It Cant Be THAT Hard to Teach a Dog to Walk on a Leash? Right?

They need to be taught and trained, like anything else. Personally, I like Gentle Leader Head Collars. They are worn on their heads and around their muzzles, like a horse wears a halter. They cannot use the full force of their body to pull if you have control of their head. I just see too many dogs practically choking themselves on choke collars and pinch collars because they just want to pull and pull and those collars are not enough of a deterrent. You can find them at most pet supply stores, like Petco, or sometimes the vet offices sell them. They also come with a booklet on how to fit them on the dog and how to use them correctly. I've seen many many dogs who would otherwise be crazy and out of control become totally manageable with the Gentle Leader. Sometimes they fight it at first if they are particularly strong-willed and not used to being made to cooperate, but the more they fight it, the more they need it!

ETA: Do NOT get a retractable leash! You have no control of the dog at all! I hate those things!

Go to Petsmart and get a Gentle Leader. It's a "Head Collar", and it is a miracle! My boxer learned how to walk on his leash in about two minutes with this thing on.

I always have a hard time getting my dog to walk on a leash at first. Usually what helps me is finding another dog that has no issues walking on a leash and walk them together. My dog always follows behind the other dog and it gets them moving vs. trying to force and tug him down the road. good luck.

Hi Molly, it's possible YOU won't have a problem with leashing the dog, only his owner.

I say this because my sister always insisted her dog would not go on a leash. They live on a large piece of property so they can just let her out.

I live in a suburban townhouse setting so my dogs HAVE to be leashed.

So she was very worried the first time I dog sat because her dog (a large sheppard lab mix) refused to go out with a leash or even MOVE once she put a leash on her.

However, I had absolutely NO problems with leashing her dog, here at MY house with my dogs leashed too.

She had zero reaction to it, like she'd been walking with a leash all her life!

So I don't know if it's just because it was ME not my sister holding the leash, or because MY dogs were leashed, but I had no probs whatsoever.

:)

Liver treats. You just hold one in your hand where he can smell it but not eat it. Every so often you praise him and give him the treat. Each time you increase the distance before you give him the treat. Before you know it you don't have to have the treat in your hand and he is walking right next to you. :)

I miss training dogs. :(

Actually the pinch collar Carrie described is not good for leash training. It is for obedience training. Like once you are not dragging the dog by his leash you can graduate to the pinch and get a nice heal. Dogs that are skidish or afraid of the leash will become worse on a pinch.

Dogs are like kids you have to know when to use positive and negative reinforcement. If your child is afraid of the dark you don't force them into a dark room, you convince them it is safe. You don't force a dog afraid of the lease to walk on one by pinching them, most of the time it backfires anyway and you get a bucking bronco at the end of the leash. Instead you convince them walking on the leash is fun, cause it is.

I had to train my 90+ lb. lab with a gentle leader and a hand full of small treats. It was the only leash she would walk with. She is now almost 9 and doesn't need a leash when we walk (we live on 9 acres so she has the freedom to be off leash). The gentle leader was necessary for her obedience class. It was the only way we survived not getting kicked out :)

Molly,
I don't have dogs (sigh!) so I don't have any advice, but reading your post all I can think was:
Don't you weight as much as your dog? Oh my Molly, please be careful...or at least have somebody recording it all ;*)
Those dogs are big!
Have fun, glad to hear that the weather is getting nice.
I am going to sign in the gym ASAP!!

My lab went to TRAINING for this, the only thing I could never get him to do well was, walk on a leash.

They make a collar that has these metal points that will go inward when the dog starts to pull. It sounds cruel, but really it is an excellent learning tool. I have had 2 dogs in life that could not walk on a leash and as soon as I used this they stopped pulling. It hurt to pull. So they immediately stopped. We just took many many many walks (every day we did a walk) with this special collar and eventually they learned a new habit an I could switch back to the regular collar. There is another type of non pulling device that you can put on your dog...it has a little harness around their head and when they pull they get no traction in pulling forward...it is set up so that if they try to pull it just makes them turn their head to the side. I have tried this too and I did think it worked as well. Anyway, go to a pet smart or petco and find one of those non pull collars! It is worth a try! Also, use positive reinforcement and lots of yummy treats. Praise him any time he is doing something right!

For pulling a gentle leader or easy walk harness can help. The harness might be easier to get hitm used to, but I love my gentle leader when needed. Also using small treats to reward good behavior. Other options if he pulls turn atly round and go the other way and change direction frequently so he has to pay attention. One more option stop and stand still if hw pulls until there ia slack in leash ans then move forward.

Like a man, the way to a dog's heart is through his stomach! Most dogs are foodies, and you can use this to your advantage.

When I start to leash-train a dog - and I admit I haven't worked with a 120-pound one - I put lots of good-smelling treats in both pockets. It's amazing how much more a dog likes me that way. Then I start attaching a twelve-foot clothesline rope securely to his collar or harness, and take him to an open area (such as an empty parking lot). I let Rover roam around to the end of his lead and get used to being restricted from going further. When he comes back in my direction - whether I call to him or not - I give him a bit of a treat. (All he needs is a taste - not a full snack.) Then I start walking the other way. Rover roams around, gets to the end of the lead, works his way back to me, etc. I do that for a little while, just to get him used to having a lead and paying attention to my presence.

The next day I'll cut a foot off the lead, and another foot the next day, until it's down to the regular six-foot length. Every time the dog comes to me, I reinforce the behavior by giving him a taste of the treat.

When I put on a regular leash, I'll let him practice with it a couple of days, calling his name frequently and rewarding him when he pays attention to me. Pretty soon Rover is thinking, "I'm getting this woman trained; she gives me a treat whenever I look her way."

If Rover doesn't know how to sit, I teach him to sit on leash by holding that bit of treat near his nose and moving it back so that he has to sit in order to get it. That needs practice every day. (Just a couple of minutes three times a day might work.)

When I finally start walking him on leash seriously, I have the smelly treats in the pocket on the side I want Rover to be on. I hold one in my hand, and encourage him to walk with his nose close to the treat. I reward him if he does this for just a bit. I have to catch him doing what I want; when he's in the right place, he gets praised and treated. Eventually, I can teach him to stop when I do and to sit - right where the treat is. After he gets used to it, the rewards can be fewer and farther between, and praise will do the trick.

Seven isn't too old to teach a dog, as long as he is physically and mentally healthy. Hold the leash so that it isn't wrapped around your wrist or anything, because, at his size, if MegaRover takes off running for some reason, you could be hurt if you can't let the leash go.

If you can take Rover to a few classes, he will watch other dogs walking on leash, and that may help him, too. Dogs are pack animals - they learn from one another.

Hope this helps a bit.

(I just read the suggestion about the Gentle Leader. I use Gentle Leaders all the time! Dogs don't like having things on their noses, so you have to do the same kind of reward training to get them used to it. You also need to learn to adjust it correctly so that it allows Rover to breathe, pant, drink water, etc. - not too tight, not too loose. The advantage of a Gentle Leader or Halti is that you're guiding Rover by his head, not pulling on him by his neck. Where the head goes, the rest of the dog will follow.)

If I read this correctly, your problem is not that he is pulling, but that you have to drag him, correct? This tells me that he may be fearful of walking on the leash. The suggestions for using pinch collars, choke chains etc... Will not help a situation where a dog is already reluctant to walk on a leash. A fearful dog needs to learn that walking on a leash is a positive, fun thing. First, put him in a martingale style nylon collar. Also known as a greyhound collar or no slip collar. A fearful dog is likely to back out of a regular collar, and you do not want that. Next, find a treat that he really loves. Some suggestions are small pieces of cheese, hot dog, liver treats or even SPAM. Make the pieces very small (rasin size). Now bring the treats along with you, start in the house with leash on, where he is comfortable. Reward him for taking one step with the leash on and you holding it. Then increase it to a reward for two steps etc... This will take time, but gradually reward for longer distances. When he seems comfortable, then you can move to the outdoors trying the same reward method. Don't pull him, or drag him, or make walking more scary. Show him that walking on the leash is a positive experience. Soon he will associate walking with tasty treats and he will look forward to it. You want him to associate walking with good things. Fearful dogs will not respond well to force, you will only increase his fear. I recommend taking a few classes with a positive reinforcement based trainer to give you more info. You can try www.woofology.com.

Hmmmm. Put the leash on in the house. Let him just walk around with it.
Then you take it and walk him thru the kitchen or on deck or wherever you
allow him to go. Start with a mnute or two and then ramp it up. Good luck.

I understand that boxers are pig-headed.

I agree with "it's me or the dog". She has a website, too. One thing you can do when a dog pulls is to turn around. Dogs don't want to go back to where it's boring and they've already been. Training also isn't a one-shot thing. If his owner won't try more than a couple of times, nothing will be changed.

Here's some of her tips on positive training: http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/its-me-or-the-dog...

Good for you for trying to help this dog. Dogs DO need to walk or they can get bored and destructive. And it's simply good for them (and us) to get out.

Other ladies gave good advice--here's my one thing:

Do NOT wrap any part of your body with the leash. ONLY put your thumb through the loop/handle at the end. Don't wrap any excess around your fingers--use your fingers to HOLD the folded excess. Imagine that you are on a charter fishing boat and using a pole to fish. Suddenly your line is taken by a humongous marlin that runs out with it. If any part of you is wrapped by the line, you could lose it (a finger for example) or severely injure it during the run out. Same thing with the leash. I like to fold mine like ribbon candy and hold it in my left hand, with just the loop end in my right hand (well, the loop over my thumb with the rest loosely across my palm). If the dog were to suddenly lunge at something, none of my body will get trapped in the leash.
Also, your thumb is stronger so that you can hold the leash better if the dog is pulling... if he lunges too much and you have to let go, all you have to do is let your thumb drop...

Be safe.

Does he pull on the leash? Or is he scared of the leash? I run a dog rescue organization in Dallas and can probably give you some quick insight on how to move forward. Please email me and I can send you the information.

K.

I bet there is a YouTube video of how to get your dog to heel. Gentle lead collar or choke collar is a good start. Choke collar doesn't really choke the dog if you do it right. The dog should be trained to heel on the same side every time. When he pulls, correct him with a sharp tug and the "Heel" command and immediately release the tension. Dogs dislike the pressure on their neck. Ideally, the choke collar should be place higher on the neck, but mine always slides down. My dog needs little correction anymore. She has learned to walk nicely beside be with a bit of slack in the leash. I allow her stop and sniff. The gentle leader (also called a head collar) is a collar that fits over the head like a horse halter. When the dog pulls, it pulls their chin down to their chest.

Consistency in handling is a must. Good luck. :)

I use a choke chain collar and retractable leash. The choke collar gets her attention and she holds back if I have the leash short. But if we get to an area where she can be more free, I can let the leash out and she can run. She loves it and I no longer get dragged around when we walk.

Teaching a dog to walk on a leash can be really challenging and take a long time. There were times I thought my Lab would rather choke himself to death with his collar than walk on the leash!

There are lots of training tips and videos online you can find. It's a good idea to tire the dog out FIRST before you attempt to take him on a leash when he is just learning. If you can play fetch inside or even take him somewhere fenced (dog park?) and let him run out his energy, he will be more willing to let you set the pace when he is leashed.

My big advice is more in case it doesn't work out for you... Make sure you are not holding the leash in such a way that you can't easily let go. If you have it wrapped around your wrist or arm and your dog should suddenly decide to bolt faster than you can run, or god forbid out into traffic and you're not strong enough to stop him, you need to be able to let go so he doesn't drag you with him or dislocate your arm. I know two people who were seriously injured in exactly this way!

Good luck!

Get a training collar (aka a pinch collar). It needs to be loose enough that there is no pressure on his neck when the leash is slack.
When he starts to pull, give the leash a quick snap and then immediately release the pressure and tell him "Heel." The release is important. What you want is a quick pinch to focus his attention on you, not for the prongs to gouge his neck.
My daughter's boxer/pit mix learned to walk at heel on a leash in two days using this method, where before he was dragging her down the street using just a regular collar.

You've gotten some good advice... so I won't repeat.

Yes. It CAN be that hard to walk a dog.

My Lab is one of the best behaved dogs EVER. When. He's. Tired.

He's a puller. As in enough of one that I started mushing him (dogsled) 2 winters ago, and he's the happiest I've ever seen him. I swear this dog was born wrong. He's my husky in a labrador suit. ((Whole shebang; hole digging, moon howling, escape artist, who KNOWS all the commands - but thinks about whether or not he believes it's also a good idea before following them.))

This dog was designed by the powers that be to be pulling a sled.

And he can. Several hundred pounds of sled. All by himself. You should see him GO when he's got a whole team pulling with him.

So... how hard can it be to take a dog for a walk on a leash?

Very. Very. Very. Hard.

If I don't have hotdog slices in my pockets, I'm screwed. LOL, and this isn't just 'bad owner' on me. I've spent years training horses and dogs. This one is musher. He just is.

I got one for our dog at petsmart. It goes around the whole body (well...back, belly and he put his legs in) and it would connect in the front of his chest. If he would walk off or try to bound away he would actually trip and fall. He only fell once and after that he walked GREAT on a leash. Good luck.
L.

watch "it's me or the dog" on animal planet. that british lady has some great tips for exactly this!

I got a Gentle Leader for my dog and it works so much better as you have the control. A DVD comes with it and tells you how to use it. It doesn't hurt the dog at all and they walk by you with no pulling. You could try it but otherwise it takes daily practice and work.

We had a lot of success with a "holdi" collar. It goes around their face and attaches to the collar. It looks kind of like a muzzle, but it's just controlling their head. You may get some funny looks, but it helped us control our large dog and was recommended by the obedience trainer. I also think you need to walk him frequently to get him used to the idea. Good luck!

We love our Gentle Leader! It goes around their muzzle and works similarly to controlling a horse. We have a Lab. She's almost 11 and she has been a puller all her life! If you try to walk her without it, she pulls and chokes herself. With the Gentle Leader you can control them much easier and no choking!

Let me pile on the gentle leader recommendation. Doesn't have to be brand, but around his nose. I weigh in at 115 pounds. a 120 lb dog will ALWAYS win a tug of war unless you have him by the nose. It does not hurt the dog at all and with calm patience (and the video in it gives you help) you can teach this old dog a new trick. Calm. Patience.

My dog will only walk on a leash for me. ;-)

Watch some Dog Whisperer episodes. :)

I apologize if this is a repeat answer as I only have a couple of minutes to play on here....why not use a retractable leash, that way the dog may not recognize he is attached to something.