Is there anything different I could be doing with my WCS and his lead walking?

[WednesdayIsPurple]

I have a gorgeous WCS who is nearly 1 yr old.

I have been doing training with him since he was a puppy and he has come on leaps and bounds. He is extremely bouncy and full of beans (not atypical for his breed!). One area we've been working on since day 1 is his lead walking.

Whenever we are going somewhere new, on the way back from any of his familiar walks or somewhere he knows there isn't a park, he walks beautifully. Always looking up to check in, stops when I stop, loose lead etc.

However if we walk anywhere that he is familiar with that ends in a park, the minute he recognises the route (and he has memorised them all), he goes completely mental, pulling so hard that at his weight (15kg) and his strength, he can pull me over.

If you lure him with treats or a ball to stay at your side he will ignore them. If you stop and wait, he just waits till you go again and jumps forward. The last time I went, he ended up walking on his back legs only he was pulling so hard, his front was rearing up. It doesn't seem to matter what we do, we can't stop him doing it. I started turning around to go home and he walks beautifully immediately but the minute you turn to go back to the park, he goes mental!

Has anyone got any tips? It is pure unadulterated excitement and so much a part of his character (he's a loving and lovely dog who just loves being sociable) but it's starting to become an issue especially if he drags me over!

I have a Sprocker who is nearly one and is the same. We have a trainer/ behaviourist who has helped me become a little more okay with it.
Basically spaniels are one of the hardest to train loose lead - it’s completely alien to them to walk nicely - they are trained to run and stop and wait - this is why he is how he is. It’s so much harder for him to work against his instincts. They are trained to quarter not to move forward at a slow pace. Knowing that helped me be a lot more patient.
Keep doing what you’re doing. Stop and wait for the lead to become loose (he’ll work it out - mine steps back a few steps) and then go forward. Just keep at it and be calm. Ultimately my advice would be to limit time on lead if you can and do a real solid recall. He’ll get that so much faster. And then on lead keep at it and he will get it. Mine is good on some days and others I just go with it.
The other thing is a harness with a front and back loop so when he does pull it spins him back to me to he doesn’t get to where he wants - look up mekuti harness - it’s made a big difference: he’ll still pull but it’s easier to control and work with!

Do you have to go to that particularly park? Could you only go together park by car for a little while and street walks are just walks on the lead to change his anticipation of being let off in the park?

You say he checks in with you and walks well on a loose lead, are you reinforcing that behaviour too by praising, fussing, treating etc?

What are you using in terms of harness and lead?
I have a 35kg dog who was never trained to walk loose lead (or to be a dog for that matter) and we have made excellent progress with a 2 point harness (top and chest) with a double lead splitter. I use a 2 handled lead for added control.
Having said that, we had a WCS years ago and he never ever walked loose lead. He pulled so much that he walked on a lean. They're a different species.

Should point out, we only adopted her recently at 4 years old, don't want people thinking there's something amiss here!

In your shoes I would a) go to a gundog trainer, who will have dealt with 100s of spaniels, and b) take that route to the park, and just turn around and head home every time he pulled; when the lead went lose again, I'd praise and treat, then turn back towards the park. And rinse and repeat. I would expect to not get to the park at least the first time, and maybe the second.

Thanks - I am chuckling at all these mad WCS

He's being trained with a gundog trainer now who says we just need to keep consistent. He gets huge praise for walking nicely but it's the pure excitement of getting to the park or wanting to get to the park that is doing it. He's in a perfect fit harness when we go to the park. He can walk on a slip lead but we can't use that to the park or he would throttle himself!

I told the trainer maybe he will calm down as he gets older and she said (she has many WCS herself) they only calm down 6 months before they pass away!

One of my wcs is the same. Although now its just one particular park that we use for quicker walks.

During lockdowns, when I had more time if she did this I would change direction, go down another street until she calmed down

But the park we take her to for a quick walk, we don't generally have time to do a big diversion. So it's taken longer. My older one (5) is the lesser known lazy wcs so, we don't have this. In fact in the oarkaftwr about 25 mins, she funds some shade for a lay down....I think she is broken

Our puller is a very petite 8kg, so it's not a huge deal. The lazy one is 12kg. So I am glad it's the small one that's a puller.

I am off a lot over the summer so going to concentrate on the short walk and when she pulls go on a diversion. See if it works on this one. But then it will probably go back to normal when it goes back to being the short walk again.

Interesting that this is a common problem as I was sure I was doing something wrong with my rescue spaniel cross over the 2 months I have had her. She is 5 and walks on the lead nicely (although she does the zigzag walk a bit) when she knows the route and every interesting sniff point but when we go somewhere new she will either try to race ahead or linger so she can be sure she will remember where we have been.
She would certainly be able to find her way home by smell!
I use a loose lead with her
However her recall in familiar places is spot on - so I am not complaining.

I walk five cocker spaniels (and a sprocker spaniel) and absolutely none of them walk nicely or calmly on a lead

I should add I'm a dog walker so they're all different ages and come from different homes and backgrounds. Their ages range from just over a year old to six years old. In fact, I'd say the six year old is the worst out of all them

Have exactly the same with my springer...10months have trained from 12 weeks and have a gundog trainer as well...and its exactly the same except hes22kg so has pulled me over ...the gundog training is going well with most things and improved his recall immensely...walks better to heel than in the lead! Have perfect fit harness which hasn't made much difference but did stop the choking
Now trying figure 8 lead...trainer not massively keen...neither is the dog..but I don't get pulled over and its not for long as the park not far...
And once off lead he's great so far...fingers crossed....you'll see lots gundog on them as its against their nature to be on lead as above..our trainer reckons it can take years/never !

at all these spaniels!

yes his recalled which disappeared at age 6/7 months is now back and is really good - we use a whistle for recall - so maybe I should be thankful for small mercies! It certainly needs to be good at his speed!

@Sloaneslone I am lol at the lesser known lazy wcs!!

yes that's a good idea actually - I might go on the route to the park and then not take him to the park and see if I do that a few times, it calms him down as he won't be expecting to go there every time.

sorry, no help at all but he sounds adorable!

Thanks @JellyMouldJnr

Dp wanted a dog and I was never really that keen. He was the one who was going to do the walks and the main part of his care. Then this ridiculous bundle of energy arrived who, every morning, jumps on me in bed and puts his front paws around my neck and cuddles me and licks my ears until he's satisfied he's had his morning love. And then I'm allowed up . Our lives were turned upside down by him but in a totally good way and I now can't imagine life without him.