[billy.drennan]

Our GSD, Shiloh, is very intelligent and learns very well. She was best in her puppy kindergarten class as Sit, Down, Come, Stay, Stand. However, she is struggling on the lead. We were taught to use treats to get them to walk beside us and as long as I feed treats, she is an angel. However, if for one second the treats are not coming, she is off to explore. She pulls very hard on the lead. I have tried the stop and turn and this gets her going on track for a second, but she just goes right back to pulling. I'm not a fan of the prong/Choke collar and would prefer not to use them.

Shiloh is 6 months old. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[EJQ]

Sounds pretty normal even though it is a bit frustrating. You don't have to resort to a pinch or choke collar however, we might want to try a Greyhound or double loop collar. We use this collar on all of our dogs for training. The thing to remember is that it is not all in the hardware. You can also offer her some correction while walking. When she starts to move ahead just give her a small correction with a backward (Not upward) motion on the lead. She'll get the idea that you don't want her to be moving ahead of you.

 

[scannergirl]

I'm using a gentle leader for this situation, and it is pretty effective. I think that it helped us buy not making the pulling a habit. Be aware though that if you go this route your dog will act like it's being killed the first time you use it. Lucy hated it, but after a few times she adjusted, and now we only use it sometimes, and need it less and less.
Lucy's too young for a prong at four months, at least that's what most people say.