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Old February 25th, 2011, 11:18 AM
Harper Harper is offline
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Pulling

I am looking for any training methods that would help with my dogs pulling, He is a 15 month old Leonberger, he probably weighs about 125 pounds I have had him to puppy school and basic "Good Neighbor training. He is an excellent dog to walk EXCEPT when he sees another dog. He will sometimes actually sit down but when the dog gets to about 6 feet away he lunges, only to play he is very excited not aggressive at all. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I take him about 3 times a week to an off leash dog park where he drags me over to the entrance, I have tried leaving him in the truck until he settles a bit but that doesn't work

Thank You
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Old February 25th, 2011, 12:06 PM
BenMax BenMax is offline
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I have had great success with halties. I have been able to correct alot of this behaviour with several dogs that I have had (either my own or rescues). It does not work for all but it has for the majority.

Have you tried this?
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Old February 25th, 2011, 12:58 PM
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millitntanimist millitntanimist is offline
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I agree with BenMax, a Halti, Gentle Leader, or any front connecting harness would be a good place to start (if you haven't already tried them).

You said that your dog does well on leash except for distractions, so I would suggest building your dog's focus and making yourself more fun

Here is a brush-up on loose leash walking (you will have to re-train a bit anyways if you switch your dog's gear - dogs don't generalize well)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFgtq...eature=channel

Here are some good focus exercises to work on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHLvt6TQzqA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mIw425kYk4

In addition (given your pup's age and excitability) I would also recommend tiring them out a bit before going for your walk. Tired dogs are good dogs, a rousing game of fetch or tug for 15 minutes before you go (in your backyard or other low traffic area) may help them be less excited with new stimulus.
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Old February 25th, 2011, 03:20 PM
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rainbow rainbow is offline
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I agree, tiring them out a bit before going for a walk helps. I have used the head halters for our 100lb lab but have found that the front connection harness is much better and safer. The one we have is the Sensation harness ....

http://www.softouchconcepts.com/
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Old February 25th, 2011, 03:50 PM
Harper Harper is offline
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Thank You for the advice I will try them out.
I have purchased a gentle leader but I am not comfortable with it as I am nervous about hurting him when he gets that excited.
Right now I use a body harness it does have a small clip on the front I do not think it was made for that purpose but he does slow down a bit when I use that to hook him up. So I will look for the one suggested
Tiring him out before we go is a good suggestion, at the dog park I usually let him run for an hour or so then take him for the walk and although he still takes off when he sees another dog he is much easier to get back under control.

Again Thank You for the advice
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Old February 25th, 2011, 03:57 PM
Harper Harper is offline
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The video was also very informative and definatly worth trying, He mostly ignores me on the walk!
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  #7  
Old February 25th, 2011, 06:59 PM
BenMax BenMax is offline
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Harper, the beauty of using a good haltie is that you have full control of the head. When he sees another dog and before he reacts lure the head gently towards your hip. His head is his balance. I have taken some pretty narly shelter dogs and used a haltie. The non believers ran out and bought halties.. I just showed them how to use it and everyone that I know of is very happy with the results.

I also have a tracking leash. I use the leash as normal (clipping to the collar) but use the static ring in the middle with the end clip. I then swing the leash across the shoulders and this also works great as it prevents the dog from moving forward..or in other words it restricts his movement to lunge. It is hard to explain but anyone that uses a tracking leash can show you what I mean.
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