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Loose leash walking strong dog
OMG. I love to train loose leash walking ,it’s one of my favorites to train BUT yesterday was very challenging. <div>I’m met Teddy yesterday to do an evaluation and see what he remembers from his previous training. He knows his name when you say his name, he knows the cues look, sit, and touch. & others. He is a very lovable 70 pound Pitbull. He did really good.. I took him out the back to see how he walked on a leash in the backyard and he was pretty good, Then we went back in the house to go out the front door, I ask him to SIT before opening the door & he did, we got about 2 feet out and he dragged me the whole way….2 houses down , then I turned back, the area has 2 busy streets near by.. Lol and luckily of course one of the owners was with me but he had their other dog to walk. </div><div>Teddy has a flat, 1 inch wide collar on, a 1 inch wide, thick nylon, 6 foot leash. And as usual, he thought it was Disneyland out in the front yard.</div><div>If anybody has any good ideas or knowledge to help me with this situation. He’s so strong. </div><div>
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20 Replies
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Wow, that sounds like a lotta dog to handle, @Denise ! Here are some ideas:
- Switch to a front-clip harness, like the Freedom harness
- Do LOTS of LLW practice in the house and back yard to thoroughly build build build this skill
- Use fresh proteins for this training, and train before regularly scheduled meals. Providing some aerobic exercise before loose leash work may help a bit too.
- Do NOT take other dogs out on walk at first — too much excitement and competition
- When ready to begin exiting front door, be ready to enforce ZERO forward movement for any pulling infractions. It can be tedious at first, and the dog does need to be on equipment that permits you to instantly STOP or turn around if he begins to pull.
- Because walks in the real world may not be do-able in the very short-term, plan other forms of exercise and enrichment and training on home turf.
- If the front-clip harness isn’t effective enough for controlling Teddy’s movement, I would say he may need a head halter, but the pet parents will need to take the time to properly desensitize him to wearing it. If for some reason the HH idea is utterly rejected, a second leash can be attached to back ring of the Freedom harness so a second person can provide emergency back-up braking, while the handler holds the leash that’s attached to the front/chest ring of the harness. The point is, Teddy must learn pulling is no longer ever going to get him where he wants to go.
Looking forward to reading training updates. ????
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They are going to get the harness that hooks in the front instead of the regular collar. And yes, I think it’s wise to probably practice more inside before doing outside again. And I use treats that are one ingredient, chicken, heart dehydrated.
Thank you.
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I love this app. It’s so helpful. And it has so much knowledge and great stories on it.
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Hi Denise,
This dog sounds like a workout!
Check out our LLW channel – there are some great games and ideas that can help and everything I’d say has probably already been said in that forum. The dot-to-dot game or other pattern games came to mind right away.
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Thank you so much for that suggestion. It has some great ideas. I might update you all week
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Hi Denise! I love everyone’s ideas here! I also like to practice scatter feeding prior to and during walks with strong, excitable dogs. I find it helps them relax and focus downward instead of letting them get over excited about the sights and scents of things in the distance.
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Here is a link showing how to build a scatter feed on cue into an engagement loop (“find it” cues the search for food, “good girl” encourages continuation of the behavior. When the dog chooses to offer eye contact, mark and reward, then repeat acatter.)
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And here is a video showing the practice of scatter feeding outside. https://youtu.be/XVWMN2roSUo?feature=shared
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Thank you Lise I really appreciate the video
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You’re welcome! My videos can be silly, I hope they made sense ????
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This week LLW was much better. I picked up a KONG harness front hook & a back hook, a 6 foot thick 1 inch wide leash with 2 handles. Teddy loved them both. We discussed the plan. We worked only in doors & back yard area…..& front door manners. Next week we may attempt outside in area between the houses. So excited. I’m going to try a video it next week. I read a lot on the LLW channel with Diggin Dogs app. ????????❤️????
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YAY! I’m excited for you, @Denise , and look forward to your updates!
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Update!!! OMG Teddy the 70 lb.Texas Pitbull rescue LLlW update video!!! So proud of Teddy & his owners. Thanks u @virginiad & others for suggestions. LLW is one of my favorites to train.
0:28
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What the WHAT?!?!?! Are you kidding me?! That is incredible, @Denise ! Congratulations!
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What an amazing video!! Great work to you all!! I absolutely love the connection between the two walking the most!!!
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Scott, the owner is the one in the video walking his dog..Teddy is an amazing dog. Thank you.
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Thanks for the support & knowledge you bring to Diggin Dogs!!
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Great work, @Denise you should be VERY proud. Which suggestion seemed to help the most for this team?
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Better equipment, training inside & owners confidence. Great ideas from Diggin Dogs LLW channel too.
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Yay! Well done – I bet that owner is thrilled. Thanks for sharing this case with us.
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