# Won't stop pulling, even with prong corrections.



## Zenkai

I've had Niko for about 2 and a half months now. He's always been a pain during walks. I can't get his attention for anything. I started with a harness, then a choke chain, and have been using the prong for a month now with minimal improvement.

He will trot to the end of the leash and I'll pop the collar and he will slow down just to trot to the end of the leash again. I can do this the entire walk with him doing the exact same thing.

If I pop and stop he will come back to me circle around my back and go right back to the end of the leash.

It seems the only times I ever get his attention is when I pop the collar extremely hard.

I've experimented with the number of links to see if a tighter fit would make a difference to no avail.

I've also had 4 1 hour to hour and a half sessions with a trainer working with the collar. In the end he just said to keep working at it. We never worked on the no pulling though, just heeling. Which he now knows but doesn't perform for me unless indoors or its in the middle of the night with less distractions.

I guess I'm wondering if I should continue to pop the collar as hard as needed to get a reaction or just move to something like an E-collar to save his neck?

I would also like to add that I have tried food and toys to motivate. None of which he cares about when outside. The food will work for a few minutes then hes off to smell the wind.


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## Jag

Prong needs to be high up on the neck and snug. Dog needs to be WITH you for a correction to work. So if the dog's running to the end of the lead, it's too late. You should correct the second the dog breaks the 'heel'. The pop needs to be fast, straight up, and semi-hard. I have NEVER had a dog not react to a prong, and I've had some wicked pullers in the past. Praise the heel (if he's not interested in food) and correct breaking the heel. Sounds like your correction issue is it's coming too late, and that's where the issue is. If the prong is moving around on his neck, it's too loose.


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## katdog5911

Jag said:


> Prong needs to be high up on the neck and snug. Dog needs to be WITH you for a correction to work. So if the dog's running to the end of the lead, it's too late. You should correct the second the dog breaks the 'heel'. The pop needs to be fast, straight up, and semi-hard. I have NEVER had a dog not react to a prong, and I've had some wicked pullers in the past. Praise the heel (if he's not interested in food) and correct breaking the heel. Sounds like your correction issue is it's coming too late, and that's where the issue is. If the prong is moving around on his neck, it's too loose.


This^^^^ When the prong is on I expect Stella to heel. If I release her from the heel and she starts to pull, it's right back to a heel. The heel command needs to be in place for the prong to be most effective.


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## k9carrie

Your dog should learn to heel but also to walk on a loose leash further from you, not in heel. The amount of distance/leash he has is up to you. It sounds like you are walking him this way now-continue correcting just before he hits the end of the leash, then praise when he looks/moves back to you, but keep moving(quickly). You can also try a Halti or head collar. Be sure to get him to accept it first with really good treats! This head collar keeps him from pulling because his head just turns. Good luck


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## Kaity

What everybody else said. Get a private session with a trainer in your area, they will be able to show you how to use it correctly and when and how to administer corrections. The downfall to punishment and 'training tools' (i.e prong collar, choke collar, head haltis , etc.) is that it always has to be re administered. You can wean your dog off it eventually.. I prefer to always walk with the prong unless we're in the middle of nowhere and my dog is on a long line. 

If you find after using the prong correctly, you're still not getting the results you want, opt for smaller prongs. I call them mircoprongs, really they're just prongs people would try to use on smaller dogs. More prongs, and smaller = more ouchie. GSDs I find, have a very high pain tolerance. Always remember when you're walking to give your dog the benefit of slack, otherwise you're just directing him, not walking him which is no fun for anybody. Proper way to hold the leash is hold the end of the leash in right hand, and hold with the left hand to snap the collar. 

Good luck .


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## Jd414

The second he gets a little in front of you turn around and go the other way... Worked for me...


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## Capone22

Look up on leerburg on how to fit a prong to make sure its on correctly. Also the small links work better, just buy more to add if you need to for your dog. 

If you want to start off rewarding with treats skip his last meal so he's nice and hungry. 
Turning and going the other way usually works also.
Sometimes a game of fetch or something to get that initial burst of energy before the walk helps them to focus better on you during the walk.


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## tropicalsun

Here's what worked for me. Stop. The instant the leash comes tight stop. Don't move, no matter how long it takes, until the leash is loose. Keep the leash short. This is boring but after a couple mornings of almost no walking Markus figured out that a tight leash means no progress.


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## Jax08

He has no idea what you want. How is his focus? Does he ever "check" back in with you while walking? Have you done any clicker training?


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## carmspack

He has no idea what you want - got to agree with this . Start all over again . The dog should never get to the point where he is running out the length of the lead. You have created a pattern where he will repeat running to the end , self-correct (by restriction of the lead and the leash correction) and restart.
By start all over I mean to say that you will need to show the dog where you want him positioned while out walking.
So for the first while you are not going to go on some marathon walk , where his and your attention will drift and old habits return . Several times per day put this dog on lead -- go out to the sidewalk or quiet street or up and down your own driveway and walk 20 , 30 feet , correctly . The dog is to be in the same place every time you walk . Left side is traditional. His shoulder to your knee . The two of you take a few steps , at YOUR pace and speed , and then you stop and you insist on a sit . You move again when YOU are ready, not when the dog gets twitchy . Take control . The dog isn't to sniff and drag you from place to place to mark . The dog goes with you on your walk , not the other way around . Many quick sessions , building on success , eventually becoming longer without reverting to old pulling habits . Show your approval when he does right. Start each walk with a refresher session to remind him what is expected from him and then be consistent .

I will add that new rules apply in the house as well - nothing wrong with a little more structure - let him earn his "freedom" . So while you are preparing meals the dog does not need to rumble around the house and get in to mischief , do as he pleases . Have him on a scatter mat , relaxed , but on the mat . He gets up, you put him right back . He'll look to you with more respect .


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## Rallhaus

take your dog to a very large field.

put a regular collar on your dog and a 8 to 10 leash.

the moment your dog takes off, turn and walk in a different direction. don't say a word but let the the dog run to the end of the leash (hard). 

just keep walking, the dog will be surprised and will come to your direction. praise it when it does. 

he will take off again and you will change direction... repeat as many times as necessary. 

eventually he will watch you.

fancy collars or halters are not necessary. i usually use a flat leather collar to teach a dog to pay attention and walk nicely. this isn't walking at a heel, but just walking nicely on a leash with out pulling your arm off.


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## Zenkai

Ok I have been correcting late according to what I'm hearing. I've been waiting till the tension is there, then correcting.

Also I do have the collar with the biggest prongs that petco had. Which are really huge. And when fit properly (I have seen the leerberg videos and some others on fitment as well.) I have to take out so many links that only half of the collar are prongs.

When it comes to the heel position. Its difficult. Sometimes I can get him to behave in that position, but the longer he is in that position the more riled up and impatient he gets. Also he is dog aggressive. So if there is just the smell of another dog around he looses his mind and he's no longer heeling, but instead I am holding him there.

Oh, forgot to mention.. I have not done any clicker training. He does check back to me occasionally after being corrected.


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## debbiebrown

i also agree with changing directions. the moment there is tension on the leash. then when he follows and comes back to a heel reward him so he knows what you want.


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## Mooch

I've been having a very similar problem to you with my nearly 9 month old male.
Popping the lead etc just does not work for him at all, he would just shut down and ignore me.

My trainer suggested we try something totally different with him and it works really well so far.

She just had him on the fursaver with a 6' leather lead. 
She would walk off and he would walk with her then get distracted and and walk "away" to the end of the lead. 
As soon as he put pressure on the lead she stops and just holds the pressure (not pulling or increasing the pressure on the lead, just hold as much as the dog is applying himself) and calls his name - as soon as he turns his head she offers him a little treat (small piece of sausage) 
that way he gets rewarded for taking the pressure of the lead by turning toward her.
Took him awhile to listen to start with, it was as if he actually didn't recognise his name as such yet but within one lap of the field he was listening so much better and not pulling at all. 
You could use a clicker to "mark" the head turn and then reward 

It took me another couple of laps to get the hang of not applying pressure when he was "pulling" but by the end of the night he would actually turn his head to look at and come back to me me if he felt leash pressure. 
He also came to "check in " with me a few times which he has never done before. 
It's a bit annoying that you have to use so many treats but we decided to start with that was not a problem. 
I hope I explained it ok, it's actually quite hard to put so many little actions into words 
With him it was seriously a case of going a "softer" method, the "harder" we went the more he shut us out.
This was just for loose lead walking, not heeling for obedience training.


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## Mary Beth

If your GSD is anything like mine, he is on a hunting expedition not a walk. So with a loose leash, he will go merely along until he sees something to hunt (chase), a rabbit, another dog - and he is quick -he will lunge. And at 130 lbs, the leash would go out of my hands. I did try the e-collar because I used it to train him not to run deer when off leash. On leash - keeping a hold of that plus the e-collar remote - he was gone and the shock didn't stop him because he had reached his goal - I would have to go get him. I thought of the prong - but like with the choke collar - (which I did use then went back to the flat) was the same - it did no good when the leash is pulled out of my hands. So, my neighbor said try the harness - it worked with her pulling/lunging lab. Any training aid (e-collar, choke collar, head halter, harness) will not work without proper training. I got the Walk In Sync harness and leash that came training videos. The idea is to walk in sync with your dog. The leash has hand holds so I hold the leash correctly. Sting walks by my side, the action of the harness helps him but also it is how I react. If he starts to pull forward - I turn suddenly- he has to follow. I will bump into him or start to do a drunken walk - when he looses focus. If he sees another dog and wants to give chase - I turn suddenly - curve around the other dog, or I grab that harness and he sits - I stand between him and the other dog -he focuses on me - and I reward with praise and a treat. Now, a dog on a walk - yes will want to sniff and needs to potty - what I do is give him potty breaks and say "go easy" and letting the leash out - he knows he can sniff, potty, but after a few minutes - I say "heel" and hold the leash again in the walk in sync position. I have had great success with this method for walking Sting. Also it is important to give the dog an outlet for that drive. That's where I use tug as a reward after his walks. Oay - I use 2 tugs - sure he can pull the tug out - but I have another -they are attached to leashes so I can scoot them on the ground for him to pounce - he loves to play and ends up by winning. He proudly brings his 2 tugs to me and gets a reward when he drops them.


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