# walking on a lead/leadership



## Kobe1309 (Sep 19, 2014)

Hi all,

I have a 51/2 month old GSD puppy who has recently been extremely taxing whilst walking on a lead. To the point where I am being pulled along and have to yank him back. There are time where he is good and I do reward him with treats and high voice praises but I feel like he doesnt see me as a leader anymore.

Whilst at puppy school, he is pulling the entire time without a break. They keep telling me to hang in there but that doesn't really help with the pulling, Ive practice 'watch me' exercises but sometimes my puppy just ignores me. 

Ive let him sleep in my room (on the floor) for a few hours otherwise he's an outside dog and he has once or twice slept on my bed - I don't know if this has impacted his relationship with me. If so, how do I reestablish my leadership?

Thanks


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Pulling on the leash doesn't really have anything to do with him not seeing you as a leader. It has to do with the fact that dogs walk faster than people and there are a million zillion things going on that are fascinating to him that you aren't even aware of because you're a human. 

Others will disagree but 6 months is about the age where I instituted the prong collar. Pretty much the only thing I've ever found to stop the pulling reliably.


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## MimiG (Nov 12, 2014)

Never ever let him pull you; you've to show him you're the alpha here, otherwise once he grows older, it'll be difficult to walk him.
He's almost 6 months; so you can start using prong collar on him, at least during the walk, so that you can start correcting the wrong behavior. If used appropriately, the prong will do the trick.
Train him with the "fuss" command (the german version of "heel" command); you can find tons of youtube videos on how to do this.


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## maxtmill (Dec 28, 2010)

I have read and been told to abruptly change direction when my 7 month old 70 pound GSD pulls too hard. This seems to work a bit. Luckily, she is not dragging me, but she does tug too hard at times. I think she wants to trot while I need to walk!


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## Jayfeather (Dec 28, 2014)

There are several things you can do to stop pulling on the leash.
You can try blocking him every time he starts to get ahead. Just suddenly put your foot in front of him and turn so you're facing him.
I heard changing directions works for most dogs but it didn't have much of an effect with mine. If you decide to give it a go, though, make sure you turn before he actually hits the end of the leash, otherwise he'll see it as just more pulling.
You can stop and have him sit every time he gets ahead or stop and call him back then reward him for being next to you.
Have him walk backwards every time he gets ahead. This is what really helped with mine. Make sure the collar is high up on the neck for this as otherwise they'll just turn sideways.
Work on his opposition reflex. Start indoors and have him on a leash. Pull the leash and wait. Once he gives in to the pressure, click and treat. Do this with more distractions as he gets better. You can also throw a treat out of his reach, wait until he turns to you, then click and treat.
Lastly, you can do random obedience exercises to keep him focused on you. Be interesting and fun, so your dog enjoys paying attention.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Emoore said:


> Pulling on the leash doesn't really have anything to do with him not seeing you as a leader. It has to do with the fact that dogs walk faster than people and there are a million zillion things going on that are fascinating to him that you aren't even aware of because you're a human.


^ This. Leash walking is a skill that must be trained, just like any other skill. And as Emoore pointed out, a slow boring walk next to a human isn't very much fun for a young dog, so he's not going to do that without some work on your part.


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## Christieb24 (Nov 11, 2014)

Kobe1309 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I have a 51/2 month old GSD puppy who has recently been extremely taxing whilst walking on a lead. To the point where I am being pulled along and have to yank him back. There are time where he is good and I do reward him with treats and high voice praises but I feel like he doesnt see me as a leader anymore.
> 
> ...


Hey Kobe...I have the same issue with my 4 month old GSD. He likes to pull. A friend recommended a 'gentle leader' and so far it has worked. I got to the point where if it DIDN"T work I was going to try a prong collar..check it out , they aren't expensive and it's worth a shot.
Gentle Leader® Headcollar by PetSafe - GRP-GL-HC


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Been there....I have a nose dog....scenting dominated her pace in the beginning....incorporated a prong collar once she was old enough to know better...gave her a verbal cue before the prong would hit her....dog learned the verbal cue...dog still would push it until verbal cue was given...imagine that..revised plan...dog learned verbal cue via prong well before getting out of loose leash range ( tight heel )...dog learned verbal cue again...tightened the area of where the dog could "roam"...if I did it all over again..I would have started where I ended up. Dog now has free range on a loose leash when allowed....she can scent all she wants....but on a loose leash...and when I say "tight heel" she stops and falls in line ...right in the slot.

Your GSD is smart and very capable of learning...show him the way to acceptable behavior in a consistent fashion which is evenhanded.



SuperG


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

SuperG said:


> Been there....*I have a nose dog*....scenting dominated her pace in the beginning....incorporated a prong collar once she was old enough to know better...gave her a verbal cue before the prong would hit her....dog learned the verbal cue...dog still would push it until verbal cue was given...imagine that..revised plan...dog learned verbal cue via prong well before getting out of loose leash range ( tight heel )...dog learned verbal cue again...tightened the area of where the dog could "roam"...if I did it all over again..I would have started where I ended up. Dog now has free range on a loose leash when allowed....she can scent all she wants....but on a loose leash...and when I say "tight heel" she stops and falls in line ...right in the slot.
> 
> Your GSD is smart and very capable of learning...show him the way to acceptable behavior in a consistent fashion which is evenhanded.
> 
> ...


 I have a nose dog too. Very annoying some days. But walks are fascinating if I let her lead the way.

I always thought this whole breed had some weird thing for choking themselves

And if sleeping on the bed ruins them then mine are toast. **** Shadow steals my pillows.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Sabis mom said:


> But walks are fascinating if I let her lead the way.
> 
> .



Okay, this made me laugh because of what others ( observing ) must think when I am allowing my dog to have full leash ( loose of course ) when we get to an open area off the streets. She is following scent like crazy and making all these deviations, rarely staying on a constant heading...so I am in trail going this way, that way..most any way but never for more than a short bit. I should GPS track our course some day when she is tracking like this...my guess is..if the straight distance from point A to B is 1/2 mile, we probably cover a mile....wouldn't be surprised if some of the onlookers think I may have had a few too many cocktails....

I somewhat feel that allowing her this time to scent is the bonus for a properly performed short lead heel on the way to the park or woods....she is so into it.

SuperG


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