So he chewed through the Gentle Leader today. That didn't last long.

[milestogo]

My only complaint was that it was a little flimsy for the price. I forgot to take it off when I unleashed him and he destroyed it as soon as he had a chance.

So I ordered a HALTI instead, which looks a little sturdier.

I'm aware that using one of these makes it hard for him to pull, but it doesn't really train him. I still don't know how to stop him from dragging me when using a regular leash and collar. Stopping whenever he pulls doesn't work at all.

Any suggestions?

[SheltieLover]

1. Puppy class?

Although that's not ok with covid.

Keep a bag of small treats on your belt & try teaching him to heel.

Ime, might not work if he has a strong prey drive.

Can you let him run off some energy in a fenced yard before walking him?

You tube videos?

[milestogo]

4. Puppy class was cancelled and nothing is rescheduled.

I could work on heeling. He doesn't seem that interested in squirrels so far.

He goes to puppy day care for 10 hours 3 days a week and he still has enough energy to pull me after that...

[sandensea]

2. From my experience, you just learn to live with it

Mine - God rest them - loved their harnesses (Argentine leather). They'd actually help out while I was putting the harnesses on them.

But if they saw something interesting, they'd definitely pull.

They were both around 50 lbs. so it manageable - but I knew to always be ready for that.

Most of the time though, they'd just walk at a leisurely pace (with the Basset stopping to sniff at everything).

All the Best to you and your furry friends. They do make a home.

[UpInArms]

3. How big and old is he?

A good choke collar, used properly, can teach not to pull in 10 to 15 minutes ...

Personal note: I raised and showed chows for many years ... teaching a dog to stay close to your left side and watch you is key ... it should never be used punitively ... small tugs for correction do not inflect harm or terror. A well trained dog is a happy dog.

[milestogo]

7. 5 months, over 40 lbs

To me it seems like it only teaches them if the behavior continues when you stop using the choke collar. I still have mine, which I did use on previous dogs. I guess its worth another try. I'd rather walk him normally on a leash, but right now he drags me when he gets excited - and with all the snow and ice, its dangerous.

[UpInArms]

8. My hubby

(before he was my hubby) brought his wonderful half golden half malamute into my world. Beau was 85 pounds of uncontrollable love. We would go for walks and hubby would always want my dog’s lead ... leaving me (95 pounds) to be dragged around by his dog.

Long story short ... I put a pinch collar on Beau. Within 15 minutes, he was walking calmly by my side, never to pull me again. I only used pressure 3 times. I then exchanged it for a well made metal choke and never had to do more than tug once to recall him to attention.

Remember that these collars are tools, not weapons. A “band” collar (imho) is a mean an ineffective thing used only for hanging a tag on. They cause pressure on the vocal cord and do nothing to control a dog. The gentle giant devices are .. so whats ... a waste of money.

These are only my observations, feel free to pm and I would be willing to explain training that is fun for everyone.

Best of luck to you.

[bottomofthehill]

5. Agree big dogs can at times require a prong collar

Quick corrective tug will break them of bad habits. Some will think it cruel, but when correctly used it is not and it makes bout hour life and the dogs life much easier in the long run.

[iscooterliberally]

6. I used to have 3 large dogs.

I used to walk them all together with Halti-style front control harnesses. My shepherd mix was a Houdini dog so I also put a loose choker chain around her neck. There was no tension on it unless she backed out of the halti harness. Then the collar would grab so I could put the harness back on. My shepherd broke the gentle leader one day and took off down the street so I went to the harness and never looked back. You have to make sure that you adjust the front control halti harness properly in order for it to work. I can't explain it in this post though, but I'm sure there are youtube videos that you can check out. Here's a link that shows the harness that we used:

https://www.amazon.com/Halti-Front-Control-Harness-Medium/dp/B004W78GGC

My dogs all grew old and passed away, but they all used halti harnesses for most of their lives. Good luck!



PS - watch 'Lucky Dog' with Brandon McMillan on CBS whenever you can. He's a great trainer and has a good book too. I had really bad luck with the prong collar, so I would avoid that. The choker was only a safety catch. Those things are painful to your dog and might cause behavior problems. My shepherd was very high strung and that prong collar made her behavior much worse. Please avoid them.

[BainsBane]

9. My Lola did that once

but it was a real, sturdy leash. Like you I had forgotten to take it off, and she wanted it off. It never happened again because I never left her leash on again.

[Donkees]

10. Reinforcing the ''watch me'' command would help him increase focus and attention on you.

That would also help lower his reactivity.

[Donkees]

11. More:

adolescence in dogs generally occurs between 6-18 months and during that period, their brain is flooded with more hormones than ever. High levels of testosterone lead to greater reactivity with faster, longer and more intense responses to external stimuli.

https://blog.smartanimaltraining.com/2013/09/09/surviving-our-dogs-adolescence/

[milestogo]

12. Wow, its going to get worse?

Actually the last few days he's been walking well with a regular leash when there are no distractions. As soon as he sees a person, a dog, or some interesting garbage, he pulls. I'm making him stop and sit when he seems worked up. Working on "leave it"/impulse control.