kyle: What are some leash training tips for a pit bull?
My 16-month-old female pitbull has trouble with pulling on a leash. I don't want to use a choke chain because i'm afraid she'd hurt herself. What are some tips that might help me train her to walk on a loose leash?
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Answers and Views:
Answer by Greg Brock
A choker chain does help, I know you don't want to hurt her, but a choker when you walk and she gets ahead just pull on the chain, not hard like choke her, just a quick pull to make her back up a bit, the leash that is easy to this is the ones that have that button, I am currently training my puppy and it works very well
Answer by HELLO
Well, when I got a new puppy, we went to like training classes, and the instructor said he would stay by our side, as long as we had a treat. he also suggested frankfurters, which did work for a while, however, my dog was gaining a lot of weight, and I stank where ever I went, so we stopped going to the classes. However, what I've learned and read is:
When he strains on the leash, stop immediately. Don't yank him back over to you with the leash, just call him back over to you and praise him when he comes. Never ever keep walking when your puppy is pulling on the leash, this only rewards his behavior and reinforces the habit.
Your puppy has to learn that when he pulls on the leash, he gets nowhere. If he wants to continue, he has to be by your side on a loose leash. This also applies if your puppy sits down when you are walking. Do not pull him forward towards, just call him over and reward him when he arrives. Then carry on walking again with your puppy by your side:)
good luck!:D
Answer by Rosalie
Get her a Gentle Leader.
It comes with an instructional video on how to use it.
Gentle Leader Comfortable and Painless Collar to Enjoy The Walk
My friend with the huge pit bull refuge recommends a Gentle Leader with Pit Bulls, as it does not put you in competition with their ability to pull- it gives you control of their head, and therefore the direction in which they go. It's more of a psychological tool, rather than just tug-of-war.
Get yourself a nice leather leash to go with it - and whenever I start a dog on a Gentle Leader, I always get a martingale no-clip collar to go on as well, just as a backup in case the Gentle Leader is not yet correctly adjusted. You don't want to have that slip off, and not have your dog still on a leash! Once you both get the hang of it, you won't need it - but just as a backup. And NEVER attach the leash to her flat collar with her ID tags, or she could be out running around naked...I always practice in a fenced-in area for safety. A loose PB, even a friendly one, is at risk...
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Answer by I Am Girl
Use a gentle leader. I got one for my own dog and it did improve our walks.
Also, treats are your new best friend! Keep the leash short and take a few steps and reward (click and reward if using a clicker, which i recommend). The main thing is to let her correct herself, meaning, if she goes behind you and on your right when she should be on your left, guide her back around with a treat and not by pulling her with the leash.
If she pulls you do not move. She is wanting to go and you are wanting her by your side so put the two together, If she is by your side, you move.
I also recommend the book 'dog training for dummies' and maybe attending a class.
Answer by dorothy s
Get a leash that is about 15" long, this will keep you on your toes if she tries to pull.
When you are walking her and she pulls, tell her to sit every time that she pulls. You could alternate this with an about turn and get her to walk in the opposite direction with you. This might convey to her that pulling stops her getting to her destination where she is allowed off-leash.
Your dog is obviously keen to get to the place where you let off the leash and run free.
If you have a car, take her to the place where she is allowed to run free. Release her and play with her, then when she is tired do leash training.
Know better? Give your own answer to this question!
Li'l Lily says
(1) You must be the best smelling/tasting, most exciting/fun thing in the universe in order to train a dog. So, get the best bait in existence but only a tiny taste as a reward. If you give a big old Milk-bone then the dogs stops to eat for 10-15 minutes and forgets why he got rewarded for in the first place. The objective is to bait, lure and reward the desired behavior, not feed diner.
(2) You must train the dog to control himself and to want to do what pleases you. TEACH THE DOG WHAT HE MUST DO TO PLEASE YOU.
(3) Have dog on leash at your left. Your right hand holds the leash and never moves from a rock solid position on your belt buckle. Your left hand is free to give corrections via the leash or to bait dog or (once trained) to swing along as you walk. The leash will go from your right hand, across your body and down to the dogs collar forming a loose drape “J” from right to left. Have just enough leash fed out so it does not hit the ground, the dog doesn’t step over it thus getting his feet all tangled, BUT also loose enough so the dog can see the leash hanging with some slack. Never play out any more leash than this for the dog. This is his loose leash boundary to learn. Nothing more, nothing less. To teach loose leash you must do loose leash from the beginning.
(4) Pick any word you want that commands the dog to walk with you – I will use HEEL. Look straight ahead (NOT at the dog), say HEEL and go off with your LEFT foot. Of course I know your dog didn’t move with you but I need to stop here for a second and point out 3 specific things you have just done and need to ‘use’ in order to train the dog. (a) You are the boss. The dog’s job is to come. You look where you want to go, and go there and don’t stop. (b) You never wait on the dog. You never adjust your gait to the dog’s. It is his job to come and adjust his gait to yours. You are DRIVING here, not the dog so you GO where you want at whatever speed you want. (c) When you said HEEL and went off with your left foot, the loose leash draped across your body lifted up with your left foot putting forward tension on the dog’s collar (just for a tiny micro-second), right? Well, that leash lift tension and your left foot moving out are the 2 CUEs you want the dog to learn! Yup, right there are your training cues, right in front of the dogs nose! Clever huh? Re-read this part as often as needed!!
(4) Ok moving on…. Your dog did NOT come with you right? Of course not – that’s why you are working to train him. So now ENFORCE your command. Use your left hand and POP the leash. POP is a fast sturdy yank/release on the leash. POP/release is NOT ‘drag the dog’. POP/release is NOT break the dog’s neck either. Got it? POP/release does no harm but it must get his full undivided attention solid and fast and every time. Remember you keep going and POP/release with command and he will begin moving with you in about three steps or atleast he will be making a good beginning effort to move with you. He does NOT like POP/release and will quickly yield to it’s pressure.
(5) Don’t stop, don’t look back, don’t slow down. One hesitant step from him, and you are gone ok? If he drags then POP him up, if he forges then POP him back, otherwise loose leash all the way.. Quickly your dog will become so sensitive to the LOOSE leash that he will be able to feel the weight of the buckle alone start to life and he will know a POP/release is coming next unless he corrects himself pronto. Your dog will understand how to control himself rather than the POP/release doing it for him. In just a few steps, the dog knows WHAT HE MUST DO TO PLEASE YOU. Congratulations, you have just trained your dog!
(6) Rewarding the good behavior. Remember that tiny morsel of bait? Your free left hand (when not POPing) deals those out to your dog WHILE moving along with a lot of verbal praise. You can’t treat the dog before the HEEL or after the HEEL because that is when the dog’s behind is planted on the ground. Since you want to train him to move with you, then you must reward him when he is moving with you.
(7) Three 5 minute training sessions a day is much more effective than one long one. Short, quick, correct, and often. In a couple of days, you will be walking the world!
(8) Of course, you will want to practice and make all this loose leash walking smooth as silk.
There you have the tools, cues, enforcement, and rewards for loose leash walking. Have fun!