Advice on leash training

[DoberCleo]

Hi there,

We have a one year old female half American, half European Doberman Cleo She is an adorable and super smart girl. However, having her doesn't come without some challenges. I would like an advice from this amazing group of dobbie owners on two things re leash training/walking:

1) her leash training got better (since she was a pup), but hasn’t improved since.
We started our leash training when she was 6 months. We have a tactical collar with a 6ft leash. First off, we would make sure we play with Cleo beforehand so she is nice and tired. Then, when we would go for a walk and if she pulled, we would immediately stop and only continue once she returned by our side, praising her and giving lots of treats. After a few months of consistency, she became really good and there were days when she walked without pulling. I thought that since she learned pretty well, I could take her for a walk without an intense running/fetch game before the walk. However, she is 1 now and if we go for a walk first thing in the morning, she starts pulling again, she seems to not be able to control her excitement . I continue stopping and waiting for her to return to me. She clearly knows the concept because as soon as I stop, she backs up. But a few steps later, she goes ahead again. Do I have to continue to play with her before the walk and if so, for how long until she can calmly walk without an exercise beforehand? And how long the leash training took for you and your dobbie?

2) Another thing we struggle with is that we simply CANNOT go on a walk all together as a whole family (me, my husband and Cleo). Because when it’s three of us, Cleo pulls all the time and it takes a lot of stops to finally calm that excitement. We bring treats, we do commands and she listens very well. But as soon as we start walking all three of us, she must be ahead and pull. Would you have an advice on how to manage that or will we never be able to walk all three of us together?

Thank you everyone for your advice and help

 

[Gpcoguy]

Have you tried a prong collar?

 

[Rits]

Since she understands the concept, now its time to add in a negative reinforcer via the prong collar. At this age they regress a little in their training and now have a grown adult body with a puppy brain lol. Its great that you are teaching her leash pressure but you won't get anywhere walking wise anytime soon without many many many more sessions. I would add in the prong collar which will discourage her pulling. When she walks comfortably by yours side, continue to positively reinforce with praise and reward. As she learns that there are consequences for choosing wrong, she will get better and you'll slowly be able to wean off the prong and gradually increase the distance without it.

I honestly use a prong in every day life to keep my girl in check but she can heel loose leash and off leash when needed. For an every day walk, I wouldn't push it or risk my training since there are so many unknown variables. We are still working on getting there with high distractions at 2 years old. Heeling is one of the hardest things you will ever teach your dog!

 

[DoberCleo]

Have you tried a prong collar?

I have not tried it. I have never used a prong collar with the main reason being that it might hurt her or damage her neck. But to be fair, I didn’t do my research on it so I might be wrong. I am definitely open to new ideas and will do an in-depth research on this!

 

[DoberCleo]

Since she understands the concept, now its time to add in a negative reinforcer via the prong collar. At this age they regress a little in their training and now have a grown adult body with a puppy brain lol. Its great that you are teaching her leash pressure but you won't get anywhere walking wise anytime soon without many many many more sessions. I would add in the prong collar which will discourage her pulling. When she walks comfortably by yours side, continue to positively reinforce with praise and reward. As she learns that there are consequences for choosing wrong, she will get better and you'll slowly be able to wean off the prong and gradually increase the distance without it.

I honestly use a prong in every day life to keep my girl in check but she can heel loose leash and off leash when needed. For an every day walk, I wouldn't push it or risk my training since there are so many unknown variables. We are still working on getting there with high distractions at 2 years old. Heeling is one of the hardest things you will ever teach your dog!

Thank you very much for your advice. I was reluctant using prong collar as I know very limited things about it and was scared it may hurt Cleo or damage her neck. Definitely before using it, I will do an in-depth research on it. I figured that praise and reward stopped working for her on a leash training and it’s time to explore other options.

She had been pretty well with heeling, but it’s definitely not perfect and need more work. I do heel every time we cross the road or if we walk past other dogs/people.

 

[Two Dobes]

There are good videos on You Tube on Leeburg channel on how to introduce a dog to a prong, and how to properly use one. They apply even pressure on the neck, so no choking, and the dog self corrects due to the pressure. But best to do some research, and look at the Leeburg videos. Here is a link to one of them

I also use a prong when walking our two, I can walk them one at a time on a choke and they heel nicely; but two at a time requires the prong on both

 

[Ukesox]

Things they’ve learned as young pups are often “forgotten” as they mature & at 1 she is still learning & very excitable. A few things that may help…
Some don’t like them, but I’ve found that a properly fitted “head collar” (Halti of Gentle Leader) can be a very useful tool for re-directing during “heel“ training.
She needs to learn that you decide which way you’re heading, not her.
Go right back to basics. If you have the space (yard or garden) before you set off do lead work by slowly walking an 8 - 10 yard figure of 8, dropping occasional treat on the floor beside you. Stop occasionally & get her in a sit beside you. Before you move off give a “look” command (& reward) After shes looked at you & focussed give a “walk on” command. You move first, not her & dont be in a hurry. You set the pace.This is both calming & teaching control. When she is walking beside you keep her focussed & let her know that she is doing the right thing by walking beside you. This sounds obvious but there’s a difference between “heel” or “close” (which are commands to get her there ) & “good” ( a signal that she’s doing the right thing after that).
Next, go to a bigger space & do the same thing, figure 8, then change the routine to straight lines with sudden 90, 180 & 360 degree turns if she pulls. Don’t pull her just change direction ( you lead, she follows).Finally, integrate this into walks, if she pulls from the start, go back home & start again. Every time she pulls, change direction. Vary the routes you take often. The object of all of this is to start walks with a calm dog that understands that you decide when,where & how. Some are more headstrong than others but if you are consistent & persevere this will work. You might have to keep walks short initially but this is about training not exercise.Good luck.

 

[strykerdobe]

Also it might help training where there are not a lot of distraction's.

 

[Ravenbird]

My first class taught to stop & wait for the dog to make the right decision and it made a complete mess out of my already bull-headed independent puppy. It's the biggest mistake I made with my puppy and I have a hard time forgiving myself for it. I eventually put a prong collar on and as said above, they basically just self correct like magic. No pulling and you don't have to yank. I have teach almost everything with rewards, but there is no way to teach them NOT to do something without adding a negative reinforcement. They must learn that when you make a suggestion (don't pull), that it becomes unpleasant when they do and then they realize your idea is the better than theirs. They learn to listen and most of all, respect you. I'm still spending time & effort on pulling because she learned to lean on the collar for months at a very impressionable age.

 

[Two Dobes]

Had the same experience in a "Positive Class" many years ago, with a difficult male. He learned he could lunge and bark at any dog that he wanted....I was to "wait" until he was finished sounding off, then praise What a mess....thankfully found a great instructor and did private lessons to get that boy back on track. I was able to get a CD on him afterward!

 

[DoberCleo]

Things they’ve learned as young pups are often “forgotten” as they mature & at 1 she is still learning & very excitable. A few things that may help…
Some don’t like them, but I’ve found that a properly fitted “head collar” (Halti of Gentle Leader) can be a very useful tool for re-directing during “heel“ training.
She needs to learn that you decide which way you’re heading, not her.
Go right back to basics. If you have the space (yard or garden) before you set off do lead work by slowly walking an 8 - 10 yard figure of 8, dropping occasional treat on the floor beside you. Stop occasionally & get her in a sit beside you. Before you move off give a “look” command (& reward) After shes looked at you & focussed give a “walk on” command. You move first, not her & dont be in a hurry. You set the pace.This is both calming & teaching control. When she is walking beside you keep her focussed & let her know that she is doing the right thing by walking beside you. This sounds obvious but there’s a difference between “heel” or “close” (which are commands to get her there ) & “good” ( a signal that she’s doing the right thing after that).
Next, go to a bigger space & do the same thing, figure 8, then change the routine to straight lines with sudden 90, 180 & 360 degree turns if she pulls. Don’t pull her just change direction ( you lead, she follows).Finally, integrate this into walks, if she pulls from the start, go back home & start again. Every time she pulls, change direction. Vary the routes you take often. The object of all of this is to start walks with a calm dog that understands that you decide when,where & how. Some are more headstrong than others but if you are consistent & persevere this will work. You might have to keep walks short initially but this is about training not exercise.Good luck.

Thank you very much, this is extremely helpful! I guess the unexpected part for us is that she got so much better from when she was a 4 months old pup and we relaxed for a bit, thinking she will be fine on a walk and will only improve with constant praise/reward. It’s can be quite frustrating at times to go back to square one when we thought we passed that.
But we’re willing to do all the necessary work to get there.

 

[Ddski5]

Did the same as you until 7.5months of age and just could not peacefully go on a walk without jerking and pulling.

Did my YouTube video research and learned how to use a prong collar. Purchased a black 2.25mm HermSprenger off Amazon.

Absolutely amazing 180dg change of events. Sure, I had to pull on the collar hard the first 3-5 times but after that he learned of the negative stimulus and now he/they walk calmly at my side.

Good luck.