Lead and heel training

[wildfowler.250]

Just wanted to pick some brains on here if possible please? I've had labs previously but all bitches. Now you could walk them with your pinky on a slip lead. I'm probably expecting too much too soon because you forget how young pups actually are but.. when would you expect a pup to become good on the lead and at heel? I've a 4.5 month old lab who's my first male and he's also 'very' independent. He'll walk perfectly at heel/on lead across a car park etc but along a farm track or on a beach where everything is new, he pulls continually and to some extent needs scaling back and it's a little counterproductive.

He absolutely hates if you turn the slip lead into a halti,(kangaroo hops until he gets it off or wont walk).

Is it just a case of keep doing the same thing as he is getting the idea and waiting for him to mature? Currently blades of grass, butterflies, other dogs are all very exciting and it's pull, pull.


He sits well,( I can leave the bowl of food down and leave the room) and whistle recall is good. I think I just need people to say this will settle with time/maturity Theres no real 'timetable' available that you can compare with as they're developing as each one is so different.


Cheers!

 

[User00040]

Patience and persistence!

 

[wildfowler.250]

Patience and persistence!

Cheers! That’s the route I’m going for. He’s a strong wee thing! I suppose he’ll get there I’m just not quite sure what age he’ll start to settle. Even a month at this age is a big timeframe

 

[User00040]

Cheers! That’s the route I’m going for. He’s a strong wee thing! I suppose he’ll get there I’m just not quite sure what age he’ll start to settle. Even a month at this age is a big timeframe

When he hits 30kg you'll have a good workout!

 

[paulbshooting]

Regular practice 10 min sessions in the garden away from distractions with food treats for him. Then on evening walk when he pulls then stop him with lead and walk the other way. Works for us on our dog lab of similar age. Don't forget they are still pups

 

[Selous]

I do sudden changes of direction if they start pulling so they will feel an increase in pressure from the lead, turn around and see me walking away. Generally a few repetitions and they are more attentive. This video shows it in action

 

[countrryboy]

Do u have other dogs wildfowler??

Must admit i dont walk young dogs much on a lead but let them free run/play with the older dogs for excercise, or when older walk with the older dogs off lead there never far from me, just mooching about my feet really.
My older dogs are half decent trained so its not like their running wild, but it is harder in a town when u have to walk them for excercise.

So when there on a lead its training time and i can afford to keep them nice and short sessions esp when very young and dont have to walk it into new areas/smells until it is quite good on the lead so its not constantly pulling.
Not a good situation to be in where ur constantly correcting no fun for u or the dog, i'd be trying to avoid those areas he pulls in for moment until better on the lead and introduce him gradually .
Just like an other aspect of training u never want ur dog to fail but u do want to test them

Not watched the clip above but as svert says sudden changes of direction, old figure of 8s, altering speed esp walking dead slow, nowadays quite happy to offer a wee treat to keep a dog in heel the way many pet trainers would (in past i never would)
Even walking with a stick and swinging it back and forward in front of dog so it has a visual thing ( not actual hitting dog thou)
The hpr lot quite like the slip lead very high on dogs neck and hold it there with the stopper even seen them tucking a lug in below it too on persistant pullers, must admit i've never liked the look of it and keeping the slip lead tight with the stopper defeats the whole point of a slip lead to my mind.
But that wee dog whisper boy of tv makes collars designed so they sit high up on the neck to help with pulling dogs.

I ad an old pointer that was great on the lead until got to 9 or so month then was a real b@st@rd, the halti thing worked for him, he didnt like it but i just kept going with it and he eventually got used to it.

And just as with everything else consitistancy, patience and plenty praise but only at the correct time.

I had bother with a lab years ago, infact think it was the 1st time i went to a pro trainer and my problem was ( amongst other things) inconstistancy sometimes the dog would pull forward slightly and not be corrected and a few times later he would be, no doubt other times i would be praisiing him when in a bad position too, poor mutt never really knew where he was meant to be, and he wasnt a bad puller just wantd to be that foot to far forward.
After being shown the easy way he was a doddle to walk

 

[bullet chucker]

More of a light weight compared to your Lab but my Cocker has a head strong top dog syndrome, but on the lead he is a listener to me. When I started with him as a pup I used a choke chain, I tried, not to startle him with the fierceness of a choker but if he did start to pull, a quick pull and release! seemed to get his attention, then some big praise had his tail wagging in approval, now' with out a command, he will sit to get his choker lead on as he hears the jingle of the chain. I do not advocate the use of the so called choke chain being used as a punishment but as an attention aid.
Just to add,a big mistake, I did make early on through being care less,was to put the chain in the dogs mouth as I slipped it over his head,it did take a bit of careful treatment on my part to rebuild his trust.

BC.

 

[levigsp]

Just wanted to pick some brains on here if possible please? I've had labs previously but all bitches. Now you could walk them with your pinky on a slip lead. I'm probably expecting too much too soon because you forget how young pups actually are but.. when would you expect a pup to become good on the lead and at heel? I've a 4.5 month old lab who's my first male and he's also 'very' independent. He'll walk perfectly at heel/on lead across a car park etc but along a farm track or on a beach where everything is new, he pulls continually and to some extent needs scaling back and it's a little counterproductive.

He absolutely hates if you turn the slip lead into a halti,(kangaroo hops until he gets it off or wont walk).

Is it just a case of keep doing the same thing as he is getting the idea and waiting for him to mature? Currently blades of grass, butterflies, other dogs are all very exciting and it's pull, pull.


He sits well,( I can leave the bowl of food down and leave the room) and whistle recall is good. I think I just need people to say this will settle with time/maturity Theres no real 'timetable' available that you can compare with as they're developing as each one is so different.


Cheers!

Use a broad collar, and lead not a slip [too many sensitive things in neck area for slips in training, they work but the dog pays the price in old age] and the old fashioned tickle stick and it will be sorted in no time. Headstrong dogs started at 12 weeks are heel trained without lead by 15 week.
PM if you wish

 

[deerstalker.308]

I was taught a useful trick to try by a vet friend of mine. If you have a long enough slip lead, once around his neck as normal, take the length of it down his spine, go full circle around his midriff and back under the line along his spine (forming effectively a second slip around his waist). Their necks are so strong (thick skin and muscle and appreciate the above comment about their necks in later life) some dogs will just pull and pull, their tummy however is very soft and the don’t like it being squeezed and it can work a treat (although you may get some funny looks!!) it’s does no harm to try, it’s worked well on previous pulley spaniels and labs in training if done correctly and not abused. I did have one spaniel (still do in fact) who hated it so much she would walk on just her front feet in protest with her hind quarters elevated. Needless to say I didn’t continue with it for her and now don’t need to either, but it is worth having in the arsenal as a tool to try.

 

[jimmy milnes]

Slip lead right up behind the ears sinched tight enough to stay there and off ya go in the middle of a large open space, every time the dogs shoulder gets forward of your thigh turn away from the dog "initially later on you can walk onto the dog" an a Slight pop on the lead to redirect their focus, be 100% consistent and don't be fussed about looking crazy cause initially you could be changing directions every 5 yards or so but with consistency it'll twig what's to do..

 

[Twodogs]

You are the boss and the dog does as told, if you let the dog win you are reinforcing an undesirable behaviour and establishing their position as dominant within the pack. Every dog learns at a different rate, just a matter of perseverance and continuity.

Have you considered trying a halti?

 

[esau]

Think there are a few tips above that I use but one not mentioned so far is to walk the pup alongside a wall or fence, with the pup between you and the feature. When it tries to pull forward you can step in front, or as countryboy says, wave a stick in front. In essence you are boxing it in on 3 sides. You can also change direction away from the wall/ fence but come back to it if the pup starts to pull again.

 

[James0586]

Can the dog Sit on command already?? If not teach this first...

If so:- walk a step make the dog sit. Reward/treat. Repeat repeat repeat.
Then turn after the step. Dog sits reward/treat. repeat both left and right turns repeat repeat repeat. You will need a metre square to teach a dog the heel position not a 3 mile yomp!

Heel is a focus exercise as well as an obedience exercise. Don’t kick the arse out of it with a young dog they will get fed up however let them see you have food and they teach themselves as the food is only released when the pup is in the correct position.

You want a dog to think for itself. It’s fantastic to see a dog thinking about what is being taught and how it must behave to get the reward.

 

[John Gryphon]

40 odd years ago I had a boar pack of big 3/4 staghound 1/4 English bull cross dogs that I could walk anywhere. They were around 90 lbs very fit and fast enough to catch a fox out on the stubble. They were bred for wild boar but were used on any and everything. At the time living on a fair sized property that had a lot of rabbits about 600 -800 yards from the house down the paddock in and around fallen timber. Oh yeah the dogs would have gladly run from the house but I needed to walk them down to as close as possible before the "ssss" was given with some sort of surprise factor to help their cause.
I used an old fishing rod but any sort of fine switch is good. Theory=when dog puts his/her nose forward of the 'imaginary line' alongside you they get the switch on the nose. Now before you softies squeal like maidens. I am not suggesting any sort of "rattan" type whack but just enough for the dog to realise that "oops too far" they pull their heads back very quickly. If one starts to push too far the reminder is the rod brought down with a real swish sound in FRONT of the nose....oops again!

It gains respect in the same way the buzzer on a training collar does.

NO EFFN DOG IS HURT IN ANY WAY BTW.

read that twice!

 

[Twodogs]

Think there are a few tips above that I use but one not mentioned so far is to walk the pup alongside a wall or fence, with the pup between you and the feature. When it tries to pull forward you can step in front, or as countryboy says, wave a stick in front. In essence you are boxing it in on 3 sides. You can also change direction away from the wall/ fence but come back to it if the pup starts to pull again.

This is a tactic commonly known as blocking. It should be started with the dog walking with its chest no further forward than your leg, when the dog moves ahead of this position you just need to place your nearest leg across its chest to prevent forward movement. When the dog has stopped remove leg and carry on. Some people like to add in pause after the block or even introduce a sit. By stepping across as opposed to stepping in front you are maintaining the correct heel walking position.

Other methods as already alluded to are to get the dog to sit when it starts to get ahead of its self, pause, resume; walk backwards a couple of steps or turn around and walk the opposite direction. Remembering to mark the desired behaviour and reward. Just have to try and see what ever works best.

Whatever you try you will just have to be patient and persistent, but the reward will be worth it.

 

[marrajack]

Lead right behind its head like a show dog ?

 

[Twodogs]

Initially at least the lead should be across the front of your body and direct to the collar, so this would be behind its head like a show dog. In this position its chest will be roughly in line with your legs.
Once the dog has mastered the slack lead in the heel then you can start extending the lead and training to walk to heel off the lead.
Generally the only time I walk my dogs like show dogs are when I need maximum control, the remainder of the time they will stay close either on or off the lead.

 

[SDSRoe]

My pointer is 7 months old and she still pulls, but is getting a lot better, unless there is someone to say hello to, in which case she ignores what feels like completely! I find she is almost perfect after having a run around off lead first and got a bit of the bounce out. I would suggest doing on and off lead heal training as part of meal time training indoors or in the garden so it's a space she knows the scent of and won't be as easily distracted, using the kibble or small bits of food as a reward. Seems to be working for us, although slowly .

 

[wildfowler.250]

Cheers gents! Loads of useful info on here. Too tricky on the phone to reply individually but I really appreciate the feedback! We’re getting there slowly!