# walking my 2yr old pup



## shandy (Jul 21, 2010)

hi sabre is now 2yrs old just and has regular walks however hes not so well behaved when i walk him. If my partner walks him he behaves and does as hes told if i walk him he ignores me pulls through out the whole walk.

At the moment i cannot walk him on my own with my children coz he has to be in front of everyone and makes whiney noises if hes not.

I have just bought a choke chain which has helped slightly, in the fact that i can take him out by myself and there is slight improvement in how responds to me but still a lot of pulling and listens only when i stop and stand still. 

any help and advice would be very welcome as i do want to able to walk him as he is a family pet. We have tried a harness and did'nt work the only thing making any improvement so far is the choke chain. thanks :help:


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Take him to a good training class.


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## josephsimpson (Aug 18, 2012)

I would seek out a trainer if for no other reason than to make sure you are using the choke correctly. The choke chain is not affective if it is low on the neck. The dog can still pull you. If you can position higher on the neck, you gain control. That said, chokers are difficult to keep on high on a dog due to the wieght and the fact they have to be loose when not being pulled on. Here is a link to a style of leash that is designed to help in this type of situation. You can find them by many names and in various locations. I believe they are used more in Europe.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

If stopping gets his attention, then I'd be stopping every time he pulls. There have also been suggestions of suddenly changing directions. Has this dog always acted like this with you on walks, or is this new?


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## julie87 (Aug 19, 2012)

The only thing that helped to fix this problem for me is taking my dog to trainig, the trainer explained that you need to be the Alpha and not let the dog go ahead of you or pull you, she recommened putting the dog on the stomach (not hurting them) every time she pulls, after she gets up you say "lets go" for my dog it was all she needed after 45 minutes of this exercise my dog never pulls i was in shock how fast she learned. (also worked for me the time she was trying to jump at cars and bicycllists) Also if she constantly pulls if you can turn her around instead of letting her go ahead of you or in diffirent direction, dogs don't like that. Basically you want to show the dog is you are the boss. Although in your case the dog is 2 years old and big already so it might be hard. But its all training trust me you can train GSD to do anything


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I will respectively disagree with the above^^, You don't need to show your dog who's boss to teach them to walk nicely on a leash, nor would I ever recommend putting the dog 'down' .

I also suggest a good training class, and a prong/pinch collar fitted properly works wonders.


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## josephsimpson (Aug 18, 2012)

Yes, in addition to the leash I listed, I have used pinch collars on previous dogs that pulled. They do not have the same issue of sliding down the neck as mentioned with a choker. The choker seems to only make the dog strain a bit more while pulling. Pinch collar is a just that a pinch correction, which is harder to ignore. I have had dog pull like crazy with a choker because there is little incentive to stop. The chocker use to be used as a correction tool for training (many years ago all the trainers used them to correct for sitting, down etc) For walking you are at a disadvantage using the choker because it is already tight at the base of the neck when pulling. You can't correct with it. I pinch will automatically correct when the dog pulls. You can try different tools but the choker is not going to help you in this situation.


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## gowen (Nov 4, 2011)

josephsimpson said:


> Yes, in addition to the leash I listed, I have used pinch collars on previous dogs that pulled. They do not have the same issue of sliding down the neck as mentioned with a choker. The choker seems to only make the dog strain a bit more while pulling. Pinch collar is a just that a pinch correction, which is harder to ignore. I have had dog pull like crazy with a choker because there is little incentive to stop. The chocker use to be used as a correction tool for training (many years ago all the trainers used them to correct for sitting, down etc) For walking you are at a disadvantage using the choker because it is already tight at the base of the neck when pulling. You can't correct with it. I pinch will automatically correct when the dog pulls. You can try different tools but the choker is not going to help you in this situation.


This-^.

My puppy started pulling the blood out of my hand. I started using a Nylon Braided Slip Collar (Amazon.com: Hamilton 827 RD 5/16-Inch by 16-Inch Round Braided Choke Nylon Dog Collar, Red: Pet Supplies) and due to its light weight and location up on the neck, she stopped pulling the instant she noticed it there and felt it snug up.

Great advice.


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