Pulling like a sled dog!

[Rudy's mom - MI]

It has warmed up here in Michigan the past few days and so I was able to get out and take Rudy for a walk. Just need some advice on how to teach him to walk without pulling so hard...weiner dog strength is amazing! He is fine until he knows we are heading for home. I really want to teach him how to walk properly because when he pulls so hard it chokes him. Does anyone have any suggestions?:help:

Rudy's mom - MI :dog:
(it's hard to type when your dachsie wants to lay in your lap and rest his nose on your right arm):greensq:

[TessieMom]

A training collar, properly used, works. If you haven't had an obedience class, I would strongly suggest that. I thought I knew how to use a "choke" collar and I found there is a lot to proper fit and use. We "heel" with the dog on the left, so the collar needs to feed to the right with the leash end pulling the end through the loop on top of the head going to the right (I can draw it, but it is hard to decribe). The technique is jerk and release with lots of praise so that you jerk quickly and release rather than "choke" the dog. Normally the dog will feel no pressure and the collar will be full open when the dog heels properly. Again, the best way to learn is with a good trainer. Good Luck!
Rena and the Waco pack

[lotsadox]

Obedience classes may be in order. People laughed at me when I took my 12 lb mini red to obedience classes, but he's really well behaved and now I know how to teach them to sit and heel (that's about all the farther I get). It really helps and a lot of areas have low cost classes put on by a local club with volunteer teachers.

[doxunzX3]

Yup classes are great! It is for you to learn how to train your dog. The dog gets to go along to be the students guinea pig. :sarcastic
Acctually I love traing classes and it is so much fun. It helps to have someone else to ask for advice and to give you little hints and tid bits of trying differnt methods. Not all dogs will love OB but it doesn't hurt. I have gone and observed some classes in different areas before I signed up. I do like the new fade of clicker training.
Remember the cost of one session of classes are worth the cost of a lot of :book: training books. Think how many years you will have Rudy figure out how much the classes cost. It isn't all that much for the lifetime of a well behaved compaion.:angel: :thumbsup: Good luck!

[juliette]

Are you using a body harness or a neck collar? You might find the body harness easier for you in controlling the pull and strength.
Neck collars do strangle dogs when they pull too hard and can damage their throats.

Try a fitted harness around shoulders/body and see how that helps.

[blazeman]

One of the things we worked on in class was loose leash walking. Not meaning to not hold the leash... but walking at a nice pace where the leash is loose between you two.

The way we did this...

Start walking.... as soon as the leash becomes streatched out... STOP. Wait for the pup to sit or come back to you. Then start walking again. If they keep pulling even after you stop... take a step or two backwards. Once the dog realizes they are farther away from their goal... then they might calm down.

This wasn't something Jake had issues with. He is pretty good on the leash. But... it did help with the pther dogs in class.. who were MUCH larger than jake. Good luck!

[Juneysmom]

Although I've taken Juney to obedience training and learned to walk Juney with a loose leash, I prefer the harness because so many people let their dogs loose and I can grab my dog better with a harness and not choke her. Also, I have had dachshies that if their attention is on "killing that dog in my way", then they actually got out of their collar! :shock: So harness it is.

I notice that while walking, Juney walks like we are loose leash walking, but when we get within a half block of home, that's when she starts running the rest of the way home. :angel:

Bunny doesn't seem to care if we are close to home, but Cooler will try to keep going because he doesn't think that he is done walking. :cool: :dog:

Years ago, I had two dachshies who, when we were driving home, would start barking their heads off whenever we came within half a block of home. :bounce:

[Rudy's mom - MI]

Thanks to everyone for their input on how to teach Rudy to walk without pulling. I am a little embarrassed because he did go to school, and did great, I just never pursued the walking thing because at that time he wasn't a "puller". I do think I will get him a harness and use it until I can teach him not to pull. I'll try the method Blazeman mentioned - this is going to take alot of patience on my part because we are not going to get very far with all the stopping ( and the neighbors are going to wonder what in the world is going on) Stay tuned and we'll see who prevails.

Rudy's mom - MI :dog:

[dutchman]

Obedience classes can help but that hasn't stopped Frank from being a big time puller. Actually now that I have three boys they seem content to walk should by shoulder out in front of me taking up most of the sidewalk telling anone who comes their way that it is their sidewalk. The only solution that I fould worked consistently for Frank when he was pulling was to use a pincher collar. The pincher is the collar some people incorrectly call a prong collar. Another alternative that works for many dogs but generally take a longer time to get accuston to is the gentle leader. IF you think the prong collar is crule try putting one on your arm. It works by pinching the skin not by digging in like many people mistankenly believe. I call Frank's pincher colalr his big boy collar since you see many people with large dogs uisng them to keep from being pulled along by their dogs.. For a non puller I like to use the greyhound collars as walking collars since they are relatively easy to slip off and on but almost impossible for a dgo to slip out of on their own if they try to pull away. Our dachsie friends with the relativelly narrow heads are prone to slipping out of conventional collars.

When Frank walks with the pincher collar on he may pull once or twice early in the walk and he will turn his head from side to side like he is saying hey I don't like that but then he walks the rest of the way with a nice slack leash. I never use the pincher for running for that we always use a greyhound collar.

Good luck,

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)