Walking questions...

mypower610 · May 2014

Our 9 month old puppy is 65lbs. We are having a lot of difficulty training him on how to walk on a leash. We wants to chase all the cars that pass us. We just recently started using a harness during long walks. Whenever we walk with our 4 yr old dog and he's wearing the harness he becomes aggressive when cars pass by. So...what do we do about him wanting to chase cars?? And does a harness make certain dogs aggressive??

mypower610 · May 2014

Not sure why it posted 3 times.....my apologies!!

formerlyGDaisy09 · May 2014

Where does the leash hook to the harness? in the front or back? A harness that hooks in the back can encourage pulling and I guess maybe leash agression.

Try a gentle leader or easy walk harness.

practice walking in places with limited distractions, if you can find one.

think about enrolling in a class that focuses on good leash behavior.

penguin44 · May 2014

A harness makes it easier for a dog to act up on a walk. The harness actually makes it so they can pull harder. Think about dogsledding dogs. They have harnesses on so they can pull the sled. They can pull with their entire body. We have done multiple training classes with our dogs, and every trainer recommends a pinch collar. I would recommend the puppy classes at your local pet store. They go over leash training very well.

formerlyGDaisy09 · May 2014

Every trainer I've met explicitly does not recommend a pinch collar. they all push for the gentle leader or easy walk harnesses over the negative correction from the pinch collar.

The leader and easy walk harness both hook in front of your dog, under their chin or infront of their chest, if they start pulling it turns them to face you, thus being counter productive to their efforts to move forward, it took one walk with a little irritation witht he way the leader sits on her face and it was like I had a new dog overnight.

If your dog is exhibiting leash agression problems I'd definitely recommend a trainer and look into the yellow dog project. it's still a grass roots movement, but the more people who share the better. a yellow ribbon or something on the leash may let people know your dog needs a little space. don't set your dog up to fail, when you're approaching a situation he'd react to just turn and walk a different way, the less opportunity he has to practice the negative behavior the easier it'll be to work on it.

closapio · May 2014

Imma ditto Gdaisy here.

ktbabe530 · May 2014

We used a harness with our dog and our trainer told us that the harness makes them want to pull even more, I would avoid the harness if you can - it will make the training harder.

Here's what we did that really helped.

Get some small treats and start in your house, then move the driveway, then a few houses, etc.

1. Have him sit and make eye contact and reward with a treat.

2. Take 2 steps, sit, eye contact and reward with a treat.

3. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

We've done this for a few weeks now and our dog sits so fast on walk because she knows she'll get a treat. The eye contact is also key because it teaches them that you are the one they need to be paying attention too.

Good luck, 65lbs doesn't sound easy!

chrisnjay05212010 · May 2014

We use the prong (or pinch) collar on our dog, who is over 100lbs, this was recommended by our trainer. A gentle leader is a good idea as well, it works great for my brothers dog. Either way you go i would recommend also taking a class, there are ones that focus mostly on leash walking.

I agree with the pp about bring treats along with you, we did this as well when we were first training. I would even have the dog sit while the car is appraoching and reward with a treat if he behaves.

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