Need help/advice from people who run with their dog.
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contingencyplan
Posts: 3,639 Member
Need help from dog owners: I am trying to get into the habit of going for runs with my dog (who has endless amounts of energy) but he doesn't respond well to conventional means of leash training as he seems to have an overpowering hunting/tracking prey drive while outdoors, so he runs ahead and wants to pull on the leash. I know that before I can take him out and trying to run with him (to say nothing of my own issues with running) I have to address this. But after two times through two different obedience schools he just doesn't seem responsive to any conventional leash training techniques. Any advice? He is also not very food motivated. He will ignore something you give him in favor of something he has to track and hunt. For the record, he is a Duck Tolling Retriever (highly energetic hunting/tracking breed that is a mix of the golden retriever, spaniel, and border collie). It just seems like he is dead set on doing the job he was bred for and won't let anything stand in the way.
We have him trained fairly well when indoors, but he enters into a totally different "time to go to work" mentality when outdoors and the only thing he responds to is a whistle I carry with me which he interprets as a recall.
We have him trained fairly well when indoors, but he enters into a totally different "time to go to work" mentality when outdoors and the only thing he responds to is a whistle I carry with me which he interprets as a recall.
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Replies
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Try a prong collar. Do your research first though so you are aware of exactly how to use it. It has done wonders for my GSD
http://leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm0 -
Let me tell you the two things that helped with my BC mix:
A gentle leader for walking
and a specialized harness for running. It attaches at the dog's chest. If he runs off, it torques him a funny direction.0 -
Getsoda's suggestion is probably the easiest.
Does he have a favourite toy? The police dogs here (also high drive/high energy) are trained with a tug you and a game of tug as a reward. They use it for teaching the heel as well.0 -
Getsoda's suggestion is probably the easiest.
Does he have a favourite toy? The police dogs here (also high drive/high energy) are trained with a tug you and a game of tug as a reward. They use it for teaching the heel as well.
He doesn't play with toys. We bought him a bunch but he doesn't care for them. He also doesn't seem to respond very well to food. When outdoors he ignores any treats or food you give him in favor of the prospect of having to hunt and track for his food. He will take it from your hand then drop it and get back to the hunt. I have never seen a dog with such a one track mind. No reward, no food, no toys, no nothing. Just the act of running and hunting.0 -
Getsoda's suggestion is probably the easiest.
Does he have a favourite toy? The police dogs here (also high drive/high energy) are trained with a tug you and a game of tug as a reward. They use it for teaching the heel as well.
He doesn't play with toys. We bought him a bunch but he doesn't care for them. He also doesn't seem to respond very well to food. When outdoors he ignores any treats or food you give him in favor of the prospect of having to hunt and track for his food. He will take it from your hand then drop it and get back to the hunt. I have never seen a dog with such a one track mind. No reward, no food, no toys, no nothing. Just the act of running and hunting.
Not retrieving?0 -
Getsoda's suggestion is probably the easiest.
Does he have a favourite toy? The police dogs here (also high drive/high energy) are trained with a tug you and a game of tug as a reward. They use it for teaching the heel as well.
He doesn't play with toys. We bought him a bunch but he doesn't care for them. He also doesn't seem to respond very well to food. When outdoors he ignores any treats or food you give him in favor of the prospect of having to hunt and track for his food. He will take it from your hand then drop it and get back to the hunt. I have never seen a dog with such a one track mind. No reward, no food, no toys, no nothing. Just the act of running and hunting.
Not retrieving?
He doesn't seem to want to bring things back, just go hunt and track. It's all about tracking.0 -
Getsoda's suggestion is probably the easiest.
Does he have a favourite toy? The police dogs here (also high drive/high energy) are trained with a tug you and a game of tug as a reward. They use it for teaching the heel as well.
He doesn't play with toys. We bought him a bunch but he doesn't care for them. He also doesn't seem to respond very well to food. When outdoors he ignores any treats or food you give him in favor of the prospect of having to hunt and track for his food. He will take it from your hand then drop it and get back to the hunt. I have never seen a dog with such a one track mind. No reward, no food, no toys, no nothing. Just the act of running and hunting.
Not retrieving?
He doesn't seem to want to bring things back, just go hunt and track. It's all about tracking.
I understand. Have your tried GetSoda's suggestion before?0 -
Getsoda's suggestion is probably the easiest.
Does he have a favourite toy? The police dogs here (also high drive/high energy) are trained with a tug you and a game of tug as a reward. They use it for teaching the heel as well.
He doesn't play with toys. We bought him a bunch but he doesn't care for them. He also doesn't seem to respond very well to food. When outdoors he ignores any treats or food you give him in favor of the prospect of having to hunt and track for his food. He will take it from your hand then drop it and get back to the hunt. I have never seen a dog with such a one track mind. No reward, no food, no toys, no nothing. Just the act of running and hunting.
Not retrieving?
He doesn't seem to want to bring things back, just go hunt and track. It's all about tracking.
I understand. Have your tried GetSoda's suggestion before?
No, I should look into the Gentle Leader.0 -
My dog is the same way. He is absolutely brilliant. At dog school, shining star. In real life...total insanity! He's a 2 year old lab/great dane mix. He knows all of his commands, he understands English better than most Canadians and he is an excellent retriever. I hide a duck in the forest and he can find it and bring it back in about 30 seconds. Amazing. But the freak will never stop pulling on the leash!!!
I take him on all my outdoor runs. If you really can't get him trained, try running with him off leash at dog friendly trails, if you have any in the area. (note: a lot of trails are not cool with dogs off leash, so be careful in choosing).
When I take him on leash.... well.....all 90 lbs of him pulls me and I just have to run faster to keep up. It's a decent workout
Maybe try some Casear Millan videos?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfVhr330RjI 0 -
get a cat,0
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Try a Gentle Leader. Works wonders.0
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get a cat,
Bad, bad idea. Have one already. Poor cat.0 -
gentle leader.....huge difference!!!0
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I have 4 labs (and had 2 others that have passed away in the last couple of years), the only thing that works for them is a prong collar. We went to a trainer that specialized in using them. We tried gentle leaders, didn't work on any of them. We tried harnesses - same thing but these were worse as the dogs were much less controllable.
If you consider a prong collar, make sure that you either research how to use it or take your pup to an obedience school that utilizes it. You really need to understand the correct methods.
That said, I only have one dog that I can run with now...2 have too strong of a prey drive and I live in the country with too many good smells and one has hip dysplasia (at 11 months) so he can't.0 -
My dog pulls and wants to run after everything - deer, squirrels, rabbits, birds etc.... She wears a harness and I have a retractable lease clipped on to the harness, when she is pulling and trying to run off or ahead of me then I wrap the leash under her belly - this is what our humane society told me to do to help to train her from pulling and running off and it seems to be working.0
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Let me tell you the two things that helped with my BC mix:
A gentle leader for walking
and a specialized harness for running. It attaches at the dog's chest. If he runs off, it torques him a funny direction.
This. I have a dachshund that loves to run, but he too also wants to hunt and track the second he gets outside. They just can't help it. Instinct takes over. Lucky for me I can control a 20 lb dog with a harness (but don't let his size fool you. That dog can pull!) and he's started to learn to keep in line with me the more we practice. Just know you will need to practice this and don't expect to get in a good work out the first several times you do it. I would run for a half mile to a mile and take my doxie back before finishing my run alone.0 -
I used to take my dog (German Shepherd) on runs with me, primarily because he's intimidating to look at and I used to run on a rural trail in my area. He wore a choke collar and I used a retractable leash. I'd have it short and locked if people were around, but when we passed, I unlocked the leash and he would take off. A gentle jerk got him back on track, but this way he could run ahead and sniff/pee on whatever and he really didn't slow me down (I'm slow to begin with, though). The problem was that he tuckered out long before I was done running, so now I don't take him anymore.
I'm of no help, but that was my experience!0 -
Gentle Leader and a double strap leash. One in your right hand, the other in your left. Hold the left all the way down by the collar. They have no where to go except by your side. Works great!0
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Gentle Leaders are awesome...
I have a 70 lb prey driven pit bull mix I run with on the canals and ever time she used to see a rabbit or cat she would take me on a not so joy ride.. Felt like my shoulder was being ripped out of my socket and almost fell in the canal once...
At first she threw a fit with the gentle leader and it took at least a month before she would stop tring to rip it off her face but now (4-5 months in) she practically puts it on herself because she knows it means a nice fun run outside.
I also live in AZ and my overweight pitty doesn't do well in the heat so I usually just have her wear it for the first couple miles until she gets a litte worn out and into the pace of the run because I don't want to restrict her panting which is a dogs way of cooling themselves down and not over-exhausting themselves so watch out for that as well.
Good Luck!0 -
Let me tell you the two things that helped with my BC mix:
A gentle leader for walking
and a specialized harness for running. It attaches at the dog's chest. If he runs off, it torques him a funny direction.
A harness will do wonders for you. My friend's husky is nearly uncontrollable on a normal leash (especially if you say "mush" lol). Try it with a leash that has some sort of spring in it so that even when he does pull fast, he'll be pulled right back.0
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