First off, I have ordered the basic obedience,e-collar training and establishing pack order set, but they won't be here for a few days and I need some advice asap. I started using a prong collar with my pup about 6 weeks ago. She hated it and would hide when it was time to go for a walk. The other day when I was trying to put it on she started barking and snaping at me....
I decided not to put it on her and went to the store and got a gentle leader. I have used one of these before and it worked great, but she will not have any of it. She just lays down and trys to scrub it off w/ paws. It was then that we did alot of research and found Leerburg's web site and decided to order the dvd set. I had already ordered a e-collar, but the instruction guide was more geared to training bird dogs and I didn't like their technique....so after reading alot from the web site, I am just putting the collar on and off several times a day to get her used to it.
I am attempting to use treats to get her to heel, but I'm not sure of the proper way to do it. I'm sure after the dvds get here, I will learn alot, but in the mean time, I need to walk my dog and I can't do it w/ her pulling me down the street. I don't want to make things worse by trying to get her to heel the wrong way. I appreciate your time.
Lisa

At 6 months they are pretty squirrelly. I just kept patiently telling my dog to sit before putting on the prong, and then I would try to work fast. Clearly, no prong=no walk. However, you may be able to work with her to get used to you messing around with her neck by practicing putting on other collars: buckles, slip leash, etc. Put in on and then mark it with a treat. BTW, are you doing any marker training? That helped. Anyway, Just keep practicing with the prong and make her wear it for short periods taking it on and off and encouraging with treats when it goes on.

This is just a suspicion but it sounds to me like this prong is being misused. No dog should hide when the prong comes out unless they associate the prong with something overwhelmingly negative.

This dog obviously doesn't know what's expected of it at this point. The heel with a lab isn't rocket science, the usual problems come in when people go to fast into distractions, expect the dog to *just know*, or get frustrated and use that frustration on the dog.

In my house I picked an empty room. Clipped on the leash, said heel (pick a word) and lured the dog to where I wanted her *marked* and rewarded. Then took a step and repeated. It works best with an empty room, and zero distractions. Increase speed... add distractions. I was pretty badly hurt when my wonder lab came to me with a bum shoulder so I decided to pick my battles and used a treadmill, or two ball to wear her out and then we worked on obedience.

Why ASAP?


Have you tried teaching loose-leash walking indoors?

I agree that a no-distraction place (hallway, basement, kitchen, back porch, back yard) is the ideal place for the fundamentals (and no prong needed) when it's otherwise unsafe for you to walk the dog.



Also: Can you tell us how you were using the prong? Were you doing leash-pops or any kind of correction? Can you describe it?

My first thought... slow down. What is the ASAP in this, and I don't mean that bad in any way!! This is a six month old pup and assuming you are not in any life-saving heeling competition tomorrow, why the panic? Could this attitude/feeling be being transferred to the pup?

Have you read about marker training yet? I personally would go back a bit, and forget about the "need" for heeling. Charge the mark (read about marker training) then put the prong collar on the floor and when she looks at it - "YES" - and treat. Do this a few times and then put the collar AWAY. Don't even try to put it on her. Next day, repeat, and if she goes toward it, YES - yummy treat, etc... See where this is going? Take the "scary" out of the collar, make training fun again, and before you know it (two days??) I would expect to see some significant changes toward the good! It could all happen in one day over short, happy, yummy training sessions, but don't rush it! You might even want to drop the prong collar for a few days, introduce marker training, do other fun things, then go back to the prong. Once you get the prong back on, I would leave it on a minute or two and take it off with no training that day... Take the stress out of it and gain her trust back.

 Quote: Melissa Thom

... In my house I picked an empty room. Clipped on the leash, said heel (pick a word) and lured the dog to where I wanted her *marked* and rewarded. Then took a step and repeated. It works best with an empty room, and zero distractions.

Yes. Like this.

The time from one step to two steps may seem like a loooong time, but hang in there and don't push it. The dog doesn't get it, but she will when there is nothing distracting her and no pressure/anxiety.

 Quote: Lisa Parmely

I am attempting to use treats to get her to heel, but I'm not sure of the proper way to do it. I'm sure after the dvds get here, I will learn alot, but in the mean time, I need to walk my dog and I can't do it w/ her pulling me down the street. I don't want to make things worse by trying to get her to heel the wrong way. I appreciate your time.
Lisa

When the pup was 6 months old, I worked on heeling inside the house. When we went on walks, it was all about not pulling on the leash. It has taken 6 months of slowly introducing heeling out in the real world on walks. My point being there is a difference, due to the distractions of the world. So, define the goal. It only took me 2 or 3 walks to stop the pulling. But it has taken much longer to get a nice heel with attention on me for longer than one or two city blocks--we both have to pay attention to each other! Walking with a loose leash is much more lenient. Hope this makes sense.

I said way too much and was posting at the same time... Let me just say "yes, what they said!"

Thanks so much for all the advice. I have put away the prong. I actually never put it back on her after she acted agressive toward me a few days ago. I never mistreated her with it by jerking the leash. The asap is that I need to get my puppy the exercise she needs and now that I can't use the prong to take her for walks, it is very difficult to walk her. I tried today to walk her and reward her w/ treats when she would walk beside me w/o pulling. That's really all I'm looking for. I know that's alot for a 6 month old lab. We went through ALOT of treats and didn't get very far. I will try again tomorrow in the house.
My understanding of marking is telling her good girl and giving her a treat. Is that right?

Hi Lisa,

Keep reading everything you can about marker training. It's the best thing you can do for your dog.

It appears that you're throwing a lot of heavy artillery at a baby who doesn't understand what you want.