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Leash training

1K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  Kaimeju 
#1 ·
7 week old just hates her leash. She will walk with me about 10 feet then pull away. Ive read here to change directions but to me that would be givin in to the dog and tugging on her just makes it worse. Been workin on this about 10 days. Any ideas would be great
 
#2 ·
you have a very interesting name. ;). your pup might not be pulling
because she hates the leash. she might be pulling because she wants
to go home. when my pup wanted to go home i encouraged him
to go a little farther. when we headed home i would walk past my house
and then turn around and go home.

to help with the leash training i put the leash on my pup and let him drag
it around the house. if you do this watch your pup closely. you don't want
the leash getting caught on something and you don't see it.

if you don't know how to train a dog find a trainer. it's well worth it.

when ever i walked my pup i kept him on my left side. i was setting
him up to teach him "heel". he had plenty of loose leash time and
no leash time.
 
#3 ·
#4 · (Edited)
She doesn't understand the leash. I am no expert dog trainer either.

We have had a leash on our 8 week old pup from day 1. However, I didn't want the leash to be traumatic to him. He would struggle under leash pressure and I would immediately give him slack, Squat down and call him to me. He usually came right away without the leash pressure.

That progressed into a very short and VERY light tug, (not a leash correction) then immediately gave slack. More to get his attention than anything. He seemed very responsive to this. Sometimes it took two of these in succession to get his attention. I would call him while doing this and we started walking.

Now at 10 weeks we are starting to use the leash as a training tool and not just to keep him from running into traffic etc. We are just starting to teach leash pressure and what it means. Tone of voice, light pressure, maybe a "come" with some excitement and a slap on my hip to get him excited.

This is combined with some heavy bonding so he trusts me. I am no longer the ogre that is dragging him around by the neck. Use treats if you want/need if that is what will get her to forget about the leash.

I'm not that crazy dog person but some common sense and your ability to understand what the dog is going through is crucial at this stage. She was just removed from her mom, brothers and sisters, the environment she knows and is with new people in a new place and now this person is dragging her around by the neck. I would be a little apprehensive too.

I am making that sound worse than I am sure it is. I am just trying to make a point. I am not insinuating that your doing anything bad. The first couple of weeks, bond with the pup, work on potty training and crate training and use the leash to keep her from harm only. Some dogs take to it easier than others. In my opinion she first needs to trust you.
 
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