Help To Stop My Dog Pulling & Barking On Walks

[Josiqueen]

I have an 11 month old cocker spaniel.

For some reason (possibly even something I am doing) he pulls constantly on the lead and this morning he jumped up to bark at a woman walking past us.
I have tried him with his lead attached to his collar & also now have a harness that is supposed to stop pulling, but that only worked for about a week.

He knows that if I stop, he has to stop & sit next to me and wait, but he starts pulling again as soon as I start walking, I could do this for the whole walk, but I'd still be there now if that happened. I've tried stopping when he pulls and walking back but he seems to quite like going back!

He has also come across a few houses where dogs are in the driveway behind gates & bark when he goes past so now if we have to go past he is anticipating it & pulling more and barking at those dogs too, I avoid these when I can but sometimes it can be totally unavoidable.

He has had "the op" about 5-6 weeks ago now & if anything he is worse now than he was before.

He gets walked at least twice a day and has company more often that not. I just need some other advice from fellow dog owners on what else I could try to stop this pulling and what I see as antisocial behaviour in my pup before it becomes a normal habit for him.

Thanks

[lankeela]

Join a good training class so you can learn how to control him and get him used to other people and dogs. You are doing the right thing by making him sit and wait, do this if you have to pass anyone. Take him out for training rather than just when you are going somewhere, so it doesn't matter if you never get to where you wanted to go, and you can turn back as many times as you like. Use a good collar that gives you some control (I use a half check or combi collar). Harnesses are put on sled dogs and horses to allow them to spread the load and pull easier! A dog pulls with its front legs and by the time a harness 'kicks in' the dog has already pulled, and they also damage the dogs back if the owner pulls it back and lifts the dog up by the harness. A Halti can help but does not solve the problem, it just gives you more control.

[woofgang]

has he got a favourite toy or treat? Carry it in your hand and use it to keep him close to you and keep his attention on you. Start off doing this indoors or in your garden do it for two or three steps the praise him and give him a game with the toy or give him the treat. Once he walks beside you on the lead indoors and keeps his attention on you and the toy, up the ante and do it in the street for a few steps NOT where the dogs are. Praise play or treat and go on your way. Once he has this nailed up the ante again doing it for longer periods and in more exciting places. Once he has done his few steps or more of attention, stop the exercise BEFORE he fails and put up with the pulling for the rest of the walk so he learns that you stop the exercise and not him.
He's at the teenage Kevin and Perry age at the moment and sometimes you just have to persevere kindly and patiently until he grows up.
A good class is a good idea. Don't go anywhere that talks about dominance, lead or collar corrections, alpha rolls or cesar milan. Go and check out the class without your dog to see what its like. If the trainer wont allow this then don't choose that class. the class should be small and cheerful, there might me moments of noise and chaos but no one should look worried and there shouldn't be any anger or raised voices.

[woofgang]

Lankeela makes a good point about collars and harnesses but please don't use a collar that tightens and chokes as a training aid. Its very unkind and can damage the dogs larynx and affect breathing. The other thing that isn't often explained is that the "no pull" harnesses work (if they work at all) by tightening around the dog's ribcage or in the tender skin under his front legs (armpits lol) causing as much pain as a choke collar.