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THE VERSATILE GOLDEN
RETRIEVER - PART 13
Pulling on
lead seems to be a common problem that erupts as puppies begin to mature and
gain some size. Not only is
this habit irritating, but safety can become an issue, particularly if children
walk a dog. Once this habit is
established, pulling may become more forceful and/or frequent unless you teach
your dog that the behavior is unacceptable.
The best way to deal with pulling is not to allow your dog to tighten the
leash at all. Consistency and
faithful practice are essential if the dog is to learn what is acceptable.
When you go for a walk, do not take even one step if your dog chooses
to pull.
I use a
variation of an Ian Dunbar method to discourage pulling on lead.
I’ve found that a dog will cooperate more readily if he can make the
choice of whether or not to pull. Pulling
results in a correction. Choosing
not to pull during the teaching phase elicits praise and a reward.
(Remember, as with all training, your praise should precede the reward.)
1. To begin place a supply of
soft, easy to chew treats in one pocket. Also
choose
a cue word that you
will use
to
communicate to the dog that he is not to pull on the
leash.
I use the
word “Easy”, but you can choose any word that you prefer.
The cue word simply provides a means to tell the dog that he needs to
slow down or stop to avoid pulling. (Teaching a dog to respond to this verbal
cue can come in handy when you travel and exercise your dog on a flexi-lead.
When my dogs get near the
end of the flexi, they will literally “back pedal” when I issue the Easy
command.)
- Place
your dog on a leash. Stand
still, holding the leash close to your body.
Your dog may wander, but he should not
exert any tension on the leash.
- If
the dog pulls as he reaches the end of the lead, use your cue word as a
warning
(Obviously at this point the word Easy will have no meaning
for the dog. But, as
time progresses, he will lean to respond appropriately,
particularly if you reward
appropriate behavior.)
- If
the dog continues to pull, issue a firm pop and release correction.
It is essential
that the pop and
release correction be issued at the
level of the dog. (It
is not
necessary that the dog come to you, only that he stop pulling.)
a)
The force of the
pop/release correction should be in proportion to the amount
of force used by the dog when pulling away from you.
If the dog does not respond to your correction, you are not issuing a
firm enough pop/release
correction.
Note: A “wimpy” correction will have little effect and is not likely to
change the dog’s behavior once the pulling habit is established.
You will accomplish more
understanding from the dog if you issue a firm
correction that has meaning.
b)
In order to give
an effective pop and release correction at the level of the dog, you will need
to bend over slightly to issue a correction at the dog’s level.
c)
It is important
that you grasp the lead close to the collar when issuing a pop and
release correction. Only if your
hand is close to the collar as you give the correction will the pop and release
be effective and have an impact on the dog.
Note:
If the dog is pulling pretty strongly on the lead, it is impossible to
give correction that will have meaning unless you
release tension prior to issuing a pop/release
correction. By bending forward to
grasp the lead near the level of
the collar (i.e. you
do this to give the correction at the level of the dog), you also
release the tension on the lead so the correction will have
meaning.
d)
A constant
tugging motion on the lead will have little impact on the dog.
He will
continue to pull since constant pressure just encourages him
to give resistance to the leash. You
need to issue a pop correction followed by an immediate release of tension if you are to succeed in having
the dog stop and pay attention to you.
e)
An “upward”
correction on the leash does not provide enough distraction impact to cause the
dog to stop pulling. Pulling upward
on the lead actually diminishes the force of a correction.
To be effective the correction needs to be given at the level of the
dog’s neck.
- If
the correction causes the dog to stop pulling, immediately praise,
“Good!” and give a reward.
Note: When the dog stops pulling, he often will look back at
you. He may stand in
place, he may walk back towards you, or he may sit or even lie down.
It does not matter what position the dog assumes provided he is no longer
pulling. What is of importance is
fact that the dog is no longer pulling.
- If
the dog chooses to pull again, tell him “Easy” to see if he responds.
If he chooses not to pull, then praise and treat.
Note: During the
early stages of this process, the dog may just quickly pause and flick his eyes
in your direction. It is important
that you respond immediately when the
dog makes any such attempt to
cooperate. If the dog pauses at all
and looks to you for direction, immediately praise and treat him.
By acknowledging his attempt to cooperate, you will encourage him to
respond in like manner more often to your “Easy” warning cue.
- If
the dog pulls even when you tell him Easy, then issue a firm pop and release
correction. Stand still once again and as the
dog moves to the end of the lead, once again tell him "Easy" to
see if he is beginning to understand. If the dog is not responding ,
then the force of your correction is not sufficient to elicit the proper
response. (Also be sure that you are releasing tention on the lead so that
you are giving an effective correction. Remember, toot, that the correction
needs to be given at the level of the dog.)
- Once
the dog begins to respond to the “Easy” command (remember that it is
important to acknowledge any effort by the dog to cooperate), then take one
step away from the spot where you are standing so that the dog
must get up and move. Do NOT use a heel command in this instance.
Merely take one or two steps
- If
the dog pulls on the lead when you take a step or two, repeat the process of
correction/reward as described above.
The purpose of taking a few steps once
the dog knows not to pull when you are standing still
is to teach him that when you stop, he must also stop.
Then, over time and with more practice, the dog will learn that he is
not to pull when on lead.
- Any
time the dog begins to pull again, go back to the first step and repeat the
entire process.
Consistency
is extremely important if you are going to succeed in teaching your dog that
pulling on the lead is not acceptable. Even
though it may not always be convenient, you must make certain that your dog does
not pull at all when on lead. That means that if you attempt to walk from
your car to the vet’s office, pet store, or local kennel club, you should not
take even one step if the dog chooses to pull.
(Remember, when you dog is excited about visiting a certain place, he
will initially forget the lessons you had in a quiet place, relatively free of
distractions. It is necessary that
you also take the time to teach the dog that he must not pull on the lead, even
when he is eager to get someplace.) When
you first start teaching the dog that pulling is unacceptable, it may well take
you five or even ten minutes to walk from your car to a building.
Any tension on the leash must be addressed if you are to teach your dog
not to pull when on lead.
Pulling by
my dogs is not a real issue for me, because I discourage this habit from day
one. Even when my pups are young, I
do not allow them to pull. Remember,
the force of the correction should match the amount of force exerted by the dog.
So, a young pup will not need much of a correction to quickly learn that
pulling is not acceptable. Puppies
learn quickly and it is much easier to teach a pup not to pull before the habit
becomes established.
Praise
(use your voice to convey your pleasure) and reward for proper behavior by the
pup
will not diminish his self-confidence one bit, provided you are fair and
consistent.
Most every dog will need a reminder occasionally.
When our dogs become excited and
want to see a person
special to them, they often forget their manners and attempt to pull.
If you want to instill
in them that they must not pull on the lead at any time, then you must take the
time to correct such behavior, even if the dog is just excited about someone or
something.
Although
young Stoney minds his manners most of the time when on lead, he has become so
excited about field training that he will definitely attempt to pull in order to
get to the line.
He knows that a bird or
bumper is coming, and he is anxious for the anticipated retrieve.
I wish I could say that just one or two corrections have taught him
proper manners in this type
of situation, but that
is not the case. It will take time,
patience, and consistency to teach my
young man to walk to
the line like a gentleman. (That
anticipation of a retrieve becomes more important than anything else in my
boy’s mind!) Stoney will respond
to a correction, but then he quickly forgets because he is excited.
This means I must correct every few steps.
If I don’t attempt to correct pulling in this situation, then a bad
habit that would most likely become out of hand would develop!!!
I
mentioned a situation that can cause Stoney to forget his manners to bring up
the point that
if your dog does become excited in certain situations, then it is best to keep
the majority of the lead folded in one hand.
Only if you hold your hand close to the clasp (or end of a slip
lead) will you have enough control to issue a proper correction when it is
needed. Holding
your hand close to the
clasp also serves as a warning to your dog.
He knows he must walk
close to you, even if
you are not asking him to maintain heel position.
It is also wise to enter
a show site holding the
lead in a similar fashion. Making
sure your dog will not be able to
charge to the end of
the lead can be a safety factor at a dog show.
Better to keep your dog
close to you (and
correct when necessary) than to have him charge into the face or space
of another dog that may
well take issue with its space being invaded.
Some out there are most likely saying that correcting a show dog for pulling
will have a
negative impact on a
dog’s attitude and animation in the ring.
However, dogs are situational. Correcting
for pulling in a fair and consistent manner, one that rewards
desired behavior in the
teaching phase, should not have any negative results.
The key is fairness, making expectations clear, and using patience and
consistency. The dog that shows in
the breed ring would not be corrected in this fashion in the ring itself.
The concept of not pulling on lead is taught separately, outside the show
environment. (Although, if all of us
are honest, we must admit we have seen dogs in the breed ring corrected for
pulling and/or moving too fast!) While
it might be acceptable for a young pup to pull his way around
the breed ring, by the
time most dogs hit the open class, pulling is not a common issue
that is seen.
But, that is just my opinion. I
find pulling unacceptable. I want a
mannerly
canine citizen and do
not think that teaching a dog that pulling is unacceptable will diminish
his enthusiasm for any
venue.
Until Next Time,
Pat Quinn
Everlore@insightbb.com
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