# Pulling on leash at other dogs



## ColoradoShepherd (May 15, 2011)

Hello, 

I have a 4 month old German Shepherd. While I have her attention she will sit, stay, lie down, and stand. She does all this with either hand signal or voice command. I can tell her to sit, put a treat on the floor, and she won't touch it until I say the verbal marker "yes". She sits prior to me opening the door for walks and does not move out the door or off the porch until I do first. At times she's a little mouthy (I assume bc of teething), but all soft and from what I've read not unusual for a GSD puppy. She kennels-up great, I say the word and she goes in willingly - sleeps in the kennel without a peep. She sits/waits quietly in the kennel until I let her out when I come home for lunch and at the end of the day. She's shown a lot of control and has really taken to the initial training I've given her, which is why I'm baffled by her lack of attention on walks. 

When she's sees another dog or something of interest on walks she will begin to relentlessly pull in that direction. If I stop and tell her to sit, she will often do so but only to lunge forward as the the other dog comes closer. If I don't stop and continue walking forward, she pulls so much that her front legs lift off the ground. When this occurs, I typically stop and hold her collar/harness until the other dog either passes or the two of them meet and sniff. I don't think the behavior is aggressive, as 1) she's a puppy and 2) when she meets the other dog all they do is sniff and/or play. Other times and for whatever reason, all training goes out the window and the pulling begins. 

I understand she's a puppy, if this behavior is normal and correctable when she's older please say so and that will be all I need to hear (peace of mind). If this is not normal, please let me know what I can do differently. She's manageable now at 33lb, but when she's bigger not so much . She goes to puppy socialization about every 10 days and plays fine with other dogs.

Thanks for your input.


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

She doesn't need to be older to correct this behavior. You should actually start now. Otherwise when she is older, she can really hurt you, or herself. I don't have any training advice since I'm not a trainer but you will get plenty of advice here. Mine is, start NOW, waiting to fix the problem will only amplify it. GSD's are smart and stubborn dogs. They like to try to get away with stuff! Hope somebody can point you in the right direction on how to correct this behavior.


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## 2manyqs (May 1, 2011)

Definitely stop the behavior now. I adopted a 2yo who manifested this behavior after just a few weeks with me so I suspect she had it before. I don't have a secret formula b/c we're still working on it. She too is an angel with no distractions so I'm working on self-control with her (sit/stay with distractions.) All I can recommend is what I'm working on : sit/stay for self-control, realize she probably has a low frustration level and so work on desensitization (determine the zone where she can sit/stay versus where she starts to react), use positive reinforcements (treats/praise) rather than negatives (yanking, corrections), socialize her, get her to focus on you in those moments.

As you stated, if you can resolve this issue now, you're way better off. My girl i 80 lbs and no amount of tail wagging communicates to others that she is just excited.


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## ColoradoShepherd (May 15, 2011)

We've just gone for another walk, and not to amplify the situation, but at times her behavior is almost unbearable. Once she gets distracted the rest of the walk is down hill from there. There's no enjoyment for neither her nor me. I can tell she starts to shutdown if pull her back or give a firm yank on the leash(harness). 

WarrantsWifey and 2manyqs. Thanks for the advice, it's good to know that the behavior is not normal and to correct it now. I've been trying and continue positive reinforcement with treats. When a dog is approaching or there's one behind a fence - I will have her sit and I will give her treats when she makes eye contact. But as soon as she gets the treat, she turns and becomes fixated on the other dog again. Sometimes she's not even interested in the treat. Other than pulling her past the distraction, there's nothing that breaks her fixated attention. 

I'm sure what I've described sounds like "I've tried everything and nothing works", which is not the case. I'm open to all suggestions and will work with the ones so far.

Thanks again!


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## 2manyqs (May 1, 2011)

Your girl sounds just like mine so I have no answers for you. I am, however, going to start working with a local dog behaviorist/trainer on the issue as it's completely beyond my skill level. Before it continues much further and while you're trying to deal with the day to day, go ahead and find someone to help you. As for me, I'm just working to avoid the times of day and walk areas where I know we might get "surprised" until I can get some real help for me (and me!).

You're not alone so feel free to come here to share. I know it's hard (even I recently had a "maybe she needs a new home" moments) but from reading the comments of others, I know it can get better.


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## spidermilk (Mar 18, 2010)

My dog did this as a puppy and I can tell you what we did to get past it.

First of all I like to carry some AMAZING treats with me on walks for situations like this. Hot dogs or chicken work for us. If there is an excited, out of control dog barreling towards you on a flexi then I like to create some distance between that dog and my dog. So typically I cross the street or step way off of the path. Then I ask my dog to sit. Sometimes he would completely ignore this so I will step in front of him to block his view of the dog (or other distaction). Typically this works (or you need to move further away) and then I quickly have him look at the dog and then ask him to look at me and give him a treat.

We also practiced a lot by going to pet stores or outside of dog parks and just working on sitting, laying down, and staying with other dogs in view. If you have to be 50' away from the dog park fence for your dog to be able to focus and listen to you- then that is where you have to start.

Stick with the classes too- at class we practice passing each other person to person and then dog to dog. Classes have worked wonders but you have to stick with it and don't get bummed if you aren't seeing immediate results.

Finally, it may seem crazy to exercise your dog before you go on a walk for exercise, but it helps immensely!


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## ColoradoShepherd (May 15, 2011)

Spidermilk, thanks for the help. I’ve purchased some hotdogs and cut them up into little pieces. She seems to respond to them better when there is a distraction nearby. So far I’m having her sit when there is a distraction, I take a knee next to her, and let her nibble on a piece of hot dog. I remove it and her eyes/attention go back on the distraction, I say the command “look” once or twice and when she looks back at me I let her nibble on the hotdog some more. When we return to walk, she still seems to have the tendency to get in front and pull toward where the distraction was. But when I say heel, she mostly eases back. I can tell this process is going to take some time and a lot of patience on my part.

Thanks again for the help.


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## GSD Momma (Dec 28, 2010)

Our trainers have always recommended "the sneak away". Basically you are supposed to give the leash a loop so there is some slack you will have for this to work. When there is a distraction that she is apt to pull towards, you are to drop the slack (ie: release the loop) and take off or "sneak away" in the opposite direction. This has worked with our GSD but it does take tons of practice and effort (and looking silly when you drop the slack in the leash and bolt off in the opposite direction). It's just putting the focus back on you instead of the distraction. With our GSD now, all we have to do is drop the slack and she stops LOL


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## jmoney (Jul 21, 2010)

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/how-do-i-teach-my-dog/160302-lead-walking-broken-man.html


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## jasonh77 (Jun 16, 2011)

I had the same issue as all of you that have posted the problem with your Shepherds pulling when they get distracted or want to chase something. Since I work over 60 hours a week, it's difficult for me to actually spend the time to train my 2 1/2 yeard old male to behave on walks. In a recent online search for a product to help, I came across a harness that works by using the pulling force of the dog against its front legs. It worked wonderfully to prevent him from pulling. I actually felt a big difference and I had control over him when he wore it. I thought I'd pass my findings along... the company is called Petnovate. Maybe it can help you guys deal with the issue until you can get your dogs trained appropriately.


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