Quote: paul schoen

I can personally recommend an anti-pull harness, which worked well on Muttley. At first I got him an "Easy-Walk", which has the lead clip on the chest, but it does not provide for good correction when he walks in front. I know he should walk to the side, but it is easier for him to go ahead on narrow trails and that is what I prefer.back up to get

Paul, is this like a 'Halti'? How does it prevent the dog from pulling?

I think Michael hit the nail on the head with his post. He gave an excellent example - well worth trying.

I have nothing to add to this of any value that hasn't already been said.

I like Michael's post too. I think it describes the ideal way to go about training this good behavior. If you can do it this way, it's the best way.

The only problem with this method occurs when you need to rely on walks to exercise the dog, and you're kinda forced to train as you go. I've used something closer to Tracy's method most of the time with my dogs: If they pull forward on the leash I dig in my heels and stay planted until the dog loosens the leash on his own. This part they usually catch on to pretty quickly. If he actually chooses to walk next to me (yippe!), then I mark and reward, delivering the reward just behind me. Over time, my dogs have learned that the best way to walk is on a loose leash next to me. It takes a LONG time and a lot of patience, but the result is pretty neat and you can train and walk a good distance at the same time. Even with older dogs I'll reward periodically for walking next to me...why not? Of course this is just taking a walk, and not the same as learning to heel. For that, marker training is the only way to go.

As far as collars are concerned, I tend to use a prong most of the time, as long as the dog is not a young puppy. My dogs have all been pretty big though. I think that is a judgment call.

It would certainly be beneficial to work with one dog at a time on this if you can find a way to do it.

 Quote: paul schoen

Muttley is a rather "hard" dog and the prong collars were not very effective.

Paul, are you sure the prong collar was on properly & that you were giving the correction properly
I have never heard of a dog that was "too hard" and the prong collar was in-effective (someone correct me if im wrong there) especially if it was sitting & fitting properly on the dog.
if it's too loose and not in the proper area on the dogs neck it will definately be an in-effective collar.
http://leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm

 Quote: lynne barrows

 Quote: paul schoen

I can personally recommend an anti-pull harness, which worked well on Muttley. At first I got him an "Easy-Walk", which has the lead clip on the chest, but it does not provide for good correction when he walks in front. I know he should walk to the side, but it is easier for him to go ahead on narrow trails and that is what I prefer.back up to get

Paul, is this like a 'Halti'? How does it prevent the dog from pulling?

Lynne, it is like a halti, but it goes around the chest and back-almost like a regular harness. My mom has one for her obnoxious poodle, and he still acts like an idiot and spins around and still wants to pull. I told her AND showed her how the prong collar would work on her dog, but the person who helped her at Petsmart told her that the No-pull harness would work just as well and it's not as harsh. whatever. :P

 Quote: wendy lefebvre

Paul, are you sure the prong collar was on properly & that you were giving the correction properly?

if it's too loose and not in the proper area on the dogs neck it will definately be an in-effective collar.
http://leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm

Good question Wendy. The first time I tried a prong on Oscar I put it on the same way I would a flat collar... and it didn't do a darn thing. I thought my dog was just "too hard" for a prong to be effective and we went back to our nylon choke collar.

Then after suggestions here, and reading about the CORRECT way to fit and use one, we tried it again - and voila!! Worked like a dream! Yes, some hard headed dogs will initially still try to pull through them, even if they're fitted correctly, BUT, if they're fitted correctly, a good correction in reaction to the pulling usually stops it right away.

Oscar never goes anywhere without his now, even though his leash manners are MUCH better - the prong is exactly like Ed describes - "power steering" when you need it!

The key here, Michael just said it in another thread, is not simply what type of collar (substitute any training tool) but also how it's used.

~Natalya

The obedience trainer we were working with fitted her own custom-made prong collar that had smaller prongs and a nylon rope with a clip for easy on/off, but I was actually lifting my dog off his feet by the collar in an effort to make him heel in a group of 12 other dogs, and he was just too distracted to pay attention. When I used it on our walks he would scratch at the collar and eventually frayed the rope. So I bought a better one with larger prongs, and it worked reasonably well. I probably did not have it ideally fitted, but Muttley has a large, strong, and very furry neck so it was hard to keep it properly placed. Also, I probably let him get too far ahead and the corrections were not as effective as popping to the side.

The anti-pull harness just makes life easier, and seems to be effective enough to keep him from pulling excessively. Sometimes I just use his Martingale and he is OK when he is not too excited. Frankly I am not too much into training and as long as he is under control and fairly well behaved I am happy.

I really did not want a dog and I know I am not of the proper temperament to be a good trainer, but I was his only hope for life and now he is a good buddy and companion. Maybe the inept first trainer soured me to the concept, and I would like to try clicker training, but it's not high priority. I have too many other things to do, and he generally behaves well enough that many people compliment me on his behavior. Good enough for me and my Mutt!