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please help with pulling and other training aspects!!

952 views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  laniefly 
#1 ·
Luna is a 2 ys old female. My husband is primarily the one who has trained her. He just got put on orders with the military for the next year.......so I am in charge of her care. I really want to work on some training/negative behaviors she has with me so things run smoothly.

1. she pulls me like crazy!!! She is close to 80 lbs and when I 1st go to take her outside she drags me along to get to where she wants to go. I have fallen before due to her pulling me as I try to get out the door. I work 12 hr shifts as a RN and my parents have offered to come let her out and walk her, but I declined b/c I am afraid she would hurt them by knocking them down and then she would get loose. I had a prong collar on her for a bit, but it really did not seem to make a difference.

2. Getting her to listen to me since my husband has been the primary trainer. She relates me to playing and feeding her...and basically ignores me when I give her a command. I would love to take her to the dog park and let her interact with other dogs, but I am nervous she will not listen to me and I wont be able to control her. She is not aggressive to people, but she barks loudly at other dogs and its been a while since we have gone. I have never taken her alone....my hubby was always there.

Anyways, tips /advice appreciated. My husband will be gone for a year so I would really like her to listen to me during that time lol. Simple training tips we can start working on would be great! She is super smart and LOVES her kong. That's the toy my husband used with training. Thanks!!!!!!
 
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#2 ·
Start with simple obedience that she already knows, in an environment where there are no distractions. Keep it fun and reward her often. Once you are able to alter your relationship you can start introducing distractions.

If she was my dog, I would make her work for everything. If she wants a drink, you have an opportunity for a quick obedience session. Same with food etc.

You say you play with her, and she loves the kong. Sounds like she is willing to work for it. Turn your play into obedience and keep it fun and exciting.
 
#3 ·
To help with pulling, I would use a prong collar. However I would really encourage you to find a trainer that trains with a prong and also positive reinforcement. Go visit the trainer sites and see if their environment and methods are something you would enjoy. You really must enjoy doing the training, you won't learn much if you are bored. I've met some trainers who train in a parking lot, I didn't really get much out of that.
It seems like you family is very supportive, maybe they can go to training with you and learn the proper way to use a prong or whatever method the training facility uses. Once our dog was well trained we stopped using the prong, so it may not be a lifetime tool you'll need.

By the time your husband returns he will be surprised with his well mannered dog!
 
#4 ·
I'm with Gretchen that our pups are never too old to go to dog class. And WE are never too old to learn how to teach our dogs and learn to be their leader with the help of the routine of the classes. I love the prong but found it works best in conjunction with classes so it's actually a teaching aid.

In the meantime, I really do like the Gentle Leader Harness just for walking and to help with the general pulling. It's NOT really teaching them not to pull though (so you need the classes). It is giving you a break while you are learning how to work with your dog thru the classes.



 
#5 ·
I am by no means an authority in this department, but have a boy who does some of the very same things. I have him on a prong collar, but my ultimate goal is to move away from it. Here's what I do. When we are on our walk and he starts to pull, I stop and tell him to sit. When he is in a sit. I say "lets go" and start walking, but will only take a step or two and then put him in a sit again. I increase the number of steps I take based on when he starts to pull on the leash again. This can go on for quite a while depending on how crazy he decides to be. I treat good behavior and ignore him for bad behavior (this kills him, but might not have an effect on your girl. Try a negative marker like..collar correction...the uh-uh noise or something that says "wrong, try again").

At home, make her work for every single thing. She has to do her sit, down, stay,etc. commands to get breakfast, dinner, toy, tug, or to even go to her crate at bed time (if you have one).

As to the dog park, try going at a time when there will be fewer dogs around so she isn't overwhelmed and you can work with her on recall. Maybe even going in the shy dog area, because it's smaller and it will be easier to get her back in control. Bring her high value treats. The ones that she will do anything for and reward her when she comes on command. Never give her a negative marker when using the come command. You want that command to mean that its a thousand times more fun to come to you than whatever it is that she's doing.

Hopefully this helps you. I know they are working for me, but my guy is a work in progress. :D
 
#7 ·
thank you everyone! I think in all honesty, I am the one who will end up being trained haha. I am very excited to work with her. My husband involved me in the past , but I ended up doing more play than anything with her. The kong will 100% be my best bet. She is VERY focused on that toy. IN fact so much, that we call it her "remote" of sorts. I think making her do stuff throughout the day is an excellent idea. I really want to use this as an opportunity for her to learn new ( good) behaviors and for us to develop a closer relationship. I want to be able to take her places and not worry about her dragging me behind her leash lol. :)
 
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