by bhennessy » Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:20 pm
Leash training is a must in my house. My dogs (2 Griffs) have to behave on the leash or else no one is happy. My theory is that an ill behaved dog doesn’t get walked as much in an urban environment simply because they are a pain in the ass for the wife, kids, passers-by, etc. and then no one is happy. I doubt the training has dialed down my dogs range. These guys are smart enough to know their different roles and they also get lots of off leash time.
I started mine learning to walk on a loose leash (not pulling) after they had a good grasp of come, stay and sit...Three months maybe? Positive reinforcement only until they understood that “come” on a leash meant no pulling, darting to the other side, behind, etc. i say come and hold a treat just in front and above their nose so that they stay in position because they want it. “Good come”, give treat, rinse/repeat many many times. Bad behavior means no treat and a positive correction with the leash to put them back into place.
This got both my dogs 75% of the way there. Then adding distractions and finally negative reinforcement by way of a pinch collar and later e-collar (after they were conditioned at around 9 months) got them to the 90% mark...and the last 10 is always a work in progress when we pass a dog on the sidewalk, stray cat appears, etc.
I read (gun dog magazine maybe?) there is a new e-collar for this purpose that delivers a correction when the dog pulls on the leash it’s attached to. Reviewer said it worked very quickly.