Please help me help my dog listen
- Thread starter acer925
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Could you maybe buy him a 50 foot leash to bring him to the park or other large area so he can run, but not be loose? I go a 50 foot one at petsmart and it's great for playing fetch or just letting him run to his heart's content. Then you could play fetch or tie the leash to a tree and run around with a flirt pole, or just let him do zoomies.
Great suggestion!
I used to do this with a 85 foot rope (50 feet just didn't cut it for me as I'm not a great frizbee thrower and I couldn't consistently throw within that range) if you are going to attach him to a fixed object I'd say 80-100 feet would give him plenty of range. I recommend wearing a good pair of leather gloves or similar, if you need to grab the rope for whatever reason it is going to give you a serious case of rope burn if you aren't wearing good gloves.
Also make sure you use a nice padded harness (a leather or seat belt harness would be good options) to attach the rope too. Attaching the rope to your dog's regular collar could cause serious treachea damagae if he hit the end of a 50 plus rope running full speed.
Best of luck, how great of you to consider clicker training, it changed my entire relationship with my older dog Duke, who was very reactive towards other dogs from 3 months old up until about a year and a half. Now a days, thanks to positive reinforcement and clicker training he happily glances at dogs as we walk by them while remaining calm and then looks back at me for his treat, which he still gets every time to this day to maintain his classically conditioned response.
I've also seen a large change in my younger dogs demenour towards other dogs on leash in the four months he's lived with me since adopting him and it's all been through force-free positive reinforcement training utilizing the clicker to mark behaviours I like.
Hope you stick around on this forum, your dog is so lucky to have you
I used to do this with a 85 foot rope (50 feet just didn't cut it for me as I'm not a great frizbee thrower and I couldn't consistently throw within that range) if you are going to attach him to a fixed object I'd say 80-100 feet would give him plenty of range. I recommend wearing a good pair of leather gloves or similar, if you need to grab the rope for whatever reason it is going to give you a serious case of rope burn if you aren't wearing good gloves.
Also make sure you use a nice padded harness (a leather or seat belt harness would be good options) to attach the rope too. Attaching the rope to your dog's regular collar could cause serious treachea damagae if he hit the end of a 50 plus rope running full speed.
Best of luck, how great of you to consider clicker training, it changed my entire relationship with my older dog Duke, who was very reactive towards other dogs from 3 months old up until about a year and a half. Now a days, thanks to positive reinforcement and clicker training he happily glances at dogs as we walk by them while remaining calm and then looks back at me for his treat, which he still gets every time to this day to maintain his classically conditioned response.
I've also seen a large change in my younger dogs demenour towards other dogs on leash in the four months he's lived with me since adopting him and it's all been through force-free positive reinforcement training utilizing the clicker to mark behaviours I like.
Hope you stick around on this forum, your dog is so lucky to have you
this works great, we've been doing it for the past couple days. He's not making any progress walking though, and he needs to be desensitized to going for a walk..he gets to excited everytime. He has his leash on all day, doesnt make a difference. Its really annoying because things like me just putting on my shoes or going to the store and he thinks he's going for a walk. I really dont know what to do with this dog. Theres no positive reinforcement classes in my area, and its not the same for him being 7 yrs old..he doesn't react the same as a puppy..he's not very concerned about being positively reinforced, he just does what he wants. Im losing my patience with the walking thing, almost about to just let him walk with a tight leash..he doesnt pull, but he walks at the end of it (its a 5 ft leash).
Just curious if perhaps a managment tool such as a head halter, or no pull harness might be a helpful addition to make both of your lives easier?
Django and Duke both wear head halters on walks, but I find Django has so much energy that he really pulls and being honest Im happy with a managment tool. I only work loose lead walking after hes run for an hour so on our walk to the field to let him run, I just wrap the leash around his chest and hold them like reins, the sensation of the leash on his chest keeps him walking at a nice pace and it takes the tension off his face as he does wear a head halter but pulls like a fiend.
Once he's tired I hold the leash normally (without wraping it around his chest) and feed him peridocally and stop if he's pulling.
I hope this will create two different pictures for Dj and lets me work on loose leash walking after he's tired and the pre walk I dont have many rules other then dont make me faceplant on the side walk and just use the leash across his chest as a managment tool.
Django and Duke both wear head halters on walks, but I find Django has so much energy that he really pulls and being honest Im happy with a managment tool. I only work loose lead walking after hes run for an hour so on our walk to the field to let him run, I just wrap the leash around his chest and hold them like reins, the sensation of the leash on his chest keeps him walking at a nice pace and it takes the tension off his face as he does wear a head halter but pulls like a fiend.
Once he's tired I hold the leash normally (without wraping it around his chest) and feed him peridocally and stop if he's pulling.
I hope this will create two different pictures for Dj and lets me work on loose leash walking after he's tired and the pre walk I dont have many rules other then dont make me faceplant on the side walk and just use the leash across his chest as a managment tool.
I've never heard of those devices, I will look into them..what I started doing, and I know most would disagree, but I walk him holding the leash with about 6 inches in between so he is forced to walk right by my side. Honestly, it works really well for him as far as him listening to me. We walked by a few dogs and I gave him treats while walking and he didnt even bark at them. I think its something to do with the security he feels closer to me. Yes the leash is tight, but he wasn't learning that tight leash=bad and loose leash=good. If he continues to make progress with not barking at dogs like this, I can always go back to trying to teach him to walk with the loose leash..Id rather get him more comfortable when other dogs walk by first and this seems to make him more comfortable. I still would like to hear comments on this on whatver you think about it. Also, he loves the 50 ft. leash, we go to a field where theres a big hill and he just loves sniffing around and exploring. Its still early on with this new way of walking him, hopefully he will continue to listen as good as he has like this. I look forward to your responses and thoughts.
So which do you find works better, the head halter or the no pull harness? I dont think the no pull harness would work with my dog, I think im gonna try the head halter. If I give him some slack he will walk with his but near my leg, without pulling. But im not sure what people consider walking "next to". To me, that could be next to. Cesar Millan says the owners should always walk infront, but I've also read that it doesn't necessarily mean that gives them the alpha roll. So im not really sure what to believe or where I should keep him. If I want to keep his head next to my leg he pulls, but if I let him walk about 3 ft. up more then he wouldnt pull. I do find that he listens better when I walk him while his head stays next to my leg..that is with the lead tight. I just wish he would walk that way on his own though. Do you guys think the head halter would help if I wanted to keep him closer? Side note: the hotdog treats really help with using "Watch me" command, while a dog is coming up. Just using the "leave it command" sometimes works, sometimes not..but no matter what, it really depends on the other dog I noticed. He is much better with calm dogs, but dogs that are pulling towards him or even look at him for too long, he wants to start a fit and it can be hard to stop him sometimes even with the treats. I am going to try doing the nudge with the foot on his behind also.
Teach him a nice loose leash walk where he is near you. It shouldn't matter whether he's a little in front, behind or along side you. Let him enjoy his walk. The only thing you should concern yourself with is that he doesn't pull and drag you. Teach him that walking with slack in the leash earns him the ability to walk and enjoy it. Creating tension causes you to stop walking. Reward him frequently as he walks nicely. Cesar Milan is full of crap. Forget the whole alpha thing. It's been completely debunked by real dog scientists. Cesar Milan knows nothing about dog behavior. He's just a Hollywood, pretend dog whatever....
If your dog gives you trouble on your walks, practice in much lower distraction areas where he can pay attention to you better and gradually increase the distractions. Lots of reward for polite walking. But I wouldn't be too particular about his position. Walks are suppose to be enjoyable for the dog. The only reason they pull and forge ahead is because they're enthusiastic and eager to get moving. They have 4 legs and go faster than we do. So, if there's a way to get him some exercise where he can really run, in a safe, fenced area, that's good. It helps to get some of that excess energy burned off.
If your dog gives you trouble on your walks, practice in much lower distraction areas where he can pay attention to you better and gradually increase the distractions. Lots of reward for polite walking. But I wouldn't be too particular about his position. Walks are suppose to be enjoyable for the dog. The only reason they pull and forge ahead is because they're enthusiastic and eager to get moving. They have 4 legs and go faster than we do. So, if there's a way to get him some exercise where he can really run, in a safe, fenced area, that's good. It helps to get some of that excess energy burned off.
I second this!
Walking in itself is not going to help his energy level, which is probably a big reason why he is pulling and reacting to other dogs. We went through this with Riley too.
This has probably already been suggested but:
Always have lots of treats, and if you do encounter another dog, keep as far away as you can while still within sight of them. Treat him, ask for his attention and treat every time he looks at you. Slowly build this up to shorter distances from other dogs. It takes a lot of time, but it does help.
Also incorporating some mental challenges along the walk - training, or obstacles (jumping over things, or getting up on something such as a bench).
Honestly, the best thing we did was start Schutzhund training. Riley's leash pulling and reactivity around other dogs and people has improved dramatically. I'm not sure where in Ontario you are but it might be worth looking into.
ETA: Our training is all positive and fun for the dogs. There are a few people that drive 2+ hours to come to it! We train just north west of London. PM me if you're interested.
Walking in itself is not going to help his energy level, which is probably a big reason why he is pulling and reacting to other dogs. We went through this with Riley too.
This has probably already been suggested but:
Always have lots of treats, and if you do encounter another dog, keep as far away as you can while still within sight of them. Treat him, ask for his attention and treat every time he looks at you. Slowly build this up to shorter distances from other dogs. It takes a lot of time, but it does help.
Also incorporating some mental challenges along the walk - training, or obstacles (jumping over things, or getting up on something such as a bench).
Honestly, the best thing we did was start Schutzhund training. Riley's leash pulling and reactivity around other dogs and people has improved dramatically. I'm not sure where in Ontario you are but it might be worth looking into.
ETA: Our training is all positive and fun for the dogs. There are a few people that drive 2+ hours to come to it! We train just north west of London. PM me if you're interested.
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Would it be better to build his listening in the backyard before or after his morning excercise? He listens well in the yard. I use his ball to make him listen. But I'd like to add more distractions in the yard and also do those things while he is on leash and then start moving onto the driveway. He improved a lot with barking at other dogs, I taught him to watch me and that works everytime along with the treat. Im trying to work on his pulling now and this is the hardest thing. He is not a bad puller, he just walks on the end of a tight leash. He is so happy to be on walks just smelling everything that Im surprised he even hears me. I know that directly relates to the pulling so I need him to be more focused on me rather than surroundings. I could let go of the leash and walk home and it would take him a few minutes to realize where I even was. Is this excitement on his walk a bad thing? I've been teaching him by using the treats as a tool for making him walk nicely next to me. I hold it in my hand for about 20 steps before I give it to him though. Then when he starts to forge ahead again, I say "this way" and turn around before he hits the end of the leash and repeat the treat process. I joke with my girlfriend and tell her it doesnt help that he is half wild..his mother got pregnant while outside. So he could be half coyote or something lol. He looks like a dutch shepherd though his mom is mainly german shepherd and they said lab also but he doesn't look or act like a lab.
Actually that place told me that it wasn't best for him. They didn't even reccomend anywhere else for him. I have this other trainer I'm calling today to see what she teaches and can do for him. Like I said, we were working on the fear of dogs thing and made great progress just me and him. But now I'm looking to better his pulling and if I could do it myself I would, thats why I asked here. If not, then we will seek a professional.
Just an update on my dog, he's been doing really well over the last few months. The positive reinforcement with biscuits and watch me command has worked well. He actually made a couple friends that we visit everyday and share biscuits with. Never thought I'd see that. He still isn't 100%. Yesterday we were walking past a friendly great dane, I didn't use any command or biscuits, just trusted him to keep walking since he hasn't done anything bad in a while. He didn't bark or anything but lunged at him very sneakily. I didn't even see it coming. I reprimanded him with a quick tug on the leash and he was fine. Once he gets reprimanded he's fine, he can sit within 5 feet of the dog he just lunged at. It took a while for him to be buddies with the other 2 dogs, the biscuits were the main focus. He still won't respond well on his own if a strange dog gets too close.
Reprimanding him in the presence of another dog is not positive reinforcement training. What you're doing is associating punishment with other dogs. That can suppress that behavior temporarily but it won't reduce his anxiety or excitement (whatever it is he's feeling) around other dogs. It won't change his feeling about being close to other dogs. It can, in fact increase or escalate that behavior and turn it into something worse at some point in the future. So, if you don't see something like that coming, I would recommend that you just keep walking and don't do anything. Keep working at other times on making positive associations with other dogs...at distances where he isn't lunging or barking (praise, high value treats, games etc) and avoid up close encounters when possible until he is more reliable at distances with lower levels of the stimuli that triggers this behavior. If there are some dogs he knows well that he likes to play with off leash, keep doing that too as long as it's safe and all the dogs are stable and get along.
It sounds like he's doing much better and that is good. But it's often an ongoing thing you have to practice. "Watch me" is good. You can also transition that into "watch the other dog," then look to me and you get a fantastic reward. But from a distance, gradually decreasing the distance. You want him to think that when he sees another dog, it represents, not a reprimand, but something very, very good. Then that lunging....reacting will subside.
It sounds like he's doing much better and that is good. But it's often an ongoing thing you have to practice. "Watch me" is good. You can also transition that into "watch the other dog," then look to me and you get a fantastic reward. But from a distance, gradually decreasing the distance. You want him to think that when he sees another dog, it represents, not a reprimand, but something very, very good. Then that lunging....reacting will subside.
