My Training Notes

Pulling on Leash



In The Dog Whisperer Paul Owens says that when a dog pulls on leash, "the person has inadvertently taught his dog that the freedom to go forward is actually a reward for pulling."

This page was written to address a specific person's needs. His dog was "spooked" by the sight of a chain training collar (choke collar). Eventually I will generalize the comments and consolidate the info on collars with my "collar" page. I expect to obtain the correct names and sources of the collars that I describe below but right now I consider this to be a work in progress. Eventually I will include some drawings.

Note that you need to 1) set your goal as to what you want your dog to do, 2) select a training method, and 3) choose a collar. A choke collar won't stop your dog from pulling - you are going to have to work hard to train your dog. In your case, I would recommend a standard buckle collar. I don't recommend harnesses because they are designed to make pulling comfortable for the dog. Have you checked out your local dog trainer for group lessons?

When something "spooks" a dog, I like to "desensitize" the dog gradually. For example, if your dog responds violently to a standard collar, introduce it to her gradually. Show it to her and then take it away. Talk soothingly and give her a treat. Next actually touch her with it. Next put it around her neck without fastening it. Then fasten it and immediately take it off. Fasten it and leave it on for a while. Fasten it and attach a leash but do not use the leash to control her. Do this over as long a period of time as it takes. Always praise success and give a treat. If she "spooks," you have advanced too quickly - the fault is yours. Back off to a lower "threat" level. Always end any training session on a note of success. If you haven't had any success, you have been accelerating the intensity too quickly.

I think of three situations when I hear of a dog pulling on her leash:
1) The owner wants the dog to heel in strict AKC style,
2) The owner wants to exercise the dog on a six-foot leash,
3) The owner wants to give the dog extended freedom on a Flexi-Leash.

There are several general approaches to the pulling problem.
1) The owner stops whenever the dog pulls. When the dog relaxes, the owner continues the walk. This does take patience with some dogs but eventually the dog does learn not to pull.
2) The owner walks briskly in random directions and the dog is jerked if the dog does not pay attention. The dog can be "set up" by relaxing the leash and then the owner gives a mighty tug in the direction opposite to the dog's pulling.
3) The owner holds a piece of treat in front of the dog's face and thus lures the dog to follow the owner.
All of these techniques should be accompanied by praise when the dog is walking without pulling. Talking to the dog is really very necessary.

Hardware:
1) No-pull harness made out of wire. In my experience these are not effective if the dog is pulling to the side or to the rear (lagging).
2) Head control devices - Gentle Leader/Promise Leader, Halti, and a third which escapes me. I have not used these but those who have swear by them. I don't know how they would work with a Flexi-Leash.
3) Choke collars. I think that the term "choke" is unfortunate. Remember that the dog's neck muscles are very strong. These training collars spread the force evenly around the neck of the dog as opposed to standard buckle collars, which concentrate the force all on one side of the neck or on the front of the neck and on the windpipe. These collars are made out of quite a few different materials: small links, large links, oval links (fur savers), round noisy links (Woodhouse collars), nylon tape (similar to a leash), nylon tube (lightweight and soft), leather tube (mine is too stiff to work well), Martingale ("humane choke" - limits choke action), toggle choke, and snap choke.
Prong Collar 4) Prong collars (German collars). These remind the dog of his mother's teeth - that's how she corrects her puppies. These collars bring about an instant change in the dog's attitude. But a stubborn dog will continue to pull.
5) Standard buckle collars. These collars must be fitted snugly. These collars concentrate the force all on one side of the neck or on the front of the neck and on the wind pipe.

Choke collars and Fur:
In my experience, what causes problems with the dog's fur is the travel of the "live" end of the collar through the "dead" ring. The toggle choke and the snap choke certainly minimize this travel. The larger the ring, the less the hair snags. The fur saver collar is somewhat effective also. There really isn't any reason why a dog can't be trained on a standard buckle collar. However I have difficulty snugging down the collar on top of, in, and through all of that Chow Chow fur. For this reason, I think that the choke collars are more escape proof.

You will find more collar info in Collars and Leashes and Fur Damage.