Help me stop my 12 month old lab pulling on the lead please

[thisismyname4today]

I am having an operation, a pulling dog is going to be no good for me.
DH will walk her of course but her pulling and lunging is even hurting his arm.

She is 13 months and the problem is her enthusiasm, her impulsiveness and her strength.

We have tried several techniques and are experienced dog owners but her personality is she is very impulsive and determined.
Harness is not much help, head collar is some help but not enough.

The most success I have had with getting her to remember I am there on the other end of the lead is by getting her to sit and calm each and every time she pulls. This is not so very practical though because it takes an age to get anywhere and the neighbours think I must have forgotten where I was going or something.

She responds to treats (if they are good enough).
She will sit on command.
Her recall is excellent, close though not quite 100%.

So if you stopped your lab pulling (before they grew out of it) how?

[Summertime1]

Get a training chain for your dog they work.

[LilCamper]

Don't get a choke chain. They work by causing a dog pain and can do long term damage.

Google the 300 peck method of teaching loose lead walking.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Not a dog person One thing I saw on another thread was to get dog a harness that also has a clip point in the chest - if leash is clipped to chest area they simply can't pull.

[Jellyshoeshurtmyfeet]

We took our border collie to classes and we're advised that every time they pull you stop walking. It takes forever but they eventually get the message.

[thisismyname4today]

Thank you for the ideas. I am ready to try new ones :)
Summer I can't bring myself to try those.
Lil I am off to look that up now.
Jelly I am glad to hear that they do eventually get the message, I guess thats very similar to what I'm doing. I do feel she will get it in the end but with the operation looming I could be looking at passing over three months walking responsibility to DH if she does not improve soon.
ItsAll We have a harness I'll look into that idea.

[pigsDOfly]

Yeah, that's what I was told, stop walking, turn round and walk in the other direction for a short way, if dog pulls again, stop and turn again. Then treat if she stops pulling, and make the treat really high value to her. Obviously not something to practice when you have somewhere to be in a hurry.

Supposed to make dog realize that if it pulls it wont get where it wants to go. Worked very well with my dog, but she is a lot smaller than a lab. .

And stop worrying about what the neighbours think OP :)

[thisismyname4today]

Oh I'm quite inspired to walk all day till she gets it, she will love all that that treating in the 300 method. Now to get enough crispy bacon cooked. I'll let you know what she thinks.

[Mytholmroyd]

we were recommended a gencon lead at our puppy class recently and it has been a revelation - tried it on our 7 year old retriever also who tends to pull if excited and cannot believe the instant change - a pleasure to walk him now. Had dogs for decades with patchy success at walking on a loose lead but am amazed at this one.

[Mytholmroyd]

i have no connection with the company!

[Blackfellpony]

We use a dogmatic head collar with our big GSDs. I manage to walk two of them and push a pram and they are not well behaved 😄 It hasn't moved an inch despite one of them being a barking lunging idiot and dosent tighten and hurt them.

I don't like harnesses as mine tended to use them pull into and escape from!

We also did lots and lots of heel training, treat every time they heel even for a second and stop or turn if they start to pull. It will work eventually

[1004Rise]

I third the stop sharply and turn in the other direction when she pulls (have a big enthusiastic male lab worked wonders). Also if she's food driven (she's a lab stupid question!!) a handful of really smelly treats in your left hand by your leg will keep her nose stuck to you, just release a treat every now and then... you can gradually reduce the smellyness of the treats and eventually remove the lead.

[Ylvamoon]

I second "300 peck method", it's best to start teaching your command at home, garden, way back from walk (cause dog is more tired) ....
Only thing I have to say is, that it will take some time to get your dog to understand the command "Heel". Training should be little and often to stop your dog getting bored.

[thisismyname4today]

Thanks everyone, it is great to have a new plan.

I was fairly relaxed about it, she was 'improving' slowly and gets loads of off lead exercise on the beach so walking home she has always showed much more 'promise'. Occasionally I have been proud of her .
However the first half of the walk can be very hard work and I feel the need to step it up given my looming op.

I'm going to give it a week with the 300 method and if there is improvement co-opt DH in to follow this on when I am off my feet.

Failing that one or other of the recommended head collars, both of which seem different to the halti type one we have tried (it helped, but she decided she didn't care and simply walked with one eye shut and continued to pull, I didn't think this was good for her eyes).

[burgundyandgoldleaves]

I love Labs, do you have a photo? :)

sorry nothing to do with the thread!

[LilCamper]

You have to stick to a method for more than a week for it to work.

[thisismyname4today]

Here she is :)

[burgundyandgoldleaves]

She's gorgeous!

[SleightOfMind]

Oh the ears!!!!!

As you were.

[CageyBee]

Please do not listen to the person suggesting a choke chain- extremely cruel and unaccaptable. Using that is is he mark of a failure unable to train a dog. Keep changing direction. It WILL work. I have a very strong willed male lab who is all muscle and I don't have to use any force or anything cruel like a choke chain (disgusting).

[StarryIllusion]

Keep changing direction randomly. I have two labs. One is good as gold and can be walked with the lead tucked in my waistband and never tug it loose. The other just cannot be fucking trusted and would drag me on my face down the street given half a chance. I used this technique for both of them but I think it has a lot to do with temperament and just plain intelligence. Ddog1 is just a lot more of a velcro dog: sticks with me everywhere(toilet included, have you ever tried to get in a public toilet cubicle with a labrador?), very smart, picks up commands after a couple of tries and just loves to please and be with me. Ddog2 is boisterous, thick as two short planks, attention span of a gnat, will go with anyone who has children or food and just doesn't care that his collar is choking him and the halti straps are over his eyes if he can just...sniff...that...one....bush!

I despair of him. If you find something that works let me know.

[KinkyAfro]

My chocolate was a nightmare for the first 2 years, she's now 4 and a joy to walk...it just happened one day and has been great since. Hopefully yours won't take as long .

Here's mine

[REW2016]

Gencon lead is our saviour too!

[Floralnomad]

Canny collars make a good alternative to a traditional headcollar and have the advantage that you can just use the collar part if the dog is not pulling Ie on the way home etc .

[JemimaHoward1]

We love our Gencon! It's so good and my cockerpoo is so good now! Love and recommenced immensely!!

[thisismyname4today]

starry I love your descriptions of your dogs

kinky I see you have a cute sofa loving labrador too

The 300 method was not for me, she gets too food focused and scratches my fingers taking the treat and we run out of food pretty quick, in fact I feel sure she was using it to train me to give food more frequently grrr.

So actually we have gone with the changing direction idea and it is going well - when the circumstances are right - e.g. we must be one human and one dog out for a walk with no particular destination or time limit ..... include our other dog, a child or anyone to talk too and it goes proper pear shaped and it is as though we have made no progress whatsoever!