Black Labrador that pulls

[discobobby]

I have a black labrador that is about18 months old, he is generally a good dog but when i iake him out he continually pulls on the lead, he is quiet big and powerful so trying to keep him under control is abit difficult...............Any serious suggestions!.

[pastafreak]

Have a look here...

http://www.theanswerb...s/Question981628.html

[eyethenkyew]

A haltie should work wonders. He won't like it at first but will quickly get used to it with a wee bit of perseverance from you.

[welshlibranr]

try a head collar, if he pulls, then make him go back the way you came, very tedious for you, but if you persevere, then it will work!.....a head collar gives more control to you, and if he realises that when he pulls, then he has to go back, he should get it!............

[pastafreak]

I'm not sure I like the idea of waving a stick in front of a dogs nose....it's a recipe for disaster.

[eyethenkyew]

If you have a dog that pulls and you cannot control it with using a haltie, the simple answer is that you're allowing the mutt to be in charge of you instead of the other way round.

Of course it will resent it, of course it'll twist its head backwards and forwards trying to get shot of it, chew it etc etc, because, like a naughty child, you're spoiling its fun, but that's where YOU need to assert yourself, not just let it carry on doing it, thinking "Duh....can't be bovvered any more".

The only reason you fail is because YOU allow it to fail.

[craft1948]

Must admit a halti never worked on my westie...

[eyethenkyew]

craft,

All I can say is that, I realise that all dogs are capable of pulling on the lead, but if you couldn't control a Westie which was wearing a haltie, then YOU are the one with the problem, not the dog. Hee, hee, hee.

[divegirl]

Hi, if you want to go down the head collar route, try one of these.....

http://www.dogmatic.org.uk/

They are a little more expensive than a Halti but fit better [no riding up into the eye] and last longer, I used one on one of my Danes and it worked a treat.
The other route of course is training! Walk the dog with a treat or toy in your hand and do lots of direction changes etc, make the dog focus on where you are going....not where he wants to go!

Lisa x

[lankeela]

It amazes me that someone has got a dog the size of a Labrador and allowed it to pull till its 18 months old. I have a GSD (11 months) who could pull a train if he was allowed to but a dog of this (or any size) needs training right from the first time on the lead. Try a Canny collar if you can't be bothered to train it properly.

[nightmare]

My dog is approximately large labrador size. He looks like a very heavy set, powerful Rhodesian ridgeback. He is a big daft softie. I have had him since he was 9 weeks old (he is now 5 years). Ever since he was a puppy, he has pulled. He regards a walk as a tug of war contest. He has been to a series of training classes;I have tried harnesses, Haltis, etc. Nothing worked. He just pulls all the harder. He understands exactly what I want him to do, but he is determined to do anything but.
As a last resort, I had no alternative but to use a full-blown choke chain. That has had no effect: he still pulls until he chokes. It does not appear to bother him in the slightest. When I take him for walks, I return with my hands in agony, from the tension he exerts on the lead. I have sought advice from vets, trainers - he is apparently completely untrainable.
I still love him to bits, though.

[Khandro]

Buy the Jan Fennel DVD, it is great for all kinds of dog problems. For this one she recommends and demonstrates how to teach the dog to stay to heel by taking it into a wide open area,and as the dog pulls ahead you keep turning and walking in different directions. you have to do this for some time, so patience is required. In the end the dog has no idea in which direction you want to go and stays by you. Rewards for doing the right thing, as in all training, are required in the form of treat. She is opposed to the use of all forms of choke chains by the way.

[kita1]

Good video here:

http://www.dogstrust....nthelead/default.aspx

[woofgang]

I find that haltis tend to ride into my dog's eyes and have seen that with others, Try one of these they are magic. I use them myself and have converted 5 other folk to them and all have found them easy and successful, dogs very happy
http://www.ppenhancem...ed-product-flyer.html

I don't have any contact with the firm at all, don't even buy directly from them.

I found out about them when I was struggling with my train puller GSP weimaraner cross and saw a lady walking a GSP perfectly. I asked her how she had trained the dog to do it and she showed me the lead and told me where to buy it. The lesson is transferable. once my dog had learned not to pull and I could praise him for loose lead walking, he improved dramatically in a normal collar and lead.

[woofgang]

PS I tried the turn and walk away really persevered with it and it DID NOT work.