Pulling on lead driving me to despair!

[LumpySpaceCow]

Hello,

I know this topic has been covered many times (I've read them all), but wanted to see if there were any other nuggets of wisdom for me!

We have a 1 year old Black Lab. Inside the house, he is pretty chilled - great with the kids, engages and trains well (he does bark if anyone walks past the house or rings the bell but I need to sort the walking first!).

Outside the house is a different story. He pulls on the lead, can be quiet reactive and we can't let him off the lead yet as his recall is hit and miss in the real world with all the smells and possibility of meeting other dogs.

From being small, we did the loose lead walking as described in the Easy Peasy book - he would basically just come back for a treat but then if a smell took his fancy, would pull like crazy and not come back for anything - he is a big dog and pulled me over once so we sought help from a recommended dog trainer (one to one rather than the puppy classes we had been attending).

The trainer specialises in gun dogs. He advised us to use a short slip lead, be firmer with the dog and sort of pull the lead with a noise to get his focus back on us (hard to describe but if you have watched the dog whisperer, similar to that!) The dog is perfect during the training sessions, but again when out with me just chokes himself on the slip lead. I just can't seem to keep him engaged - the smells and other dogs/people are more interesting!

I want to be able to enjoy walks and not dread them. I need this sorting for Winter as I fear I will end up breaking a limb if he tugs me over!!

Thanks 😀

Caesar is a terrible dog trainer and nobody should be taking advice from him.

Halti head collar was a game changer for us. I have a big golden retriever who weighs 44kilo and he’d literally pull me off my feet like a water skier. I used to dread going on walks. The head collar means I can take him out no problem at all. He’s completely used to it now, took a week or so for him to adjust.

In terms of harnesses don't get them mixed up - the T touch harness is excellent, the dog is attached at both ends (one ring at the dog's chest and a double ring on the back so you need a double ended lead). The other types like K9 I have never used but seem to make dogs pull (and I've seen bad reviews about them putting pressure on the dog's shoulders)

I've heard good reports about figure of 8 leads that go across the nose but not something I've used myself.

You could try a harness with a head halter/ figure 8 across the nose.

It's recommended as a last resort after you've tried other things, but if you've exhausted other options, it is still a gentle solution.

It was necessary for my friend's lab as there was no other way to walk him without pulling like mad, they tried all the other training techniques etc. They don't use it for long periods - just for the 10 min walk down to the park and then he's allowed off the lead. It works really well.

If ne behaves for the trainer but not for you then you are doing it wrong. Sorry but you need to learn how to handle your dog. Get training for yourself.

Thanks so much for all of your replies. For those asking about off lead time - no, not yet as his recall is terrible and he runs off into the fields. We had a few bad experiences of him doing this - hes a big dog and it's frightening for other people to see a bounding lab running towards thrm as well (we would only let him off when we thought we were alone but he managed to find people who were not in eyesight!) We definitely need to work on his recall. I've bought a longline as a compromise until we are confident in his recall. He does have long walks, lots of mental stimulation during the day and a large garden he can run around in.

@AnnieSnap he was fitted for one of those yesterday at a shop - he managed to get out of it - the lead went between his legs and as I was trying to pull him back as he was trying to get away, he managed to climb out. Going to go back to the shop today to exchange it.

Had a good walk this morning but literally just took his breakfast with me so he was glued to me wanting his food! We did this for months though when he was younger and as soon as we didn't have the food, he was back to pulling. It was a lot nicer walk though so going to continue with this each morning and then the recall training throughout the day as per @Shannith.

I think we are going to get him fitted with a head collar/halti today and see how we get on - can you still give them treats with this on? Also, going to take him to a private field for some safe recall practice and for him to have a good run!

@Cyclistmumgrandma completely agre which is why we sought the trainer - he is there to teach us the techniques. He is an experienced dog trainer who does this day in and day out, I'd be concerned if he the dog wouldn't behave for him. Even the trainer has commented on how head strong our dog is and that we need to be 'stricter'. I'll admit, a lot of it is time - if we are rushing in a morning, we probably don't engage as much as we should - the trainer has the dog engaged for the full hour which is definitely the key! He wants to be an obedient dog and thrives off the mental stimulation- we just need to be better at providing it. Trying our best and appreciate all of the comments.

Have a six month old Weimaraner and swear by the slip lead.
Our trainer told us to give him ten Minutes training in the garden before we went out. Also not to feed him breakfast but take it with us and treat treat treat and 'YES' and 'look at me' when he becomes distracted.
Honestly game changer.
A week later we were able to cut down the treats and just to the exaggerated 'YES'.
Now he's perfect.
Also has the perfect fit harness with lead attached at the front but as others have said he's then got something to pull against his chest. Although he's better on it now we have the slip lead loose walking sorted.

Also trainer advised us that we could try a halti with far quicker results but the pulling would still be there if we used any other lead or harness so you're not fixing the problem just managing it

You definitely need a Halti, game changer . My spaniel was pulling me so hard it was making every walk incredibly hard work . She doesn’t pull at all with a Halti .

Having had a few dogs that pulled and walked families dogs who also pulled like freight trains one head collar that works for me is 2posh2pull and also a slip lead that goes in a figure of 8 over the nose. When I go back to a harness or just lead and collar the difference is unbelievable , with the 2posh2pull head collar I feel like I’m walking crufts dogs!!

@LumpySpaceCow I still have a pocket full of treats (just food) even when I'm walking the perfect recall lab. She'll come back for the measliest piece of kibble but I tend to have bits of chicken/ham/cheese too. And give her the odd bit so she never knows if it's boring kibble or chicken.

The thing with dogs - if you want lovely easy behaviour - you never reply stop training them. There is not a point when it's job done.

Of course you do it less - or at least it's so instinctive you hardly realise you are doing it.

I've just taken them out for a walk and probably recalled them or rewarded a check in (coming back of their own accord) about 25-30 times. Only 3 times because I needed to (saw another dog on a lead so put them on and a runner)

They actually live it - it's a fun game -
Come pelting back - loads of enthusiasm from me and treats fed or thrown in the air.

Lots and lots of reputation and consistency and patience.

As to rushing out the door - it's one of those examples where we are training our dogs without realising.

Rushing out, getting ready quickly, being the opposite of calm and quiet means you start out with a hyped up dog and human and then wonder why it's a hectic annoying walk.

Hard as it is - try to do this until it becomes a habit - give your self and extra 5 mins before you leave the house.

Get ready slowly and calmly. At the door do a few close recalls so they know you e got the good stuff and don't leave until you and the dog are fine.

If you haven't taught wait at the dog - teach this so you leave the house with the dog paying attention.

I also treat the first minute of the walk as a reminder that you pay attention to me. So lots of halts and rewards and halt and reward - to many people start their walks charging about the door and wonder why the dog is a pain in the butt!

It's small consistent changes that create a calmer more attentive dog and walks become a pleasure rather than an ordeal

Shannith has put it far better than me, they're spot on!

@LumpySpaceCow they can both eat and drink normally with a halti.

Ddog has lots of drinks when wearing it. We once got home after a long day out and I unclipped her lead and put her dinner down. I only realised half way through she had the halti on and it didn't slow her down at all or seem to make any difference.

I’m a bit concerned that your one year old lab can’t be off lead yet, the ideal time to teach recall is when they are very young pups and keen to stick close to you. I imagine yours is pulling because it’s desperate for a good run around. Labradors are retrievers so it is in their nature to have excellent recall and want to play fetch etc. I would prioritise teaching this ASAP over worrying about on lead pulling. Having gun dogs off lead is the most fun thing about having one! Our cocker has brilliant recall but will pull us to the park if she’s desperate for a run around. She never pulls on the way home. Appreciate a lab is bigger so the pulling is more of an issue but I would be prioritising recall immediately before you’re stuck with a lab who can’t go off lead.

Yep! Mine even plays with his ball in his. He can easily open his mouth fully!

(and that's the key - you're not fitting a muzzle where the aim is to keep the mouth closed!)

BTW, halti is a brand - there are better versions imo! Dogmatic are good.

@mosiacmaker I take your point. In the early days we would let him off but then had a few bad experiences which put us off. I suppose it has become a bit of a fear. 100% our fault as we clearly haven't put in the training to perfect his recall. Going to make sure we get this right ASAP. I think the long line will help and give us a bit of confidence.

@QuestionableMouse he looks so happy! I noticed that the pet shop had the dogmatic as well as a couple of others so going to get one fitted today.

We tried everything. Halti, slip leads the lot, every variation on harness. Until we found one that worked, which was a harness with one continuous short lead, attached on the back of harness and other end to a D ring on front chest of harness. You use both hands on lead, one putting pressure on the front ring to keep to heel as needed, the other to the back ring is kept looser. The problem with normal harnesses with pressure on back is that they trigger the pull response.

@QuestionableMouse thank you! And gorgeous photo - happy looking dog!

Thank you! ❤️

Sounds like useful advice. Our 15-week-old Weim is fine at the moment (on the lead, a bloody nightmare on the biting front). I try those things if we run into problems later.

Sympathies. I have a pointer. He's 9 and still pulls on the lead in spite of us having tried everything. He's very intelligent and easy to train to do other things, but not this. Not really interested in treats while out and about, just wants to get where he's going! Dogmatic head collar prevents him from pulling quite as strongly. Every head collar or harness we tried stopped him pulling for the first few walks, then he learned he could just pull anyway!

Have you got a secure dog field near you for hire? They seem to be popping up all over the place recently. Might be an option for some off lead running about. You could practice recall and at a later date introduce another dog for distraction if you know someone willing to come along.

I could have written this post. Lab is 20 months and I still carry diced cheese and kibble. Hurtles back 99% of the time. The pouches of dog food are brilliant for them to have a lick of something unctuous as an unexpected high value reward.