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Don't sound like the trainer knew what they were doing! Harness only make the problem Worst! A quick tug & release would have stopped her. Find a Decent Trainer!
Don't sound like the trainer knew what they were doing! Harness only make the problem Worst! A quick tug & release would have stopped her. Find a Decent Trainer!
The trainer came with good recommendations. And we trained for several weeks but nevertheless, it felt like a fruitless effort. She is older now and more receptive to training. As a puppy, Ohhhhhhhh boy!... She was just so out of control with all this energy. We would take her to the dog park and let her run and play. She would be non-stop for over an hour. I miss her puppy stage, but also appreciate her more relaxed temperament now. Now, she tries to be a 80lbs lap dog.
Don't sound like the trainer knew what they were doing! Harness only make the problem Worst! A quick tug & release would have stopped her. Find a Decent Trainer!
Oh, please. Harnesses and Sporns are God's gift.
When I had to immediately control an adult dog who was used to a fenced acre of her own but suddenly had to learn to behave in a public area with other dogs, I got this and it saved both our lives:
And really, classroom obedience training instills socialization as well as obedience. A must, imo. Training at home is only half the battle. Get thee and thy dog to a socialization/obedience class and be prepared to be told YOU are as much the problem as the DOG.
you can do the same leash method with a harness though I would suggest a front clipping harness like the easy walk (if you've got a regular nylon harness with an o ring on the chest try clipping the leash to the front o-ring instead o fthe back loop) then use the same method as in the video, pay close attention and the moment she lungest owards aomething a few steps in the opposite direction and brace yourself...don't move anywhere even remotely towars the area she pulled towards until shes redirected her attention and back to behaving properly.
a crank and yank (or tug and release) is not a good method for a dog like this (they will choke themselves till they damage the trecheah and they don't respond, a properly fitted and used PRONG collar or a head harness however might be a good choice if clipping the leahs to the front of the harness and employing those methods in the vid doesn't help enough for you.
like all training thoruhg it takes time and persistence...if you correct her 9 times and then let her get the object of her desire 1 time...the 1 time reward will stic and shell forget the 9 times she did what she was supposed to...
it might also be worth putting a backpack on her, if shes that unfocused and high energy a backpack with a simple bottle of water on eac side (16oz bottles) should add enough weight to give her a job and a focus.
you can do the same leash method with a harness though I would suggest a front clipping harness like the easy walk (if you've got a regular nylon harness with an o ring on the chest try clipping the leash to the front o-ring instead o fthe back loop) then use the same method as in the video, pay close attention and the moment she lungest owards aomething a few steps in the opposite direction and brace yourself...don't move anywhere even remotely towars the area she pulled towards until shes redirected her attention and back to behaving properly.
a crank and yank (or tug and release) is not a good method for a dog like this (they will choke themselves till they damage the trecheah and they don't respond, a properly fitted and used PRONG collar or a head harness however might be a good choice if clipping the leahs to the front of the harness and employing those methods in the vid doesn't help enough for you.
like all training thoruhg it takes time and persistence...if you correct her 9 times and then let her get the object of her desire 1 time...the 1 time reward will stic and shell forget the 9 times she did what she was supposed to...
it might also be worth putting a backpack on her, if shes that unfocused and high energy a backpack with a simple bottle of water on eac side (16oz bottles) should add enough weight to give her a job and a focus.
to be honest this sdoens tsound like a pica issue or a hunting issue this sounds like a bad habit behavior and yes I think obedience training WOULD be helpful...
why? because this dog has never learnt to pay attention to YOU and you have never learnt how to take control of the situation...a good few simple sessions in LEASH MANNERS with an experienced positive reinforment trainer (no crank and yank) will teach YOU how to teach her.
if youd rather try at home.
1: no more long leash, and no more leash freedom. leash should be short enough to go comfortably from the hight of your pocket to the dogs neck at a normal standing height with about 3" of slack, a 24" leash it MORE than long enough for most dogs... the leash should ideally eb short enough that the dogs head cant touch the ground if it puts head down to sniff)
hold leash (clipped to dogs collar) in 1 hand then hook your thumb into your belt loop/pocket. dog pulls you STOP, don't let the dog pull you anywhere, get its head to the ground, keep that hand firm in your pocket/loop and keep the dogs head off the ground...as soon as the dog stops pulling "GOOD" and walk on...pulls STOP REPEAT...
the first few times out youll probably get 3 steps and stop and 3 steps and stop and so on...but the idea is that YOU take control of the walk, the dog does NOT get the freedom to sniff when walking...
if your out for a potty break its a potty break take them to the spot you want them to go potty (preferably your own grass, tell "go potty" and stay in that area until they go.
walking itself should be a set EXCERSIZE not a sniff break...
if the dog is still pulling upgrade to a martingal, halti/gentle leader or even a prong (if using a prong PLEASE learn how to use it correctly it should NEVER EVR be jerked or pulled on by the human)
this dog doesn't have an "issue" this dog was simply never taught leash manners and yes an obedience class would help with that.
I've had my Weimaraner for 8 years now. I adopted her when she was a year and a half old. Her original owners wanted to get rid of her because she viciously attacked the second dog they brought into the home to be her companion.
When we walk it's like she thinks we're hunting and/or scavenging. She finds cat poop and chicken bones with lightning fast speed and inhales them before I know what happened. One time the sidewalk was muddy and she pulled me so hard that I landed on my butt.
I've tried this technique you describe for hours on end. It works for about three seconds--she always goes back to her intense hunting/scavenging mode. I've also tried all different kinds of collars, doggie backpacks with a little weight in them, treats-based walks, and super long walks (she pulled the whole way, even at mile 10). I've watched videos about how to snap the choke chain properly and employed this technique with very little success. I've been to a couple of different trainers who were able to get her to do it after a little while, but when we get home and I try the same techniques it doesn't work. I stopped trying about five years ago.
Recently we moved to an apartment. So now I HAVE to walk her again. I can't just send her out into the backyard. And so now all the old frustration is back. At this point I just take her on very short walks and let her pull. She's got a harness now, so it doesn't hurt her neck anymore at least. She's an inside dog--has the run of the house. I still dream of someday just being able to have pleasant walks with her. But it's just too frustrating to try.
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