Another loose leash training thread - tried everything!

[Pawbla]

I asked my teacher and he told me it's a Siberian Husky thing, so I decided to ask in a forum dedicated to huskies. He said that because mainly, my dog is pretty obedient - if we are walking and I tell him to sit, he'll instantly do it.

I have a mixed breed I rescued when he was 2 years old, that looks 30% GSD, 70% Husky - but behaviourally, he is 100% Husky. While I do love that, it's being awfully hard to teach him to walk on a loose leash. Mind you, it's usually the hardest thing for me to teach to an adult dog, but this is being unreasonably hard. I have been walking him daily since November, and practicing basically everything that "works" in the theory - rewarding loose leash walking, turning the other way when he starts pulling, stopping when he pulls, etc, but nothing seems to work. As soon as I stop, he'll stop walking, but as soon as I start walking again, he starts pulling. I can't even reward loose leash walking because there is not one second when he's not pulling.

He (sorta) heels off-leash in my garden but outside he goes totally crazy! I've been using that 300-peck (or something like that) method which is basically gradual clicker training.

I tried a halti too, but he hated it and pulled anyways. It looked like it would hurt his neck so I totally dropped the idea.

I've also noticed he gets in dominant-dog-mode when he goes on walks. He marks and keeps being pretty dominant to other dogs, so most of the times I have to make him sit and wait for the other dog to approach. But I'd like to address that subject later - once I'm able to walk without being dragged. It's really uncomfortable to train like that. He's pretty well-balanced inside my house, though. Like I said, also very obedient.

Any new tips for the book? It's starting to get frustrating.

[Cassandra & Honey]

I'd pick a training tool and stick to it. As well as a method. Do it consistantly.

http://www.dogmantics.com/Dogmantics/Free_Video_List.html

Her loose leash videos are very good.

Huskies in my eyes are just as trainable as any other breed, they all have their draw backs, but we shouldn't give into it.

i have a big puller of a dog. Teaching her loose leash walking took a while and was a combination of finding the right training tool and method for her.

The prong collar has worked best for us, along with positive reinforcement with treats and praise.

I ended up teaching a 'slow' command, taught to us by our trainer.

Whenever she started to pull or move beyond me and put tension on the leash, she would get a quick correction, i say the word 'slow', at the same time i quickly turn and walk in the opposite direction.

Sticking with this routine made her think 'gee, i had better stick with this lady and watch her, who knows where she'll go next!'.

That works for us, but find what works with your dog and yourself.

Take into account the terrible stubborness of puppy stages and work through it! there's always a light at the end of those puppy times haha.

Mine's at 19 months now and i keep noticing the puppiness dropping off bit by bit and it's fantastic!

Goodluck!

ETA: Quite a few on here have a new harness called the Walk your dog with love, harness.

Might be worth giving one of those a shot as well as applying training.

[sutsibe]

It sounds like you're doing things generally the right way - largely as I would, anyway. It's annoying and irritating, but to me, it's the best way, used very consistently, to really get them to learn what's expected. Using a food lure - especially something really tasty - or a favorite toy (if he's not food motivated and is play motivated) can also be a way to get his attention to where you want it. Good luck!

[Elyse]

Have you tried using the a Martingale collar? I have one for Suka, he's a dominant boy as well and he's a puller. The Martingale seems to set him straight, but you have to be consistent with it cause once they learn that they can pull anyways with it on...you have to restart the training with the new collar all over again.

[Pawbla]

I used a choke collar but I don't really like it, in fact, I was planning to drop it for our next walk. I considered the prongs collar, but I really can't bring myself to put it on him. I feel really uncomfortable with it. And I can't find martingale collars anywhere !

I'm fairly more confident when I work only with positive reinforcement (and negative punishment, I think is the english term? when you ignore the dog?) so I guess that's what I should stick to. The dog in my picture is training for therapy, that's the kind of training I like to do, so that pretty much sums it up I think!

I was just now watching this lady's videos! I need to retrieve my clicker from my city, I forgot it when I came back to my parent's home. My boyfriend will bring it on thursday I think. I need a consistent "watch me" and maybe hand targetting before I can get back to heeling, I think.

Curiously enough, he is both play and food motivated, but apparently the walking is even a bigger motivator for him. I thought stopping when he pulls would be good training since he's rather "walk-motivated", but I guess he doesn't get that pulling won't get him where he wants! Hahaha! I guess that's the main problem - the walk is superior to any reinforcement I may be able to give him.

I'd love one of this harnesses but there's been an importation ban for a while now. I'll see if I can get the model of the harness so a friend of mine (who also made the halti) might be able to make one of those for me.

Thanks for the advice! My dog is not a puppy anymore though, he's over three years old right now . It's really annoying because I though I would have him heeling before I left so my parents could walk him; but there's only a month or so until I go back home, and it has been more than two months since I started training him. He has a big yard but you know how it is, a dog that never goes for a walk is never a happy dog, especially if it's a husky we're talking about.

What's curious about it, is that he'll instantly stop when I stop walking, I also have a verbal command for that but I rarely need it; but when I start walking again he'll start instantly pulling! Hahaha, he's really stubborn!

[Andy]

There is no quick fix.

Nothing with Huskies ever is.

Find a method that YOU are comfortable with and stick with it.

The reason any method (unfortunately) is not working is because you are not giving it enough time.

It took me 12 months of Halti's and one on one loose lead training to get my 3 guys to walk nicely.

No dog takes to Halti's or gentle leader type control headcollars straight away, they all hate it. YOU have to persevere.

However after 12 months I can now walk ALL 3 of mine with their leads connected in ONE HAND.

I am not some kind of super trainer, just patient.

take the time, you'll get there in the end.

[Pawbla]

Wow, 12 months? No wonder I'm not getting any results yet. Maybe I got frustrated too quick, you're right. But it was because I'm training other dogs too, and they caught up waaaaay quicker. Maybe because since I've had them since they were younger, so they've been correctly socialized.

I'm still not a fan of the halti, though, it looks like it will injure his neck even more than a choke collar. He was doing great with it at home until we went for a walk on the street. It really scared me. I guess I'll keep doing what I was doing, then. Thanks for the advise.

One question though. If I take my dog on a walk and he pulls, I'm reinforcing the pulling behaviour. Then, walking with him daily would be kind of a daily setback. How can I correctly exercice him while I'm training?

...unless I use a collar and leash for the daily walk, and different a collar and leash for training? And then "wean" him out of the daily walk collar/leash?

[Elyse]

Wow, 12 months? No wonder I'm not getting any results yet. Maybe I got frustrated too quick, you're right. But it was because I'm training other dogs too, and they caught up waaaaay quicker. Maybe because since I've had them since they were younger, so they've been correctly socialized.

I'm still not a fan of the halti, though, it looks like it will injure his neck even more than a choke collar. He was doing great with it at home until we went for a walk on the street. It really scared me. I guess I'll keep doing what I was doing, then. Thanks for the advise.

One question though. If I take my dog on a walk and he pulls, I'm reinforcing the pulling behaviour. Then, walking with him daily would be kind of a daily setback. How can I correctly exercice him while I'm training?

...unless I use a collar and leash for the daily walk, and different a collar and leash for training? And then "wean" him out of the daily walk collar/leash?

What I did, using the Martingale collar, was that every single time Suka would start to pull or when the leash would tighten up...I'd give him a 'check' using the collar. (basically, flicking my wrist to the side and down so I don't hurt his trachea.)

It worked for a while, until my Mom took the reins once I moved away to University and now he has to be retrained again cause she wasn't consistent.

[Pawbla]

Yeah, that sucks. I know my mother won't be consistent. But I was hoping to get him at least somewhat trained. I guess I'll have to wait one or two years so my sister will be a little older and maybe she'll be able to continue the training. He will be able to get out only once a month or so, when I come back, I'm one of the few people who can rather handle him. I'll keep trying to train him though. Maybe I should give in to the idea of the halti and try to make him accept it, so he'll be able to go for a walk at least once a week.

Edit: I sent the model to check if this guy could make one of these harnesses. This importation ban is awful, we can't buy supplies of any kind!

If anybody has the Walk with Love basic measures for a husky, could you send them to me? Thanks!

[Bec]

I have been walking him daily since November, and practicing basically everything that "works" in the theory - rewarding loose leash walking, turning the other way when he starts pulling, stopping when he pulls, etc, but nothing seems to work. As soon as I stop, he'll stop walking, but as soon as I start walking again, he starts pulling. I can't even reward loose leash walking because there is not one second when he's not pulling.

I am a bit confused by the two bolded parts above - if you use the change of direction method, there must be a point where he isn't pulling because the change of direction would force him to stop and turn around. Has your trainer done one on one loose leash walking training with you? it sounds like your timing could be an issue here. Personally, I wouldn't bother with any trainer who told me it wasn't possible to train loose leash walking, and if we told clients that it would take a year or more to stop their dog from pulling we'd get no business. Loose leash walking can be taught to any dog regardless of breed, it's just about getting the handler's timing and methods right.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

i use a walk your dog with love harness on mine - its a no pull harness but from what ive read its better then others - and it DOES work with my boy - am just trying to get him to behave when he sees other dogs now n i can stop using it

[Pawbla]

I am a bit confused by the two bolded parts above - if you use the change of direction method, there must be a point where he isn't pulling because the change of direction would force him to stop and turn around. Has your trainer done one on one loose leash walking training with you? it sounds like your timing could be an issue here. Personally, I wouldn't bother with any trainer who told me it wasn't possible to train loose leash walking, and if we told clients that it would take a year or more to stop their dog from pulling we'd get no business. Loose leash walking can be taught to any dog regardless of breed, it's just about getting the handler's timing and methods right.

Well, he's not my trainer, he's my teacher, I'm learning to be a dog instructor. He's never actually seen the dog because I take the dog in my avatar to the practice sessions since he's the one being trained for an specific purpose. He didn't say that it wasn't possible - he just said it was extra hard, and since it was a dog bred for pulling I just thought there may be another trick I was missing. I mean, I had three collies/collie mixes heeling within a couple of weeks. I was thinking "he can't be that stubborn, there has to be a sled dog trick I'm missing". But well, looking at it rationally, we're talking about the most willing to please dog vs the most independent dog. Ahahaha, you gotta love Huskies! They are awesome.

Yes, my timing is part of the issue there, that's why I need to retrieve my clicker. My dog is very fast and he goes from stop to run in less than a second! And without the clicker it's kinda difficult to time the rewards for that exact moment, and I've trained with a clicker since always and it is a much better marker than "okay", "good", or whatever. I tried timing with "good" but it's just not the same. Add that to the fact he's more walk motivated than food/play motivated, going forward will always be a much stronger reinforcement for the dog.

I'm still wondering about my previous question, and I quote, "One question though. If I take my dog on a walk and he pulls, I'm reinforcing the pulling behaviour. Then, walking with him daily would be kind of a daily setback. How can I correctly exercice him while I'm training?".