# My GSD is always pulling on the leash



## Panzercanuck (Apr 27, 2010)

*HI Everybody,
I seem to have trouble with my GSD pulling on the leash while walking him.It seems when I am teaching him in an area with pavement he actually listens once we head for the street where there is grass on the sides he goes nuts and has to sniff everything in site poles ,Hydrants, dried dog urine.etc.He pulls with such strength even my long departed Huskies couldn't compare I had used Halti's,Cesar's illusion device,with no rewards and sadly the Sprenger prong collar which so far is the best tool .Am I going to far with the prong collar.Open to suggestion to correct this problem.HELP
*


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Most of us end up with some kind of training collar.

But I've found whichever one I go with, the even more important part are the dog classes. That way I have the RIGHT leash, the RIGHT collar (fitted properly), and use it properly with the best timing for corrections AND praise (and what is a correction and what is praise to my dog...)

DOG CLASSES ROCK! It was amazing how much smarter my dog got after we started attending!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

how old is your dog?

do you work with him everyday?

do you need a trainer?


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

One way to curb pulling is to give a sharp correction (both hands, one on top of the other, imagine doing a quick bicep curl with your hands together and the leash inside) when the dog puts tension on the leash, and walk in the other direction, praise the dog a bit for coming with you. If he goes past you and hits the end of the leash, another good 2-hand pop and turn around, get him to come with you. It's not necessary to say "no" or anything else when giving the correction, that just ads tension.

It's simply connecting pulling/tension with a correction, and the walking part will help remind the dog to stay with you and not blast past you, and will make more sense to the dog (possibly, anyway-- the dog might associate the correction with ignoring your location and pulling against you as you move away; rather than just you standing there giving corrections when he puts tension on the leash. With walking, at least there is a point to getting him not to pull.) If you try it consistently for 5-10 minutes I bet you will see a dog that avoids pulling on the leash.

You may not need a prong collar, a regular "choker" collar would also work and the corrections would be less severe, but still quite unpleasant. Still a prong collar correction can ramp up a dog more than a choker collar can. If you don't have a choker collar handy, you could try turning the prong collar inside out.


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## Mac (Jan 10, 2010)

i used "the stand like a tree" approach today as my gsd just wasn't getting the opposite direction method. he seemed to enjoy the change of direction, like it was a game. the tree method seemed to work well and i wasnt using a clicker or treats..though i may try that tomorrow to accelerate the training. i stopped at the slightest pressure on the lease, and would praise him when he would finally turn and look at me and take a step back towards me.


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## tatiana (Feb 3, 2010)

Panzercanuck said:


> *HI Everybody,
> I seem to have trouble with my GSD pulling on the leash while walking him.It seems when I am teaching him in an area with pavement he actually listens once we head for the street where there is grass on the sides he goes nuts and has to sniff everything in site poles ,Hydrants, dried dog urine.etc.He pulls with such strength even my long departed Huskies couldn't compare I had used Halti's,Cesar's illusion device,with no rewards and sadly the Sprenger prong collar which so far is the best tool .Am I going to far with the prong collar.Open to suggestion to correct this problem.HELP
> *


Did you see us walking? LOL This is the absolute duplicate of me & Frenzi.

She's much better on pavement, but the grass holds SO much of interest for her. 

Walking had pretty much gotten so obnoxious I didn't look forward to it at all. She's now 90% better and here's what I did to fix it. I did not want to use a prong collar. I use all three every day so she didn't get it in her head that she only have to behave when one was on her.

1. Tool one is the Sensation Harness. The leash hooks in the front so if the furry little truck wants to pull she ends up spinning around to look at me. This really did stop any lunging because she quickly realized and understood the consequence. I liked it because I didn't really have to give her any harsh correction. Any too severe action on HER part simply spun her around to face me. 

2. Tool two is a Sprenger fur saver choke. I do give her corrections with this collar when necessary.

3. Regular flat collar. This is the collar she wears all the time and I will use this only with just a leash for the night walk, mostly to assess progress I've made. My "correction" using this collar is to simply stop and stand still if she exerts pressure on the leash (pulls it taut). I then bring her back to a sitting position and we start all over.

Generally, I have more trouble with her on grass so I usually use the Sensation harness or Sprenger choke collar. I will use the Sprenger and flat collar when walking in the subdivision.

I think the biggest improvement has come from ad nauseam repetition of reversing direction when she pulls, turning her around to a sit position and restarting, and practicing directional walking (walking a large square or rec tangle with sharp corners). 

We practice 2-3x daily for 15 minutes up to an hour, if it's a big walk.


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## Redgrappler (Jan 22, 2010)

I don't know if this was mentioned and it might not be the most favorable method, but I have had tremendous!!!! success with the Dogtra E-collar. Being that I trained my boy with the previous methods listed, it was so easy when I got the e-collar. And, no...I'm not "nicking" my dog to submission...I'm using the paging system in addition to the leash control (with subtle tugs). It was a Godsend.


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## Panzercanuck (Apr 27, 2010)

Thanks to everybody for your information already it has helped me a considerable amount.:hug:

I will also try the sensations harness.

Blitz & Panzercanuck
Montreal,Canada


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I'm a little confused. Are you speaking of your dog pulling when you are in the 'heel' position, or are you allowing your dog to walk to the end of the leash and you are following your dog?


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## MikeB06 (Mar 12, 2006)

PANZ.... Stop changing equipment and stick with one collar long enough and learn to use it to solve the problem. You could hire a pro trainer for an hour or two to show you just how to use the prong properly with out feeling guilty that your going to hurt your dog with a correction. It would be well worth your money. I "read between the lines" from your original post that you think your going to hurt your dog by making a ncessary correction that would teach your dog to stop pulling. Correct me if I'm wrong. 

Most any experienced trainer can get most stuborn pullers to walk calmly on lead in 30 to 45 mintues or less. 

Just had an idea. There are many tricks to the trade depending on what collar your using and I would be willing to share my experiences with you in a phone consultation if you want to call me. I'm at home recovering from hand surgery, very bored, can't train for a few more weeks. If you will E-mail me we can arange a time to call me, if you would like. I am sure I can help you understand how and what to do in a short chat. Would at least love to try anyway. IT's FREE. 
[email protected]


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I tried "Canine Concepts Non-Pull Mesh Harness" from Petco, it's $19.99 and I tried it on my dog and it works amazingly!!!! He didn't try to pull me whatsoever! It's awesome


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

How old is your dog?

Does your dog know the heel command?

Does your dog know the Leave It command?

My dog has responded to me sharply turning and walking into her more than that prong collar. I make sharp turns both ways to make her pay attention to where we are walking instead off her using the leash as a tether to me so she can look at what she wants. Leave It taught her to leave whatever alone and walk. Easy means she doesn't have to be in a heel but she can't be pulling me down the road. 

I've used a clicker and treats also. had really good results with that. I put the leash behind my back so she can only pull so far and so I had a free hand. when she had a loose leash I clicked and treated.

She is getting much better as she gets older so the AGE of YOUR dog is very important to this problem.

There are several good methods to try but you have to stick with one to see if it will have results before giving up and moving on to the next. Doing so will only confuse your dog.


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## MikeB06 (Mar 12, 2006)

One trick of the trade is to start out from your home with your dog calm. Don't let your dog rush out the door all excited pulling. He must calm down first and walk out the door, stop on the porch, close the door, then go again on the left, short leash, calm walking. The calmer you are the calmer he can learn to be. 
Many dogs take time to calm down at the door so you may spend more time there than anywhere else before you can start walking. Teach him that just because he is on lead and the door is open is not an invitation for him to become a sled dog.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

May I ask the age of the dogs in this thread?


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## Panzercanuck (Apr 27, 2010)

Yes thanks for the help people,I really appreciate this a lot.First off my GSD is 14 months old.No he did know the heel command but now he does.Luckily by chance my local Police in Montreal, Canada.Stopped me a few times just to look at my dog admiring his physique.On one occasion there was a squad car parked at a school where I frequent with my dog Blitz.There was a couple of cops in the car who where looking at my dog and enjoy watching him going through his paces while having a Tim Hortens coffee.

One cop asked me if I needed training tips for Blitz.I was confused and answered .Sure!He called on his radio to his station within 2 minuets another cop car appeared with two female police officers.One of them was a canine officer and she was hot too.She asked if she can check out Blitz.Right away this woman had the magic touch with Blitz.That dog did everything what I wanted him to do and more.Luckily that police officer even spent another 30 min teaching me how to teach Blitz how to walk properly on the leash she also checked his prey drive,and his knowledge of basic commands and hand signals is very impressive.

The trainer even said if I grew tired of Blitz that she would take him from me.She said that my dog is excellent on the leash & that I needed the training not the dog.

From time to time they help me out when things are quiet in my neighborhood.Hopefully the Montreal ,Canadians will lose.:help:Go Penguins:wild:


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## pac liter (Jul 22, 2010)

**** Canadian cops sound pretty cool.


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## pac liter (Jul 22, 2010)

Jax08 said:


> My dog has responded to me sharply turning and walking into her more than that prong collar. I make sharp turns both ways to make her pay attention to where we are walking instead off her using the leash as a tether to me so she can look at what she wants. Leave It taught her to leave whatever alone and walk. Easy means she doesn't have to be in a heel but she can't be pulling me down the road.
> .


I am taking basic obedience with, OJ Knighten , and we have been taught this method. Very effective, you have to change directions alot like an NFL running back, so it isn't good from getting to point A from point B. Some people advocate figure 8's. I say it should be more like a 50 pointed star. I usually leave about 3-6 feet of slack on the leash. Since you are changing direction so frequently the dog should eventually start walking behind you. 

My neighbors, who see me training my dogs, think that Im on PCP or something, walking all crazy like that.

The dogs figure it out really quick. You have to make your dogs think that you are crazy/unpredictable so they are always paying attention to you. Also when you change directions you dont have to turn around. You can simply start walking briskly in reverse. The key is to be unpredictable and brisk. When you change direction don't slow down. Keep the same pace or even speed up. This keeps em on their toes. 

I used to try the Cesar way, keep em on a very short lead with the collar up high. Correct them when they pull. Im guessing most of you have seen this on the show. Pretty sure that I was just strangling them into submission. Really took the fun out of the walk for all of us. 

I prefer the OJ way. Give em a choice and they are rewarded with a lose leash if they make the right choice. The Cesar way seemed too forceful for me. It doesn't give em a chance to figure it out on their own.


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## Doggydog (May 12, 2009)

Sensation harness. It changed my life. 8 months of use and now she walks great on a flat collar.


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## onyxboy (Jun 6, 2010)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> Most of us end up with some kind of training collar.
> 
> But I've found whichever one I go with, the even more important part are the dog classes. That way I have the RIGHT leash, the RIGHT collar (fitted properly), and use it properly with the best timing for corrections AND praise (and what is a correction and what is praise to my dog...)
> 
> DOG CLASSES ROCK! It was amazing how much smarter my dog got after we started attending!


I so agree with you. My big boy is 2 years old and is now going too classes which is doing him so much good. Personally I would not suggest Petsmart as a class. Try going to a personal trainer. You will be amazed:doggieplayball:


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## VitaBene (Apr 18, 2010)

pac liter said:


> I am taking basic obedience with, OJ Knighten , and we have been taught this method. Very effective, you have to change directions alot like an NFL running back, so it isn't good from getting to point A from point B. Some people advocate figure 8's. I say it should be more like a 50 pointed star. I usually leave about 3-6 feet of slack on the leash. Since you are changing direction so frequently the dog should eventually start walking behind you.
> 
> My neighbors, who see me training my dogs, think that Im on PCP or something, walking all crazy like that.
> 
> ...


Strangling into submission?? That is not what I have seen on the show. A correction should never be long enough to strangle.


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## pac liter (Jul 22, 2010)

VitaBene said:


> Strangling into submission?? That is not what I have seen on the show. A correction should never be long enough to strangle.


"I used to _try_ the Cesar way, keep em on a very short lead with the collar up high. Pretty sure that_ I_ was just strangling them into submission."

No I never said that Cesar did that on the show. I said that is what happened when _I_ tried to use his method. Also Cesar is an amazing person and has saved countless dogs from being euthanized. I am not attacking him. 

I know a correction should not be that long. The problem is when you have an overly excited dog that keeps charging the end of the leash. A proper correction is not possible in this case. The leash will never become loose when a dog is constantly charging and pulling. 

Trust me, I have wittnessed a highly skilled trainer try to get my dog to focus and follow on a choke. Doggie wouldnt cooperate so he accomplished this by lifting her 2 front legs off the ground with the choke for a few seconds. After stuggling to breath she gave in. I really didn't want to resort to doing this with my dogs as the standard quick tug correction does not work with MY dogs.

Now everybody will jump up and say my trainer is horrible and stupid. 

I dont agree. I feel that he was just using the wrong tool (my fault- choke chain provided by myself).


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