My 15 month staff constantly pulls on the lead

[Alchiepoo135]

We use a harness but it doesn't help, he pulls me down the road, if I pull on the lead he stops, turns to look at me then just carrys on. He walks right infront of us aswell so were always accidently stepping on the back of his feet. Please help, my hands are getting very sore

 

[goldenbear2013]

Hi there,

I have just copied a small section from another owner who had issues on the lead that I replied to.

First off lead- if he has a favourite food or toy take it with you. Keep his attention by talking to you and to keep him by your side. If he does what you want and does not pull then reward. if he pulls then stop and call him back to you. If you have to bend down (bend down not over otherwise he will think you are playing with him) open your arms wide and call him back, slowly tugging at his lead. You may look stupid but needs must.

You may also try a figure of eight lead which wraps round his muzzle and is a lot more comfortable for them than a halti. I have a couple of links from amazon for you to see the lead and how it fits round the dogs muzzle. With you having hold of his head and not his body he wont be able to dig in and pull as you have the control not him.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CUSHION-PADDED-COLOURS-HEADCOLLAR-pulling/dp/B00I3IPFVA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1428671502&sr=8-4&keywords=figure+of+eight+lead

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Figure-eight-halter-head-collar-softex/dp/B0096PF16I/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1428671502&sr=8-8&keywords=figure+of+eight+lead

I had one of these when my lab kept trying to drag me round everywhere. He HATED this lead as he was no longer in control, I was! He objected and continued to throw fits in the street as he didn't like it, but after a couple of weeks he was used to it and happily walked to heel, so if you do try this lead then just bear with your dog. Tantrums will ensue but you should get past it fairly quickly.

Good luck!

Sophie x

 

[Raven oaktree]

We use a canny collar with willow, she took some time to get used to it but now she is fine..

 

[eingana]

I would go with a head collar rather than a harness too, for controllability if nothing else. Our head collar of choice is a k9bridle, which looks deceptively simple but I know people who walk mastiffs on them, so they can clearly take the weight of a big dog that's learning. Molly has a Dogmatics head collar which works purely because she hates it so much that when I hold it up she walks by my side (but then, she's a GSD, so she's worked out the consequences in a way that many dogs wouldn't) but she's happier to wear the k9bridle if we're out in people and I need to have more control over her than when we're out by ourselves.

Once you've got him used to wearing a head collar it becomes a case of turning rather than pulling, if you see what I mean. A dog in a head collar can pull forwards all they like, but if you turn them down another route and take their nose with you then the rest of the dog will follow Staffs are hugely powerful at pulling forwards, but taking them off at a tangent is likely to put him off pulling and lead you to have more chance with teaching him to look at you, as you change directions and call him to go with you, or call him to look up towards you from by your side.

Good luck- there are lots of drills that you can do to help the dog understand where they need to be looking while they are out walking with you, but if you aren't being pulled all over it gives you a head start with those drills

 

[Chatterdog]

Personally I don't like a harness, they are designed for a dog to pull something. And I feel s dog is more focused on getting the halti off rather than on you. With a stronger breed like yours I would go for a simple collar and lead. I'm not sure if it would be useful but I use a Rokstrap lead. It has a bungee style middle which eases the pressure and a second handle further down for gathering them up near traffic or people etc.

It's a tough one but I do think a walk should be mentally stimulating as well as physical so similar to what eingana said, drills and challenges may be the way forward. You could also have a pack rather than a harness, something for him to carry? Also it is hard but do try and get him at your side, pulling back usually increases the pulling from the dog.

Good luck with your walks, I hope you find your answer!

 

[gypsysmum]

If he gets to his destination ( an interesting smell is a destination!) by pulling on the lead then he will continue to do so. Lure him to walk beside you and reward him well when he does it.

Loose lead walking is, probably, the hardest thing to teach a dog. This is because not only does it require huge concentration on the part of the dog but also from us too! As soon as we lose concentration the dog starts to pull and the whole cycle happens again.

I agree that headcollars are the way to go to make it manageable. In between times teaching him to walk beside you in return for high value treats.