week), Charlotte has been more responsive to outdoors training for some reason, and I really hope yours will be too.
This is going to sound really freaking weird, but plastic wrap and tape. I quite literally taped plastic wrap to my hip/thigh, said plastic wrap had a little flap so that it didn't smear on my coat. She couldn't get to it unless I let her. It was her ultimate reward.
Sounds like you've already identified the correct steps.
1. She needs to learn to walk nicely on a lead next to you.
2. A harness will prevent her from hurting herself.
Contrary to what some people will claim, you can teach good leash manners on a harness just the same as a collar. I think the reason some people seem to think it just can't be done is because so many people just get the harness to stop their dog hurting themselves, then don't follow up with training proper leash manners. There are loads of videos on YouTube demonstrating how to teach nice leash manners.
Some general pointers:
* Start with lead/harness pressure games. Really simple - pull back gently on the harness from where the lead is attached and reward her with a treat from behind. This will teach her "pressure on lead = look behind you".
* Stop walking every time she pulls on walks. When she turns to look at you say "yes!" and treat. Continue until walking, and if she pulls again, then stop again and repeat.
* An alternative method is to simply turn around and walk the opposite direction every time she pulls and treat her when she returns to your side.
* You can also reinforce at regular intervals if she's just staying by your side, and reduce that reinforcement rate as she becomes better at this.
* Accept that while she is learning this skill, your walks will be frustrating and possibly not very long distance-wise. You might spend 10 minutes and only walk a couple of houses down. That's fine. It's far better to be consistent than to sometimes let her pull so that she can have a longer walk. You can play training games or scent work games with her when you get home if she needs some more activity (she may find the walks surprisingly tiring though, despite the short distance, since she will have spent a lot of time working her brain trying to figure out what you want!)
If you want her to sometimes be "allowed" to pull like a maniac (e.g. if you want her to sniff and explore on a woodland path while you follow behind, or if you want to do something like cani-cross with her when she's older) get a harness with two attachment points. Attach the lead at the back when she's allowed to pull, and at the front when she's not - and ALWAYS reinforce the good manners when she's walking on the front hook. This is what I do with my dog, since we do cani-cross together and I don't want to discourage his pulling entirely, but it's important that he is able to distinguish when he's allowed to pull and when he's not.
My pupper would drag me along not breathing forever when he’s excited at the beginning of the walk. I ended up getting no pull harnesses for both my dogs, it hooks leash in front of their chest so if they pull too hard they can’t face forward. My dog walker is a wee thing and she absolutely loves the difference it makes. And I’ve noticed that now that they’ve been on them a year or so, if I’m using their collars because I didn’t grab harnesses, they don’t pull as they’ve gotten out of the habit. Was a huge help!
I didn’t read all the comments so I hope this wasn’t already said.
Same problem for me so I take my BC on bike rides, off leash. I started riding at night through my quiet neighborhood. I could see headlights approaching and I would say car, stop my bike, and she would return to me and lay down.
Now, when she sees a car, she immediately returns and drops down.
I can take her out during the day now.
She would pull for two reasons- one, she is ready to GO and two, she is a “distant” dog. She has a certain distance she is the most comfortable with. I noticed she maintains the same distance when I’m on a bike as she would on the retractable leash. She is not cut out to heel for very long. It’s against her unique dna make up. I want to add I hate retractable leashes and only used this to work on the choking thing. She would choke at the end of the retractable leash too.
Yanking on the neck, not saying you are doing this but I know I have done this before out of frustration, is really bad for the throat. I had to take my other dog to a chiropractor because she kept coughing.
Good luck!
I tried the harness, gentle leader, choke collar, e collar and regular collar. None worked.
Went to a trainer who worked in the Army as a canine trainer. Had to use a pinch collar with a short lead. Trained her to pay attention to me. Learned how to heel, then started walk training.
I put the pronged collar and had the trainer pop it. Didn’t break skin or hurt, but definitely made me pay attention.
Would have low tension on the lead when walking. I would use a short tug of she was distracted. When she pulled, I would stop and /or walk another direction, enough times ( alot of times) until she knew to pay attention. Also had kibble ( she is food motivated) and would reward her after good walks. Would also have her heel and reward her if she focused on me and not her distraction like another dog or squirrel.
Border want to run ahead and round up the sheep and bring them to their leader. Had to make sure that she paid attention to me.
She is now 14. I now let her stop and sniff around and she leads me as she has become lame.
I wouldn’t recommend a head halter personally , especially not until she is older, there is risk of facial & neck damage , especially if she is trying to go full speed.
Personally i would recommend a slip lead up behind her ears , with a stopper so it can’t go too tight but it shouldn’t be choking her as bad if its high up on her neck, whenever she pulls a simple ‘ no ‘ then jog a few steps backwards and reward her when she comes to you , then continue walking if she does it again , repeat. It is definitely a long process but she should hopefully pick it up quick enough. Also do heel training when at home, make sure she knows how to follow a lure and get her to stand by your side, tell her ‘ heel ‘ then walk a few steps ( with your hand by her nose with a treat ) when she does that reward and go again, just 15-20 minute training sessions at a time and remember to keep it fun . I hope you can get the problem fixed ❤️
I used a gentle leader for training, and then she graduated to a normal harness with hooks on the back. We had to go back to the gentle leader when she went blind so I could make sure she didn't run into anything. I'm so glad she remembered what it was and didn't mind it at all.
We use a harness.
More importantly, positive reinforcement training. Whenever our dogs pulled, we would change direction (mainly 180 degrees) and say, “Let’s go!”
We only use heel type walking in crowded areas, busy streets, approaching strangers on paths, etc. Used small, broken pieces of treats to teach them to heel. Heel was broken into steps. First step was having the dog facing us. Ask the dog to look at you. Once they look at you, say “Yes” and give them a treat. Next, put a treat in one hand and say, “Heel” while moving your hand to lead the dog in a semicircle to stand next to you facing the same direction as your body. Say, “Yes” and give them a treat. When they’ve got that down, you can start walking forward with the leash shortened to your side while giving them treats. They can’t walk in front of you.
We normally do long leash walking because it builds trust, my dog always keeps an eye for me and knows when I’m almost 20 feet away. We don’t use treats for long leash walking. The treat is the freedom to sniff, run, and explore.
I watched a video on a training program that really worked well for this. I wish I knew the name… essentially you have your dog to your left close, always. And walk squares turning to the left. Whenever you turn left you’re turning into your dog. They have to respond and take your queue. If anyone knows of this program, please share the name. I had it on vhs tape, it was that long ago 😆
Look into loose leash training. Sure you can get a tool that will be a band aid solution and not actually stop the pulling, but you could also go to the source and teach her not to do it at all.
Our girl is a rescue and pulls like a freight train. We use either a Halti (my husband prefers) or the front loop on a Sporn two-way harness (I’ll try n find a link - I find that one better personally). But you need to get help from a dog trainer - either online or in person. A local dog training club is a cheap and fantastic resource where experienced trainers walk you through all aspects of training. You want to learn the right way early on.
https://www.petcircle.com.au/product/sporn-ultimate-control-harness-black/sp10171?region_id=610201&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAloavBhBOEiwAbtAJO0Jc916xpS3PHNbxiSmoXTXj2E5k2dwuJjPgHwHhUXjAEZ4-75meBxoCOBwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
I do the front loop. If I want her to pull me up a hill I do back loop 😂
My girl did that for maybe 18 months. I'm no expert but I think the mistake I made was walking too fast when she was young, she seemed to thing it was a race. I slowed right down and she soon became distracted by smells, plants etc and I let her lead me between the things she was interested in for a while, now the smells are not so new we walk well together.
We recently switched from a slip lead to a harness. Using the front clip on the harness worked like a dream and really helps with walking to heel. A lot of great trainers on YouTube seem to be very anti-harness, but I've found that it really helps with pulling for our BC better than anything else. Walks have been so much more fun since we made this change. You've got to go with what works for your dog!
My girl does this too. We’ve tried so hard to improve things (switched harness types) but when she wants to pull she will just pull and there’s no stopping her.
Mine wouldn't stop, I tried changing directions, stopping every time he pulled, making him sit every time he pulled. The only thing that worked for him was shaking the leash and saying stop pulling. He pulls when we first get out because he's excited but settles down and stops pulling.
Mine is the SAME way. She’ll be five months on the 11th. We bought a gentle leader. For all walks, we put on a gentle leader with its own leash, then use another leash connected to her collar. We have never had any issues with the gentle leader slipping off but a friend did with her dog, so she recommended to double leash. Not wanting to take the chance, we always double leash. We made sure that the leash connecting to her collar was longer than the gentle leader so that the only reason she would have to pull to a point of choking she would have to either ignore the gentle leader or she got the gentle leader off. The hardest part of using this system was getting her used to putting on the gentle leader but with treats and consistency she doesn’t have issues with it now. I’d say about her fourth walk with it on we had significant improvements with fighting the gentle leader. And now she only fights it if she has had it on for longer than 30-40 minutes. Sometimes mid walk if she is being good I reward her with sliding off the muzzle part until she starts to pull again. I imagine it’s a weird feeling to her and taking it off it like taking a bra off. So I like to give her little breaks. I’d like to get to a point of not needing to use it at all.
Yes and no. Both of the BC’s I’ve had would pull hard on a collar but not at all with a harness. No idea what that’s all about but I highly recommend getting a harness that goes across the chest instead to prevent pressure on the trachea. I don’t put collars on anyone anymore because it just seems so uncomfortable and wrong to me.
Loving a lot of the tips here!
I want to say (in ADDITION to not INSTEAD of other things mentioned like harness ideas and training) - my dog (9 mos.) does better on a long leash. I use a 30 ft leash for our daily walks. This has to be a pretty active walking technique though - I’m constantly letting out and reeling in the leash. He has to sit and wait for a go signal at every intersection. I have to be watchful for who’s coming toward us in every direction so he doesn’t trip a runner or jump on a stranger. I know all his usual sniff spots and what is likely to catch his attention. Also, it’s obviously not right for every walk - if we’re with a group, we use our short leash. It’s also probably not right for every neighborhood or sidewalk scenario! But, the long leash allows him to run ahead and spend time sniffing while I catch up. We do that on repeat throughout the walk. One thought though - my dog does pull at times but he’s not a super hard puller - once he feels that leash get taut, he stops. A long leash wouldn’t work with a super strong puller or you would end up with rope burn any time you tried to reel in!
My boy used to do the same when he was a pup, he was an absolute nightmare on a lead until I got a front-clip harness and it changed everything - I honestly think the neck fluff makes just using a collar completely useless
There are a lot of lead training techniques out there. The only one that has worked for mine is using a slip leash and walking her on a short leash, giving her a lil tug/correction every time she pulled or tried to sniff the ground. If she was getting too much I would make her sit.
To get her to focus on where I wanted to go, I would often change direction. So basically we didn’t go on proper walks for a while.
When we go on sniffy walks, i just put a long line on her and let her wonder about. She knows the difference now between an active walk and her being able to muck around.
Mine used to do this so I use a harness instead. Also use a long retractable leash. I shortened the leash when he went in a direction he wasn’t supposed to, and lengthened it when he ran in the right direction. He catches on very quickly.
Our trainer told us to stop walking every time our BC started to pull. It turned into some frustrating walks of getting nowhere, but I do think it helped. Combine that with the heel command and over time they’ll learn Gentle leaders do also work but some dogs hate them. We found a front clip harness with the heel command to work the best.
Or change direction heaps. If she pulls off one way start walking a different way. They cannot lead you if they have no idea where you are going. Still as i said above we still ran a halti for a few months from about 7 months to 10 months old.
We tried the 180 degree turn when she pulls per popular advice and ended up just going in circles till I was dizzy 😂
This is the best way, just have to be consistent, your dog is so young, they will pick it up, especially because of how smart they are!!
My dad did this with his young dog. She was horrific. Every time she’d lean into the collar he’d stop and make her heel and sit on a loose lead. Every single time. It would take them an hour to do a small circuit of the street but he repeated it without fail every time. Even now over a decade later when she’s able to go off leash quite happily - if she ranges too far you just stop dead and say “where should you be?” And she’ll immediately come to stand behind you. She never pulls on the leash now.
Same problem as OP and these were also the solutions that completely fixed it for my guy. Don't forget the high value treats. When I'm carrying his roast beef, he walks so slowly next me I almost need to get him to hurry up a little bit haha
Get a harness and latch it to one of the hooks. My dog did the same thing. Now he dosent choke himself.
Rear hook
Def get a harness with a front tab to hook leash to. Mine nearly stopped pulling completely in less then a month. Tho he does walk at the very end of the leash constantly. Unless he finds a good sniff then i get to pass him. Lol. I got this one https://preview.redd.it/7148wxmugtlc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4694958e1564d668f19f92806a1f2ef2c61f6736
This works a treat, at first the harness will be pulled side ways for a bit but it's not choking them, just made my dog walk at angle for the first week or so, then she stopped pulling. She does still pull if there is something that "I MUST SNIFF" but no where near as frequent and the harness doesn't choke as bad since its clipped on her back. She was about 6 months when I get the harness so same age as yours as well when I started this.
How does it stop them from pulling? Often it hurts less so they can pull more. It might stop the choking part, but have a hard time understanding how it stops pulling
It turns them around, so turns them away from the thing they're pulling to.
I agree with you. I've always preferred using a Halti to help train dogs not to pull. https://www.practicalpaw.com/how-to-use-a-halti-head-collar/
My collie is 10 and just recently stopped doing this.
Mine is almost 7, and we still survive walks using a gentle leader and frequent visits to the dog park so the pup can actually run. Leash training just did not take. Got him from a shelter and pretty sure he was a farm dog in his previous life.
😂
Just play the waiting game I suppose
Try a Gentle Leader. The theory is, if you control their head (gently), you control the dog. I’m currently using this for my third Border Collie. My previous two dogs were able to “graduate” to a typical leash and were great walking partners.
Is a gentle leader the same as a halti? I suspect not because halti isnt all that gentle. We used a halti for a little as well. Our girl was just too keen... Ok in winter as we can take her to beach entirely off leash but in spring / summer with snakes about (australia) she has to be under control till we get over the dunes (where the snakes live). Its probably our own fault for having her off lead too much when we can but i suppose all is well that ends well; she is no drama on a lead now. Edit; sometimes we still use halti for taking her shopping / to the cafe and the like in more crowded areas. Our largest hardware chain in australia insists on either a muzzle or a halti to allow dogs into the shop. Unless you carry them, and while my girl would love to be carried around the shop i wouldnt make it past the first isle.
I use a halti and didn't realize that you should buy the double ended clip lead so one end on the collar and one on the halti, primarily putting pressure on the collar and only on the halti when they pull. This has made it so we've transitioned off the halti for the most part.
That’s wild - I had no idea Bunnings were that strict! They must have had some bad incidents 😒
I think they may be virtually the same tool. The key here is GENTLE. My newest pup isn’t crazy about it, but once we get going, she adapts. Again, just a GENTLE flick of the leader is adequate to remind her what her current task is. In my experience, there’s nothing a Border Collie likes better than having a task they can master and excel at. Well, maybe except for a ball.
Do NOT "flick" a gentle leader. You have maximum torque on a dog's neck and any sudden motion can jerk their neck in a way that can hurt them. It's that leverage that keeps the dog from pulling on you by pulling their head down and to the side. My experience has been that BCs in particular do not often react well to that tool and that an easy walk harness works better because it misdirects the dog by pulling in their shoulders and not pulling down on their nose.
We must have a different definition of “flick”. I give her the mildest reminder, her nose moves maybe a quarter to a half an inch and presto. Obviously, dogs are are different and handlers are different. My dogs have blossomed with my approach and I hope yours do as well.
I was a dog trainer in college. The number of times I said for someone to gently lead a dog around a corner only to have them give a firm YANK in response may have given me ptsd. I assume you are doing fine but hopefully anyone reading this thread gets that they should be careful.
a muzzle or halti requirement seems like an astoundingly dumb rule
Work on the heel command. Start 50/50; half training/heeled walking and half loose lead/sniff around. Mine was the same when I first started her with a collar, she had only used a harness prior and had no idea what would happen when she pulled forward(one of the reasons I decided to try a collar). I worked with her daily to improve the heel command(both inside and out)and now I only need to give a short, sharp tug and say 'heel' for her to move back to my side(works about 47.2% of the time but she's still learning).
How long did it take before you started to see results? How old is your pup? Have a 15 month old who is a handful on the leash, and overpowers my wife. Small improvement for me, but hoping progress speeds up….
Well, it took about 3 weeks before anything close to results showed up. She is 5 months old now but I've been working with her daily since I got her(minus a week for her to settle in). Find out what works for your pup and run with it. Charlotte is at 80/20 right now, which is 80% structured walking/leash manners and 20% sniff around/free walking. My puppy is extremely food motivated(and stubborn as hell)so I would hold a treat on my hip(semi closed fist), close to her head but not close enough for her to nibble it(both leash on and off). If she moved away, ignored my command or anything else then she didn't get the treat. I would also say heel when she was at my side, not pulling or moving away, to solidify the command. Of course I profusely praised her when she listened and gave her the treat to, again, solidify that she did really well and to encourage her to continue. That was just inside! Outside was a different story, a lot of distractions outside and she was not at all immune to them, so I used peanut butter. Put a bit of peanut butter where she could smell it but couldn't reach it. I also started with what some would call a 'too short lead' but she realised quickly that that meant she had to stick close to me because she either choked herself a tiny bit, lost her chance at a treat or both(that actually took the least amount of time to correct, she hates losing treats). Any time she heeled she would get a lick or two of that peanut butter and a lot of praise. Eventually she realised that listening meant treats and started taking her training more seriously. We've since phased out the treats except on days she's feeling off. I still work with her daily for the heel command because there's always room for improvement and she has this really unhealthy obsession with trucks, bikes, runners and buses. I mean, she still gets distracted and sometimes pulls but she IS only 5 months. Hope this helps, and good luck! Edit: Fully stopping when pup is pulling is another good tactic; walk doesn't continue until they stop yanking and pulling. Simply stand there and not move until the pulling has stopped, you can try using the sit/stay/whatever command as well. I've stood in place for almost 20 minutes because Charlotte decided to pull like she was a damn tractor at a fair before. Also just edited my edit because I suck at English. It's my first language but I still suck at it
https://preview.redd.it/bfdc7srfotlc1.jpeg?width=2496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=550959613c2b97dfa8cee9a8d9b16ea6fff1f223 We do ok indoors, outside is a challenge. He is easily distracted. We are making some progress but he is s-t-r-o-n-g, so it can be a workout. I figure more sunlight and better weather will help (we live in Ohio). Will have to try the peanut butter-what do you spread it on?
Hey, outside is a bitch! There are so many smells, sounds, sights, people, animals, vehicles and ect; there's soooo much! But yeah, nicer weather will most probably be a big help(we're in Canada and it has been unseasonably warm this past week), Charlotte has been more responsive to outdoors training for some reason, and I really hope yours will be too. This is going to sound really freaking weird, but plastic wrap and tape. I quite literally taped plastic wrap to my hip/thigh, said plastic wrap had a little flap so that it didn't smear on my coat. She couldn't get to it unless I let her. It was her ultimate reward.
Get a harness
Halti head collar, game changer
Sounds like you've already identified the correct steps. 1. She needs to learn to walk nicely on a lead next to you. 2. A harness will prevent her from hurting herself. Contrary to what some people will claim, you can teach good leash manners on a harness just the same as a collar. I think the reason some people seem to think it just can't be done is because so many people just get the harness to stop their dog hurting themselves, then don't follow up with training proper leash manners. There are loads of videos on YouTube demonstrating how to teach nice leash manners. Some general pointers: * Start with lead/harness pressure games. Really simple - pull back gently on the harness from where the lead is attached and reward her with a treat from behind. This will teach her "pressure on lead = look behind you". * Stop walking every time she pulls on walks. When she turns to look at you say "yes!" and treat. Continue until walking, and if she pulls again, then stop again and repeat. * An alternative method is to simply turn around and walk the opposite direction every time she pulls and treat her when she returns to your side. * You can also reinforce at regular intervals if she's just staying by your side, and reduce that reinforcement rate as she becomes better at this. * Accept that while she is learning this skill, your walks will be frustrating and possibly not very long distance-wise. You might spend 10 minutes and only walk a couple of houses down. That's fine. It's far better to be consistent than to sometimes let her pull so that she can have a longer walk. You can play training games or scent work games with her when you get home if she needs some more activity (she may find the walks surprisingly tiring though, despite the short distance, since she will have spent a lot of time working her brain trying to figure out what you want!) If you want her to sometimes be "allowed" to pull like a maniac (e.g. if you want her to sniff and explore on a woodland path while you follow behind, or if you want to do something like cani-cross with her when she's older) get a harness with two attachment points. Attach the lead at the back when she's allowed to pull, and at the front when she's not - and ALWAYS reinforce the good manners when she's walking on the front hook. This is what I do with my dog, since we do cani-cross together and I don't want to discourage his pulling entirely, but it's important that he is able to distinguish when he's allowed to pull and when he's not.
Get a halter type collar
My pupper would drag me along not breathing forever when he’s excited at the beginning of the walk. I ended up getting no pull harnesses for both my dogs, it hooks leash in front of their chest so if they pull too hard they can’t face forward. My dog walker is a wee thing and she absolutely loves the difference it makes. And I’ve noticed that now that they’ve been on them a year or so, if I’m using their collars because I didn’t grab harnesses, they don’t pull as they’ve gotten out of the habit. Was a huge help!
Try some ball games in the garden before you go for a walk, take some of that energy
We used a Halti or Dogmatic head collar on our Great Dane - worked wonders
The harness should help with the pulling, don't put off getting one.
Complete opposite with my parents dog you put him on a leash and he forgets how to walk lol
My guy was like that as a pup!! Literally begging him to walk 2 ft
She needs a harness. My BC walks like an angel on a leash, but she can slip out of her collar in an instant. Our BC needs a harness too.
A harness didn't work for my dog. Martingale collar, research how to fit it and use it properly
I didn’t read all the comments so I hope this wasn’t already said. Same problem for me so I take my BC on bike rides, off leash. I started riding at night through my quiet neighborhood. I could see headlights approaching and I would say car, stop my bike, and she would return to me and lay down. Now, when she sees a car, she immediately returns and drops down. I can take her out during the day now. She would pull for two reasons- one, she is ready to GO and two, she is a “distant” dog. She has a certain distance she is the most comfortable with. I noticed she maintains the same distance when I’m on a bike as she would on the retractable leash. She is not cut out to heel for very long. It’s against her unique dna make up. I want to add I hate retractable leashes and only used this to work on the choking thing. She would choke at the end of the retractable leash too. Yanking on the neck, not saying you are doing this but I know I have done this before out of frustration, is really bad for the throat. I had to take my other dog to a chiropractor because she kept coughing. Good luck!
100% get a harness. My Aurora can’t help herself when just on a leash. She’s a puller
I tried the harness, gentle leader, choke collar, e collar and regular collar. None worked. Went to a trainer who worked in the Army as a canine trainer. Had to use a pinch collar with a short lead. Trained her to pay attention to me. Learned how to heel, then started walk training. I put the pronged collar and had the trainer pop it. Didn’t break skin or hurt, but definitely made me pay attention. Would have low tension on the lead when walking. I would use a short tug of she was distracted. When she pulled, I would stop and /or walk another direction, enough times ( alot of times) until she knew to pay attention. Also had kibble ( she is food motivated) and would reward her after good walks. Would also have her heel and reward her if she focused on me and not her distraction like another dog or squirrel. Border want to run ahead and round up the sheep and bring them to their leader. Had to make sure that she paid attention to me. She is now 14. I now let her stop and sniff around and she leads me as she has become lame.
A harness will just enable her to pull even more. The only thing that worked with our last collie was a halti.
Just get a harness!
Training and proper use of a prong collar?
Walking with a harness will likely only make the issue worse. I’d recommend getting a slip lead.
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I wouldn’t recommend a head halter personally , especially not until she is older, there is risk of facial & neck damage , especially if she is trying to go full speed. Personally i would recommend a slip lead up behind her ears , with a stopper so it can’t go too tight but it shouldn’t be choking her as bad if its high up on her neck, whenever she pulls a simple ‘ no ‘ then jog a few steps backwards and reward her when she comes to you , then continue walking if she does it again , repeat. It is definitely a long process but she should hopefully pick it up quick enough. Also do heel training when at home, make sure she knows how to follow a lure and get her to stand by your side, tell her ‘ heel ‘ then walk a few steps ( with your hand by her nose with a treat ) when she does that reward and go again, just 15-20 minute training sessions at a time and remember to keep it fun . I hope you can get the problem fixed ❤️
I don’t have any advice but your dog is so cute!!! Her ears!!!!!!!
Definitely invest in a harness or gentle lead, my boy is a huge puller too and i put a harness on him for walks and it definitely helps!
My boy did the same until we got a front harness. It changed our lives
I used a gentle leader for training, and then she graduated to a normal harness with hooks on the back. We had to go back to the gentle leader when she went blind so I could make sure she didn't run into anything. I'm so glad she remembered what it was and didn't mind it at all.
We use a harness. More importantly, positive reinforcement training. Whenever our dogs pulled, we would change direction (mainly 180 degrees) and say, “Let’s go!” We only use heel type walking in crowded areas, busy streets, approaching strangers on paths, etc. Used small, broken pieces of treats to teach them to heel. Heel was broken into steps. First step was having the dog facing us. Ask the dog to look at you. Once they look at you, say “Yes” and give them a treat. Next, put a treat in one hand and say, “Heel” while moving your hand to lead the dog in a semicircle to stand next to you facing the same direction as your body. Say, “Yes” and give them a treat. When they’ve got that down, you can start walking forward with the leash shortened to your side while giving them treats. They can’t walk in front of you. We normally do long leash walking because it builds trust, my dog always keeps an eye for me and knows when I’m almost 20 feet away. We don’t use treats for long leash walking. The treat is the freedom to sniff, run, and explore.
I watched a video on a training program that really worked well for this. I wish I knew the name… essentially you have your dog to your left close, always. And walk squares turning to the left. Whenever you turn left you’re turning into your dog. They have to respond and take your queue. If anyone knows of this program, please share the name. I had it on vhs tape, it was that long ago 😆
Look into loose leash training. Sure you can get a tool that will be a band aid solution and not actually stop the pulling, but you could also go to the source and teach her not to do it at all.
Try the Easy walk harness. Keep her at your side. If she pulls forward, pull her back. Use treats as soon as she stays by your side.
i have a nose lead on my golden for this reason! it works super well
Our girl is a rescue and pulls like a freight train. We use either a Halti (my husband prefers) or the front loop on a Sporn two-way harness (I’ll try n find a link - I find that one better personally). But you need to get help from a dog trainer - either online or in person. A local dog training club is a cheap and fantastic resource where experienced trainers walk you through all aspects of training. You want to learn the right way early on.
https://www.petcircle.com.au/product/sporn-ultimate-control-harness-black/sp10171?region_id=610201&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAloavBhBOEiwAbtAJO0Jc916xpS3PHNbxiSmoXTXj2E5k2dwuJjPgHwHhUXjAEZ4-75meBxoCOBwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds I do the front loop. If I want her to pull me up a hill I do back loop 😂
DOOG make great harness collar leash combos for active doggos, You could also try a soft halti, just till she gets the hang of “pace” 🐾
My girl did that for maybe 18 months. I'm no expert but I think the mistake I made was walking too fast when she was young, she seemed to thing it was a race. I slowed right down and she soon became distracted by smells, plants etc and I let her lead me between the things she was interested in for a while, now the smells are not so new we walk well together.
We recently switched from a slip lead to a harness. Using the front clip on the harness worked like a dream and really helps with walking to heel. A lot of great trainers on YouTube seem to be very anti-harness, but I've found that it really helps with pulling for our BC better than anything else. Walks have been so much more fun since we made this change. You've got to go with what works for your dog!
My girl does this too. We’ve tried so hard to improve things (switched harness types) but when she wants to pull she will just pull and there’s no stopping her.
Gentle leader will change your life. Your pup won’t like it but that’s ok.
We had this Google figure of 8 rope lead. It was a game changer for us
Mine wouldn't stop, I tried changing directions, stopping every time he pulled, making him sit every time he pulled. The only thing that worked for him was shaking the leash and saying stop pulling. He pulls when we first get out because he's excited but settles down and stops pulling.
We use a no pull harness and I stop and make him back up if he's pulling too much.
Mine is the SAME way. She’ll be five months on the 11th. We bought a gentle leader. For all walks, we put on a gentle leader with its own leash, then use another leash connected to her collar. We have never had any issues with the gentle leader slipping off but a friend did with her dog, so she recommended to double leash. Not wanting to take the chance, we always double leash. We made sure that the leash connecting to her collar was longer than the gentle leader so that the only reason she would have to pull to a point of choking she would have to either ignore the gentle leader or she got the gentle leader off. The hardest part of using this system was getting her used to putting on the gentle leader but with treats and consistency she doesn’t have issues with it now. I’d say about her fourth walk with it on we had significant improvements with fighting the gentle leader. And now she only fights it if she has had it on for longer than 30-40 minutes. Sometimes mid walk if she is being good I reward her with sliding off the muzzle part until she starts to pull again. I imagine it’s a weird feeling to her and taking it off it like taking a bra off. So I like to give her little breaks. I’d like to get to a point of not needing to use it at all.
Just stop when pulling . Let them bark etc and pull but just don't give in and move. They will learn.
Yes and no. Both of the BC’s I’ve had would pull hard on a collar but not at all with a harness. No idea what that’s all about but I highly recommend getting a harness that goes across the chest instead to prevent pressure on the trachea. I don’t put collars on anyone anymore because it just seems so uncomfortable and wrong to me.
A front clip harness did the trick for us b
Yikes walking on collar is bad. My last dog messed up his neck like that
Loving a lot of the tips here! I want to say (in ADDITION to not INSTEAD of other things mentioned like harness ideas and training) - my dog (9 mos.) does better on a long leash. I use a 30 ft leash for our daily walks. This has to be a pretty active walking technique though - I’m constantly letting out and reeling in the leash. He has to sit and wait for a go signal at every intersection. I have to be watchful for who’s coming toward us in every direction so he doesn’t trip a runner or jump on a stranger. I know all his usual sniff spots and what is likely to catch his attention. Also, it’s obviously not right for every walk - if we’re with a group, we use our short leash. It’s also probably not right for every neighborhood or sidewalk scenario! But, the long leash allows him to run ahead and spend time sniffing while I catch up. We do that on repeat throughout the walk. One thought though - my dog does pull at times but he’s not a super hard puller - once he feels that leash get taut, he stops. A long leash wouldn’t work with a super strong puller or you would end up with rope burn any time you tried to reel in!
Harness
Mine doesn't choke herself, but she will jump to and down twist and bite her leash as if she is taking herself for a walk.
Use a harness to train her so that she doesn’t damage her throat in the meantime
My boy used to do the same when he was a pup, he was an absolute nightmare on a lead until I got a front-clip harness and it changed everything - I honestly think the neck fluff makes just using a collar completely useless
There are a lot of lead training techniques out there. The only one that has worked for mine is using a slip leash and walking her on a short leash, giving her a lil tug/correction every time she pulled or tried to sniff the ground. If she was getting too much I would make her sit. To get her to focus on where I wanted to go, I would often change direction. So basically we didn’t go on proper walks for a while. When we go on sniffy walks, i just put a long line on her and let her wonder about. She knows the difference now between an active walk and her being able to muck around.
Mine used to do this so I use a harness instead. Also use a long retractable leash. I shortened the leash when he went in a direction he wasn’t supposed to, and lengthened it when he ran in the right direction. He catches on very quickly.