I say "broke down" not because I think prong collars are bad, but I thought we were doing well w/a martingale collar. My dog, 13 mo Boxer had been doing well walking on loose leash but this last week has been pretty frustrating. Nothing different, same route, same time, I stay calm, but I think she is learning she can get further and further w/pulling. SO... I bought a prong collar today. I feel a bit nervous, but have read plenty on prongs and know they are fair & humane collars. I really REALLY hope this helps BOTH of us reach our loose lead goal.

What if you tried changing the route you take?
I know that my dogs will get bored of the same thing over and over and then start finding new, more interesting things to do and therefore, will begin to not listen and push their boundaries. I make sure training is fun and also different each time, that way the dog never expects the same thing and they are more attentive to me.
You could also change up the time that you go also. Unless your working on teaching them something other than just going for a walk. IE: go potty, obedience ect, the same walk may be old for him and he is trying to go "sniff" out new things.

Prong collars are great, but there are other things you can try too. I am actually working on phasing out a prong on one of my dogs since I have gotten some great advice on this board and it is working slowly.
What is a martingale collar? I am envisioning a haltie...?...
Do you have a heel command or has he just walked loose before and since started pulling?

Carol and OP,

That "push the boundaries" thing is happening to me too and I attributed it to his maturing and getting a little more confident and gutsy.

But I see from your post Carol, it might be boredom with our walks. Glad you posted that Carol. Hope it helps the OP. It sure helped me .

Time to mix things up!

I would definitely keep the confident and gutsy thing in mind also. But boredom does play a factor.

I'm kind of limited on where we can walk each morning before I leave for work, but I vary my route - also walking on different sides of the street (very little traffic in my neighborhood at 6AM). Since he is still such a pup, everything is interesting including hearing roosters crowing sometimes from a neighbor's backyard! That really freaked him out the first time he heard it! Without the prong collar, I would have given up by now on the walking. Maybe eventually we will be able to phase it out.

Have you tried treats (little chunks of hot dog work good) to keep her attention on you?
That is how I am working on phasing out my prong. Now that I am confident the dog I am working on KNOWS what I want it is going much smoother.
I realized I was using the prong to avoid the issue of my dog just flat out not listening, which this is why the treats work. I have now become more interesting than whatever she was interested in before. "If I stay close to Mom and don't pull, I get a treat and not a correction"
I do let her explore when out on a walk, don't get me wrong, but she is learning to do it without dragging me everywhere.

The prong is a quick fix (and sometimes there is no other way), I know, but having my dog want to be with me is way more gratifying and worth the extra effort.
THANKS Mike!!!!!

Hi everyone, I didn't think it was boredom, but took her for a walk on a new route this morn before work (1st time we walk in am also) she did well but then started pulling again. We saw another person walking her dog & my dog kept lunging as always. (I believe to meet or play because she is not dog aggressive at all). So, I am pretty sure she's just testing her limits. My wife can't walk her because she pulls so hard, so if I don't walk her and teach her to walk nicely, she will most likely never leave the house w/out me and I don't want that.

Carol, I take treats w/me all the time on our walks. When there's slack on the leash, I say her name, click and treat. If there is something interesting, she won't even look at me when I click or say her name. Lately a correction doesn't even work, she'll keep tugging and I catch myself giving 10 nagging corrections. I hate to give anything over a level 6-7, so that's why I decided for the prong. Oh, btw, a martingale collar is like a prong, minus the prongs. It works the same way, giving equal pressure around the neck when tightened. I hope to go back to this collar later on.

Thanks for the explanation on the collar and it sounds like the prong may be needed. I was thinking it was milder than that.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Alex, try this also...

 Quote:

When there's slack on the leash, I say her name, click and treat

Don't say the dog's name! A name response and leash walking are, to me, two different behaviors. When I say my dogs name I expect her to give me eye contact; when she does I mark and treat because that is the correct response for what I asked. When leash walking I will mark and treat for not pulling! (And especially for giving voluntary eye contact while not pulling.) Because that is the correct response for what I asked when I commanded "heel". I think you may be confusing the dog a bit on the walk, in that the dog is not fully clear on what is being clicked.

I see, I think I may have to be more clear on the action rewarded then. I usually click and treat when the leash has slack, but while walking, if I call her name and she looks at me, I also treat. Now, I'm confused though. Do you suggest not calling her name at all while walking? Just click and treat? If she gives me voluntary eye contact, mark and treat that also? I haven't began to give the heel command yet. I'm just working on walking nicely right now. Thanks Brad.