please help!
My lovely pup is 14 weeks old and is appalling on the lead, so much so that for the first time last night, I was feeling anxious before going out (I dont want to transmit that to her).
She is the best in every other way. Sleeps all night for 8-10 hours with no crying, halfway there on toilet training, knows sit, stay, paw, lie down and go. Will go to bed when asked (if shes under my feet when Im cooking). She is fab yet on walks, she pulls so much its untrue, Im afraid of hurting her. When I stop and change direction she digs her heels in and wont move AT ALL. I dont pick her up, I just wait. If I stand still when she pulls, she goes into 'whirling dervish mode' and spins jumps in the air and goes generally mad, this lasts for as long as I stand still, longest period, two minutes. I bought her a harness which was fitted on her but she acts like a bucking bronco with that on and goes mad. Please help, she is 14 week old cocker spaniel. Thanks in advance :))))
Answers:
i know what you are talking about about i have had many dogs like that.My best advice is to buy a slip lead so when she pulls she will feel the strain on her neck but it won't hurt her.Put the lead behing your legs and hold in in your right hand with the dog on the left and that way she can't pull or vice versa but always walk her on the same side every time because it could comfuse her, but when she does try to pull then you could get a plastic bottle with stones in it and rattle it in her face it won't hurt her by all means it will just give her a little shock but have the bottle either in a bag or in you hand behind your back and most importantly remember 10 times more praise than command when she does in right give her so much praise and the occasional treat but don't give the treat to her every time because then you are just teaching her to do so she gets a treat and not because you told her to do so.When she does pull ' pull her straight back in and say heel and rattle the bottle and in a clear voice keep repeating the heel command when you go out on your walks, but remember training does'nt just take a few minutes you have to keep persisting. When she is into heel properly her head should be in contact with your leg and eventually she should look up at you when she is in heel and when she does this you have cracked it. But remember doen't be to harsh with her after all she really baby still, don't let it get to you to much because after all that is what most pups to anyway, but i am a strong believer of letting puppies be puppies first, then later on start some training with her because at such a young age her head is full of bumble bees i'm not saying that its impossible to train them but its more difficult to when there that age.And one other thing she will be able to tell if your anxious or not so try to be as calm as possible just to let her know who is the boss around here. Good luck with pup!!
get her a harness, they are much better than collar,make sure its a good fit, they are adjustable and you'll have more control.
good luck
do u use a harness they feel more comfertable and seems to work the trick with my rotty had sae problem with her she is great now also try and persuade her with food that does the trick xx
We have 2 cocker spaniels and have had them since pups too. At first they were afraid to go on the lead - firstly the lead felt alien to them and secondly the outdoor noises scared them. Could you perhaps put the collar or harness on the dog at home so that she gets used to it? Also it would be an idea to take her walking somewhere quiet (difficult I know) and when you are out keep her distracted with praise, toys and treats.She should settle down eventually as ours did. One of them still pulls though. Good luck.
Liver sausage! in your pocket (in a bag) The trick is to have her focused on you not where she is going. Cockers are bred to focus on a point (dead duck in water) and go and get it. not on leads but running free. The treat in the pocket will keep her attention on you.
Teach her a word, hup! walk on, or what ever, at home with the treat. Give her a little treat then say your chosen word. It might take a while.She will soon learn. Then try it when your out.
ok, throw away the harness. you are giving her more ability to pull. hence why they use harnesses on sled dogs. get either a training collar, commonly called a choke chain (although only a choke chain if left on when not training) or a snug fitting collar. get a nylon 4ft lead, this is all you need. the retractable ones leave too much room for mistake. you have no real control over your dog if you are distracted for a second and the dog bolts. if she stops, you do not. keep walking, you are bigger than her she will follow, she won't have a choice. if you're walking she won't really have the opprotunity to spin and do alligator rolls on you. everytime she makes a move with you praise her, ignore her and keep walking, not fast where you're dragging her though, when she doesn't want to. do not let her get ahead of you. allow her to either walk next to you or right behind you. a proper heel position is where the dog's head is even with your knee. do not let her pass that. let her know she is out to walk, no sniffing, wandering around in circles, etc.you do this by keeping on walking. to help you learn better by showing you, if she is currant on her vaccines, find a training class near you. not a petsmart one. they will show you how to get her to properly walk on a lead. she sounds very smart and you too since she's doing so well with so many other things. keep that momentum going. be patient, and be consistant, set your mind to you're going on a walk and not i hope she doesn't pull me all over. good luck. sounds like a good dog that's just having trouble getting the whole leash thing.
when she pulls stop and say a firm no. If this does not work go to a group training class
you could try a head collar, they are sold under the brand name of 'Halti'. this makes it impossible for the dog to pull on the head as you have control of the dog's head.
Trying to control a pulling dog by it's neck is not good, especially with a choke chain, as this can damage the dog's throat.
using a head collar is much moe effective and eliminates straining and choking on the lead.
she will not like it when you first fit her with the halti but if you do it for short periods whilst you are in the house she will soon get used to it, besides when out walking there are lots of interesting things for her to be distracted by.
You could also try giving her a treat when you put the halti on - this will make a positive association with the halti in her mind
good luck
I have a cocker spaniel pup too-now 6 months and I symathise - I have been tehre and it sounds so bad walking along the road with a dog sounding like it is being strangled. what type of harness do you have? I bought a "halti" which goes round the nose and back of head and makes the dog turn to look at you when it pulls, therefore cannot keep moving forward! It works - honest. But takes time for puppy to get used to
Mine is just as bad! Gentle Leader is great - sounds like the "Halti" that other people are describing. It takes the dog a while to get used to but you have to persevere and then the pulling will stop. You won't hurt her, by the way. She would let you know if she was hurt. Those strangulation noises they make aren't anywhere near as bad as the little demons want you to think :-D After all, THEY are the ones doing the pulling and if it really hurt, they would stop!
Alternatively, train her to leash walk with treats. It takes time but it absolutely can be done. Every single time she pulls (yes, EVERY time) you swing right around and walk in the opposite direction, forcing her to come with you. Obviously you cannot do this when you are going somewhere specific - you need to set aside a time and do it in the park or on a piece of open ground - you can even do it in your own garden if it's big enough.
Keep a pocket full of little pieces of liver treats and every time she walks by your side (it should always be the same side, on your left is traditional) without pulling for, say, 10 seconds, you give her a treat. She will get the message eventually.
Training classes are your answer. A slip lead as someone suggested is not a good idea for a young pup, they can damage the throat. Treats are great and a halti may work but in the end a training class would give someone the chance to really see what is going on and suggest different methods of dealing with the problem.
Buy a gentle leader or a halti they are brilliant you have instant control without any hassle, my dogs pull like mad if they aren't wearing a gentle leader, you have such control over them.
I know where your coming from on this one! When you said you change direction and she digs her heels in - keep doing it! She wont dig in forever, shes testing you and your giving in! I know how hard it is, and how bloody embarassing it is and how sorry you feel for her but you have to persevere. When she pulls, really quickly turn in the opposite direction and walk away from her. If she stops, tug gently on the lead and if she digs her heels in, walk in the direction you were originally going in. When she goes mad again, as shes apt to do the little mare ha ha, turn quickly and walk away. Once she realises she cant get one over on you she;ll start behaving. Another thing you can try is this - as your walking and shes pulling you, when you turn quickly in the opposite direction and she turns with you for that split second, quickly give her a favourite treat, she may start following you instead of you being dragged behind her! Liver's a good one for training and its cheap. Get 2lb of pigs liver from your butcher, slice it thinly and lay it out on a baking tray in the oven. Put the oven on a medium heat and leave it for a few hours till its bone dry. Once cooled, cut it into small pieces. When shes good outside, even if its for one second, give her a treat, she'll learn that being good has its rewards! Oh and when you get your liver, go to the other shop and get some air freshner spray - the liver stinks your kitchen out and your dog, if shes been very good, will stink your sitting room out ha ha. Good luck.
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