Enoch will be turning six months in about a week. I walk him around the block every morning to work on walking nicely on a leash. He does a great job with the only exceptions of a bird flying by or a butterfly...you get the point. I even do different routes so he won't get used to the same route. I mark it when he walks nicely next to me and stop and turn around when he pulls.

Now for the problem and question. When we take him to the park to play fetch he pulls like crazy to get to the open field. He pulls so hard he starts breathing heavily and it sounds like he is choking. It scares me so I just run with him to the open field. I've tried treats but he could care less about food. He is consumed with playing fetch which he loves. I even tried to get him to focus on the ball but he knows he won't get the ball until we get to the field. Is this something that will get worse or better as he gets older? How should I approach this? Does this go with puppy territory, the impatience, or should I nip it in the bud now?

....will you give him to me as a drug dog?? I'm needing a new youngster to train, and he sounds like he would fit the bill.

I"m sure a more knowledgeable person than me will answer, but I'd say it was just "being a puppy". Teach him some tricks, etc, to work his mind AND his body.

I do marker training with him but when he goes to the park he has a one track mind.

I'd start small.

Like one step.

Drive to the field, get your stuff together, THEN get the dog out of the car. Crating the dog in the car helps as well.

Start out by asking him to just LOOK at you. That's all. Don't move until he does. He isn't going to hurt himself pulling, and it will give you a chance to make yourself more interesting. Bounce the ball on the pavement - act silly. Reward his attention on you by throwing the ball onto the field. If you are able to park on the field or on the same SIDE as the field - even better. The moment he LOOKS throw the ball.

Once he gets the concept, he will be able to hold it longer and longer. When you get to about 20 seconds or so without him dropping his gaze, you are ready to start asking him to look WHILE walking. This is hard, so just go for a step or two, then reward. Increase to several steps. USE the motivation of fetch on the field for you training!

Build up to him heeling and a throw as a reward. Teach him it can come at any time.

After you throw, have another ball ready if he is not bringing it back. The moment you have it, change where you stand by as much space as it takes (and as many silly antics as it takes) for him to come trotting up to you to watch the ball - reward him for returning and looking at you. Do this as much as you possibly can in a session before he gets tired by keeping the throws relatively short and close by.

To get him a little "settled" first, maybe a brisk walk to take a little of the edge off, so he can think a little clearer. Once he learns that he gets rewarded by a throw everytime he stays by you, looks up at you, he will start REALLY sticking with you.

I'd also start switching up where you go, so that he learns it can come ANYWHERE not just at the field. (as in, go to other fields, or parks, or do mini fetch sessions in smaller areas)

Having a dog that will sell it's soul for a play session is awesome. Right now, just work on reinforcing that this is FUN. Start to slowly introduce the control so that you don't take the fun or drive out of the dog.

"Build up to him heeling and a throw as a reward", Not the best thing to do, if you're teaching heeling reward in place, the pup will most definitely be forging to take off if it's anticipating a throw.

To the op, sounds like you have a pup that likes the ball! You'll be able to proof you're obedience later on at this park, lol

I've got a prong collar on mine now. When he's on leash, he NEVER pulls. His head is within 4 inches of my left leg at all times unless I tell him it's ok.

Buy Ed's video that has info about teaching the dog to walk on leash with the prong collar. I can't remember which one it is, but maybe someone else can chime in.

Before the dog takes off after something, he always looks at me now to get the OK. The prong is an amazing thing.

I don't agree with the use of the prong collar in place of training the dog.

If your dog acts completely different with a prong collar on than it does with a flat collar, then you have not trained your dog. The dog is just collar wise and respects the *collar* not anything its been taught to do.

Maisha, I think for now it is too soon to ask for OB under the distraction of the park. I don't usually take pups to places like that away from home to do exercise for the very reasons you are describing - it is creating the excitement that leads to issues I can't correct the puppy for. He's just being a puppy!

6 months is old enough to start asking for some focus and working on his length of time focusing. One thing I would recommend is to not always play ball at the park. Go to the park a million times (ok, well, maybe just 3 or 4 :-p ) and only play ball once, just walk around the other times and work on OB if he is in the mood. If he is distracted just let him be a puppy, when he begins to get bored of all the stuff (if he does) then work in some OB or use that opportunity of him being somewhat calm to bring out the ball.

What you can do is take a couple days to work on desensitizing him to being at the park. Go to the park, if he begins to spaz out and pull, *completely stop all forward motion* Just stop. Sit down if you have to. Let him pull against you, don't praise or call him etc just wait for him to come over. If he is not gaining ground he's likely to stop and look at you to figure out what the problem is.

This could take a while, but stop every time he begins to pull. No more forward motion. Forward motion is a reward, this is why a dog continues to pull. Right now, pulling = foward motion, which is self rewarding. We need to teach pulling = no more forward motion and that no pulling = foward motion.

Once you get to the field, just walk around. No ball playing, just walk around. Leave the area, turn around and go right back to the field. Again, if he pulls, stop. Stick around the field a bit longer this time, no fetch, no ball, just walk around. Again, leave, and again, go back.

Do this until he is calm to and from, and judge based on his energy level whether or not to play ball at this point. If he's pooped out he doesn't need to play ball, if he is just "bored" but not tired, and calm, then play ball.

 Quote: al curbow

"Build up to him heeling and a throw as a reward", Not the best thing to do, if you're teaching heeling reward in place, the pup will most definitely be forging to take off if it's anticipating a throw.

Perhaps.
This is a technique that was used at the Michael Ellis seminar, and it didn't seem to have that effect. But it was an interesting approach that worked very nicely with pups/dogs that were pulling/dragging owners onto the field.

Cameron, are you saying that's how M Ellis teaches heeling? The pup is in position and then you throw it?