# Leash Training - pulling me



## AkirasMom (Jun 7, 2011)

:help:

My wonderful puppy is now 12 weeks old. We started walking her at about 10 weeks so she has come a long way in just 2 weeks. She actually can go for half a mile walks and does well at walking slightly behind or beside me with a loose leash. However, she still pulls very hard once we are at a spot that is close to home. This is a problem because she is 21lbs and super strong and I have back issues so to hold the leash tight is difficult. I just bought a new collar and leash today with a "comfort grip" so it should be easier for me to hold and a lot thicker and might "choke" her enough that she doesn't pull as much.

Does anyone have suggestions for how to get her to stop pulling? It puts so much strain on her and if she would just realize she would get there without dragging me if would be so much easier! :crazy:

I am just not sure if I need to be more patient and give her more time or if I need to get some kind of product that will help with leash training. My hubby is a little unsure about a lot of the leash products (i.e. choker chains) and the possibility of them being inhumane or even necessary. 

Never had a dog so any advice would be helpful! Thanks!

Amy


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## spidermilk (Mar 18, 2010)

First of all, when my dog was a young puppy he also would pull to get back home. Sometimes I think he was a little scared walking around (I didn't realize it at the time) and wanted to get back somewhere he considered safe.

There are *many* methods to keep your dog from pulling the leash but the number one rule is:
1. Never let your dog get where they want to go by pulling.

There are a lot of ways to accomplish this.
-You can stop walking when they pull.
-You can turn around and walk the other way when they pull.
-You can lure them to your side with toys or treats *and* reward them often! (young puppies have short attention spans and need lots of rewards!)
-You can practice nice walking in a super calm place like your kitchen or backyard in short, exciting training sessions.
-Teach your dog to keep an eye on you with exercises where you use a longer leash and just walk in random directions, turning often.

Read up on some of the different methods like clicker training or silky leash and decide what you want to use.

Your puppy is only pulling at the end of the walk, so maybe you can pull out a bag of treats or favorite toy at the very end to keep your pup's attention.

If you are worried about the strain on the neck or that she is choking herself then there are several types of harnesses you could get. Right now she is far too young for a prong collar.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

train and socialize. there's no reason a 12 week old
pup should be winning the pull war. train, train, train
and socialize, socialize and socialize. 

so i said it and you know i'm talking to you.


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## mthurston0001 (Jul 12, 2009)

You may want to enroll in some puppy classes. Also you may want to consider getting a small pinch collar. When fitted correctly you could call it "power steering" for puppies (since you mentioned it's difficult to control your puppy). The collar is not a long term solution, but is at this point essentially acting as a band-aid. You still have to teach it to heel, but the collar can help you get there.


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

This is how I taught Halo to walk politely on leash without pulling: http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...here-find/159739-short-leash.html#post2150952


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## gypsyrose (Nov 22, 2010)

AkirasMom said:


> :help:
> 
> My wonderful puppy is now 12 weeks old. We started walking her at about 10 weeks so she has come a long way in just 2 weeks. She actually can go for half a mile walks and does well at walking slightly behind or beside me with a loose leash. However, she still pulls very hard once we are at a spot that is close to home. This is a problem because she is 21lbs and super strong and I have back issues so to hold the leash tight is difficult. I just bought a new collar and leash today with a "comfort grip" so it should be easier for me to hold and a lot thicker and might "choke" her enough that she doesn't pull as much.
> 
> ...


 I had all the same questions but with old ideas such as choke chains prong collers and shock collers. when gypsy was between ten weeks and ten months i tryed all the old tricks like put her on a long leash and change directions jerking her along thinking she would eventualy find her comfort zone. also she would bight the fire out of me. after bleeding and cussing the first ten months i wised up through out all my old ways and started training... here is what i did. marker training with treats and toys. learning what she liked and disliked (bighting ) i quit using the leash except to keep her out of harms way and trained her to walk beside me by holding treats in my hand and giving her some when she walked or healed properly by my left side. i found she hated to be touched and petted espicaly around her head. i trained with treats. i did every thing i new that would make her bight and gave treats when she did not and stood straight and tall when did she quickly learned what to do to get her treats and toys... end of problems......


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## AkirasMom (Jun 7, 2011)

Thank you everyone for all the advice!! I tried one of the methods mentioned today and when she started to pull I stopped and refused to move and eventually she stopped and sat down. Then I started again and it probably looked ridiculous because I think it took us 15 minutes just to get a few hundred feet 

However, the last street right before our home she didn't pull at all she stayed beside me! So I think this method might work for now. I tried treats with her and she doesn't seem interested in them when she is being stubborn. However, she LOVES praise and hugs so if I give her positive reinforcement for things she really likes that.


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## Dooney's Mom (May 10, 2011)

I got a gentle lead collar and it has worked wonders for her. Mine is just the opposite she pulls me down the road for the first 5 minutes, then she settles down. She is by NO means perfect yet, and we start obedience classes this week. But I found the gentle leader to be very effective and is keeping my arm in its socket! Good luck!


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