How to stop leash pulling

[GSD Fan]

The last dog I had, she would leash pull real badly! My hand and arm would ache and everything. What I tried was stopping immediately when she pulled. It didn't work. When she was level with me and we start, she'd go right back to pulling and sometimes she'd all the sudden burst out running.

I did a good job with almost everything else but leash pulling was the one and only major problem. I never could teach her how to stop! I am asking about this because I want to know how to handle it if my future GSD puppy does it.

[Stosh]

Hopefully, you'll be able to train the new pup so it doesn't pull, but mine did until I started using a prong collar. Instant results!! Most trainers won't use one on a puppy under 6 mos but Uschi was so hard core we used it when she was just a week shy of 6 mos. Really worked great, I use one on Stosh when we're training.

[GSD Fan]

Is that the collar with the spikes on the inside?

[frillint1]

Does that collar hurt?

[jakeandrenee]

If used properly it can be a good training tool. I use mine during training with Jake also. We started using one at 6 months.

[crisp]

You can teach a dog not to pull with treats. There is a good video on one of the threads called surprise game or something like it. That of course will take more time. A prong collor does have the metal prongs on the inside and works well much sooner. The prong has to be used properly, however. It doesn't hurt per se, as much as it applies greater pressure. I've tried a prong on my arm, full force in the past, you don't feel each prong, but rather feel a pressure across the length of the collar.

[BlackPuppy]

I've used prong collars in the past, but since then I've learned better ways that actually involve training the dogs. The prong collar is just a crutch and not a substitution for actually training your dog to understand what you are asking it to do. That's the problem your dog isn't "getting it." If you don't have an obedience class nearby, there are some great resources online. Here is a great video that utilizes clicker training to teach polite walking. IMO, clicker training is the fastest way to teach your dog what you want.

These videos use a German Shepherd. Watch all three parts before you try (or don't try) it.
Video 1 (3 parts)
SHAPING POLITE WALKING with a High Rate of Reinforcement: PART 1 OF 3 on Vimeo

Proper order....
Part 2
http://www.vimeo.com/13562479

Part 3
http://www.vimeo.com/13321611

[Stosh]

The prong collar tightens evenly around the neck so the dog has the sensation of something like it's mother putting her mouth around it, like she does when they're little. You can try it on yourself, it doesn't hurt, but it needs to be fitted and used properly. It's actually a lot better than using a choke collar from a chiropractic standpoint since you're not yanking the neck

[VChurch]

With Minna I was using treats with her to learn to walk on just my left side; and she's doing well with it -- she walks on my left side and mostly without pulling; but I can feel the storm coming...
She will sometimes get to the end of the leash; I'll stop and she'll immediately turn around and walk back to my left side until I start moving again. And typically she'll also 'sit' if she's at my side when we stop. But she does walk slightly in front of me; and I switch up our walks everyday so that she cannot guess which road is next or which direction we're heading.
But like I said, I can feel the pulling coming -- she's gotten more and more confidence on walks; at 3 months old she would follow me, now she's walking even-with or slightly in front of me..we'll see.

[paulag1955]

Originally Posted by VChurch

With Minna I was using treats with her to learn to walk on just my left side; and she's doing well with it -- she walks on my left side and mostly without pulling; but I can feel the storm coming...
She will sometimes get to the end of the leash; I'll stop and she'll immediately turn around and walk back to my left side until I start moving again. And typically she'll also 'sit' if she's at my side when we stop. But she does walk slightly in front of me; and I switch up our walks everyday so that she cannot guess which road is next or which direction we're heading.
But like I said, I can feel the pulling coming -- she's gotten more and more confidence on walks; at 3 months old she would follow me, now she's walking even-with or slightly in front of me..we'll see.

Shasta and Minna are almost the same age and I'm seeing the same thing. Shasta walks quite nicely until there's some kind of a major distraction, such as a person walking towards us or someone in a yard or a dog anywhere, then she pulls like a Husky. I weigh at least 3 times as much as she does, and she can already pull me off my feet if she catches me off guard so I'm prepared to do whatever I need to in order to be able to walk her.