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Teaching a dog to run with you?

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Replies

  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member

    The first thing I recommend for any dog who likes to pull is to use a gentle leader. This is a type of head collar, that fits around the dogs snout and behind his ears. When he pulls, it pulls his snout down to his chest, much like a bridle does for a horse. Dogs hate this feeling, and will give up the idea of pulling rather quickly. I use a gentle leader whenever I run with any of my dogs.

    ^^^ Yes I was going to recommend the Gentle Leader as well. My husky pup loves to pull on the leash so we got him one of those to practice walking on and it does help. When running I like to use a harness and choke collar though. I know some do not believe in using choke collars but he has responded well to it.

    That actually makes alot of sense for any dog, but particularly for huskies since they are bred to be sled dogs and are going to instinctively want to pull.
  • lavieboheme1229
    lavieboheme1229 Posts: 448 Member
    I have a Jack Russel Terrier mix, who is a princess and will not run on the grass because it is not an even enough surface for her. Furthermore, she has 2 speeds- run and sniff. We have gone through beginning and intermediate training with her twice, and to this day, she pulls on the lease. I refuse to do anything that would physically harm her. She wears a harness.

    We have a six foot leash. When we run. I have my right wrist through the loop, and hold the rest of the leash in my left hand. This keeps her on the left side of me (not in the road), and only gives her about 2 feet of give. After about 5 minutes, she is on board with the program. I am doing C25K, so she understands my command when I say "Sas, slow down" or "Come on Sas, time to run"

    It took a couple times of her trying to dart out from behind me and get in the middle of the road etc, but she has it down now.

    Persistence and consistence. You have to be more stubborn than your dog. LOL!
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    I used to think that my dog could not run with me without stopping to smell stuff every other minute... then I saw this cute little dog in China. :-)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18218878

    Okay seriously that's adorable.
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    We (my collie-x and I) run on woodland trails that are very isolated and traffic free, so I don't bother with a leash for running. I leave her to run and sniff and she's always within 10m of me and will heel on a whistle or call.

    If you feel you do need a leash for running, look at the cani-x websites and associated harnesses with bungee-hip fastened leads.

    I have a lot of involvement with our local rescue and one of my best friends is the behaviourist that works with the dogs. We never use choke chains, not on any breed. Given appropriate training I am yet to see a dog that doesn't "get" heel training when their owner "gets" it. Seeing how clueless some owners are, I'm not surprised that some dogs don't know what they're supposed to be doing though.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    There was a similar thread to this a week or so ago with a very interesting thread from a vet. Do a search for it as it was worth reading.
  • Erisad
    Erisad Posts: 1,580
    I have a lazy papillon who anchors herself down as soon as i put a leash on her. So yeah, she will not be my workout buddy anytime soon. She's a pampered little princess. XD
  • AmeChops
    AmeChops Posts: 744 Member
    As long as you are using the choke collar appropriately there is no problem with them. And anyone who says that what my husband and I are doing with the choke collar training is mean, I challenge you to walk my dog without his choke collar!

    I agree. Our dog went to training for five weeks when we were on vacation and not only do we have to use a choke collar but we also have to use a pinch collar. He was apparently left outside probably tied to a tree (we aren't his original owners. Some a**clown abandoned him at the end of our road) and the trainer said that he's very strong willed and he has a thick neck so he had to use both choke and pinch collar. For people who have never used either one on their animal and think it's cruel then go ahead and take my dog for a walk without it and see how much he'll listen to you.

    Yes I do think that choke collars are mean and I stand by what I said - they may stop the pulling but they're only masking the actual problem...as can be seen because he'll pull when he's on a normal collar.

    I'm really not trying to cause an argument here, I'm just stating that there are ways of training your dog not to pull rather than using devices to stop him pulling.

    Jut out of interest, did the trainer you saw mention anything about him pulling being related to him having been abandoned, tied to a tree...if he was tied to the tree with a collar then he might have a bad relationship with them that would need extra attention? I'm no behaviourist or trainer it's just something that popped in to my head. I am very sorry to hear that happened to him :-((

    Also, I actually found it VERY difficult to walk my Kai before we trained him not to pull and yes, we tried 'aids' such as the halti (which he continually nose-dived the floor and pawed to get off). He's a Husky X Malamute weighing in at almost 40kgs with the potential to pull at least 5 times his body weight. After a relatively short time of training I can now walk him down the road on just a collar and lead and he'll trot along next to me. Of course it's not perfect all the time but it's a remarkable (and very welcomed) change. Attach him up to the scooter, however and he'll pull like there is no tomorrow lol!!
  • margo36
    margo36 Posts: 222 Member
    As long as you are using the choke collar appropriately there is no problem with them. And anyone who says that what my husband and I are doing with the choke collar training is mean, I challenge you to walk my dog without his choke collar!

    I agree. Our dog went to training for five weeks when we were on vacation and not only do we have to use a choke collar but we also have to use a pinch collar. He was apparently left outside probably tied to a tree (we aren't his original owners. Some a**clown abandoned him at the end of our road) and the trainer said that he's very strong willed and he has a thick neck so he had to use both choke and pinch collar. For people who have never used either one on their animal and think it's cruel then go ahead and take my dog for a walk without it and see how much he'll listen to you.

    Yes I do think that choke collars are mean and I stand by what I said - they may stop the pulling but they're only masking the actual problem...as can be seen because he'll pull when he's on a normal collar.

    I'm really not trying to cause an argument here, I'm just stating that there are ways of training your dog not to pull rather than using devices to stop him pulling.

    Jut out of interest, did the trainer you saw mention anything about him pulling being related to him having been abandoned, tied to a tree...if he was tied to the tree with a collar then he might have a bad relationship with them that would need extra attention? I'm no behaviourist or trainer it's just something that popped in to my head. I am very sorry to hear that happened to him :-((

    Also, I actually found it VERY difficult to walk my Kai before we trained him not to pull and yes, we tried 'aids' such as the halti (which he continually nose-dived the floor and pawed to get off). He's a Husky X Malamute weighing in at almost 40kgs with the potential to pull at least 5 times his body weight. After a relatively short time of training I can now walk him down the road on just a collar and lead and he'll trot along next to me. Of course it's not perfect all the time but it's a remarkable (and very welcomed) change. Attach him up to the scooter, however and he'll pull like there is no tomorrow lol!!
    I have three large dogs and I have never used any of these things. You need to do some basic lead training. If your dog pulls on the lead just stop dead in your tracks and wait if your dog keeps pulling turn round and walk in the opposite direction. depending on the dog this may take a while for the message to sink in that he isn't going anywhere if he pulls but preserverance will pay off in the end. When off lead you need to have an immediate recall as well. This is achieved by giving a treat when your dog comes back no matter how long it takes. Eventually he will come back straight away. My three come back immediately

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