Or does anyone else find it hilarious when people's dogs take them for a walk?

[YoureBeingADick]

I see this quite often. People 'walking' their dog by attaching a lead and then leaning back at a 45degree angle before yelling 'moosh' ( or however it's spelled) and taking off down the street almost on their backside. Well at least that's what it looks like they've done. Why dont people learn how to walk their dogs?

[SnakeyMcBadass]

I should say, off lead he is a dream. He's from working stock, so I suspect that leads in general are seen as a bit alien to him. But give him a field and some woods and a ball to find and he's in heaven

[Tanith]

My mum took my brother's labradors for a walk once. She got herself completely stuck: one had gone one side of a lamppost and the other had gone the other side and she couldn't get her arms free without letting them go (they didn't do backwards).
We tried to stop laughing and rescue her, we really did - took us a while, though

[ClaraOswald]

I used to have that problem with my old Border Collie when she was young. Fucking scary as she was a car chaser. She was very big for her breed and exceptionally strong.

In the end we changed from a neck collar to a full harness so that the point of control was further down her back and she wasn't able to put her full muscle and bulk behind her speed build up so she remained in our control a bit more. The first part of the walk she was kept to heel and when we felt she wasn't straining so much we gave her a bit more lead. The only time we actively wanted her to charge on was to pull us up the huge hill our town was built on :) At first I was the only one strong enough to keep her under control on a lead, so walking being towed was my job and I don't like being dragged into the middle of a road.

[SilverApples]

Sorry, no.
It just looks like someone with a dog they can't control to me.
Unless it's obvious that they are training, and the dog isn't quite there yet, especially if it's because they are happy and bouncy and want to run. And on the small side.
But a walker who can't handle the dog they have? Not funny.

[Binkyridesagain]

Tanith, I've done that with my dogs but I was wearing roller skates at the time.

[Tanith]

Binky
How did you get out of it?

[NCHammerTime]

Thank you for the halti recommendation, YoureBeing!

Dahlen - I'm sure you're right in general about consistency being the key, but I wish somebody would tell our dog that! We were literally taking a single step and then stopping while he pulled until he choked himself (and eventually got bored and started licking our shoes), so he was getting hardly any exercise until I found a suitable harness.

He's a lovely little chap and very obedient in every other way (you can put a treat on the floor in front of him and he'll wait, salivating and whining, until you tell him he can eat it). However, his disposition totally changes if you clip a lead to his collar - he just focuses on pulling with all his strength, and doesn't respond to anything or enjoy the walk at all! He's not keen on the harness (and will run away and hide when he hears it being picked up) but once it's on he is obedient, attentive, and excited to be out - he'll still trot ahead regardless of what we do, but stops whenever he feels the lead go taut.

[SelectAUserName]

You should never let a dog lead you because then the dog thinks it is the dominant one

Sorry Davsmum but the whole 'dominance / pack leader' theory is hopelessly outdated and discredited now. Anyone who still attempts to follow this as a training methodology are likely to do more harm than good.

SelectASpaniel is a dream on the lead in most situations (no credit to us, we've only had him since May) but he suffers from fear aggression so if I slip up and let a dog get into his 'safe bubble' he will bark and lunge, and he is STRONG so I'm grateful to his previous owner for cracking the lead training, if nothing else.

[Binkyridesagain]

Someone helped I think. I was trying to stem the flow of blood from my nose to notice what was going on around me.

[SelectAUserName]

is likely (grammar fail )

[Davsmum]

Selectausername
Sorry - I disagree! Discredited by who? I have known many friends who have undergone this type of training and they have ended up with a happier dog! and a much easier life.
The dog gets more stressed when you let it lead. It may try to lead you but it creates anxiety.

[YoureBeingADick]

Nc my beagle was like this- one step at a time- it was awful. I hated walking. I actually gave up on outdoor lead walks for a bit and just got him used to behaving on the lead indoors, the graduated to the garden then the back path and when i was sure he wasn't going to take off i started proper walks again. It took a lot of patience and repetition.

[quoteunquote]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/1874686-how-do-you-teach-an-old-dog-not-to-pull-on-the-lead

It seems to happen a lot, not enjoyable for owner or dog.

It's easily adjusted.

[aliciaflorrick]

I've got one of these dogs and it's not pleasant going for a walk. I've spent a lot of money trying and going to lessons to try and get him to walk, and actually after 20 - 30 minutes he will walk by your side, but only because he's half hung himself and is wheezing like a train and is possibly half dead. My final straw came when he pulled me over after he lunged towards a particular tree that he just had to wee against - we were in the woods and surrounded by feckin trees.

I don't know why mine is such a puller, he's had lessons since he was little but as soon as that lead goes on and he gets outside, any little bit of sense he has leaves his head.

I've managed to make my walks more pleasant and stop the dog trying to kill himself by buying a "No More Pull" harness. It's changed my life and my shoulders aren't constantly being pulled out of their sockets. It still doesn't stop him jumping up and down and trying to do back flips when he sees a cat, but at least this way it's only him doing the back flips. There's something about it that stops him being able to pull so hard.

[lainiekazan]

"When I was a kid our dog always walked to heel until he was let off the lead. Is this deeply unfashionable now or something?"

I'll think you'll find that someone else put in the spadework and trained him. Dogs do not come ready trained.

Some dogs are, however, more willing than others. I have put in a tremendous amount of effort with my dog - professional training - the lot, but he detests walking on a lead and his one aim in life is to run free. Actually it's far from hilarious being dragged along, it's depressing as what should be a lovely walk ends up as a battle of wills.

[SelectAUserName]

Discredited by who?

Job Michael Evans, who was originally an advocate of Cesar Millan and the Alpha Roll, and who has subsequently apologised for helping to popularise it.

Dr Ian Dunbar, one of the most respected names in dog training and psychology, who studied the social behaviour of dogs for nine years.

Dr Ray Coppinger, biology professor, co-founder of the Livestock Guarding Dog Project, respected author of many books on dog behaviour and training.

Victoria Stilwell and David Montgomery of the UK Animal Behaviour and Training Council.

Patricia McConnell, Dr Sophia Yin, Dr Andrew Leuscher, Dr Suzanne Hetts, Dr Nicholas Dodman; all eminent and highly-regarded trainers and authors.

Anyone who practises counter conditioning and positive reinforcement.

[Fenton]

From what I've seen it's more usually smaller dogs that do all this pulling, and I've wonder whether that's because it's not too much of a problem to have a small dog tugging at the lead, so it goes uncorrected, - whereas if it was a larger dog you would sooner want to fix the problem.

(I am fairly new to dogs so excuse me if I'm generalising massively)


But there is an exception to that observation, - every morning I see a woman with two german shepherds and they constantly pull and she's constantly tugging them back, - I always want to dog-nap them and see if I break the habit - must be horrible for all of them.

[redexpat]

You mean like the man from 3 doors down the road who gets dragged passed my window at 430 every afternoon? Makes me smile every single time.

[BionicEmu]

quoteunquote you don't happen to be in E. Midlands do you?

I've tried the turning around thing but not sure I'm doing it right because my dog was just not bothered. He just seems to be happy just being outside, doesn't seem to mind where he's going.

[NCHammerTime]

It's so frustrating, isn't it, You'reBeing? The hardest thing for us was/is the fact that the pup is a working lab and really needs the exercise and stimulation, or he ends up getting very destructive and stressed. I'll definitely get him a Halti for Christmas - he's been so much better on the harness compared to the collar lead, it has to be worth a try!

LainieKazan - I'm not sure that it is always a case of somebody else "putting in the spadework", actually. Sure, there are plenty of dog owners who don't bother to teach their dogs to walk to heel properly. However, everybody I know who had a family dog in the 1970s and 80s has immediately offered the same solution when I've mentioned our problem: "choke chain - ours got the message soon enough", whereas very few people will advocate that now. We're just a much more gentle, touchy-feely culture now, where animals and children are concerned, and I wonder if that accounts for some of the difference. (NB - I'm suggesting that cruelty leads to better discipline or relationships, or implying that it's an option worthy of consideration. However, I can imagine that a choke chain will get results faster than more sophisticated and compassionate methods, even if those results aren't worth having due to the means by which they were gained.)

[lainiekazan]

Actually, good point, NCHammerTime. Our dog in the 80s had a choke chain. It was all Barbara Woodhouse then!

I initially went to a "positive training" class - no telling off of dog, all persuading. Dog laughed in their faces, frankly. It all collapsed when training lady was trying to get dog to do something with a treat and he barged at her, knocked her right down and gobbled up the whole tupperware boxful.

Dog is now having personal training with a kind lady, but a firm one.

[Davsmum]

selectausername

There are as many for training one way as for the other.

Millan was using his methods to correct aggressive dogs and older dogs.
Most trainers would not encourage dogs to lead you on the lead.

[lainiekazan]

It's very like raising children. Ds has always been very amenable. I have rarely told him off. It was all so easy! Along comes dd. Aaaggghh! Now, after ds I could have put myself forward as an A1 parent with all the answers. Dd taught me that no one method works for all and in some cases you have to get tough. Same for dogs. Some will do as they're told straightaway; others are going to fight you all the way (literally, in some cases...)

[GhostsInSnow]

I lost my beautiful Scottie dog to liver disease last year, but he was a dog that had to be there yesterday. That was his personality. If he'd had a voice I could imagine a constant stream of "Mummummum SQUIRREL! Mum! Ooooh people! ROLLLLLLLOVER" etc.
I also have a Westie. Now Bob bless him is the most laid back of animals I have ever met. He will literally pop his nose out of the door to check for rain and if there is any flatly refuse to leave the house. He's lazy.

So, now imagine the sight of me walking sideways along the street whilst simultaneously dragging a Westie and being dragged by a Scottie

I tried everything with him but he was just a hyperactive hound who really needed to be where he was going yesterday. Don't half miss him though.

[NCHammerTime]

Lainie - I've just tried to imagine a persuasion-based class and couldn't help sniggering, it must have been hard to keep a straight face while you were there! I hope the new trainer works out for you - I'm trying to persuade my DBro to book a few sessions with somebody at present about a different issue (managing the "manic" outbursts that pubescent dogs go through), but every one we've been recommended is a bit... old school... so far.

Juice - your dogs must have been great fun together (at least for an unconnected observer), sympathies for your loss .