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So I've been trying for weeks to get Darwin to walk on a loose leash, because when he's 70+ lbs, I do not want to be dragged all over hell's half-acre. In our training class, they tell us to make the dog stop and sit when he starts pulling. And when I did this at home, I kid you not, it took me 45 minutes to take a 15 minute walk. I got frustrated, and got Darwin a "Gentle Leader" head collar, and trained him on that a couple of times. It worked, and I was able to get to the point where he didn't really MIND having it on, but somehow I felt like I'd failed a little bit with the flat collar.
This week, I tried again without the head collar, and I decided to start taking my training clicker on our walks (and enough treats to choke a horse). As we were walking, I'd "click and treat" (hit the clicker and deliver the treat) randomly -- as long as he was staying by my side. And every time Darwin started -- just started to eke out in front of me, I did a "click and treat" before he had a chance to be "bad." Because when he hears that clicker, he stops and LOOKS at me like, "Make with the treat, Mom." So, it's working as sort of a diversionary tactic.
But if he flat out darted ahead and pulled, I stopped completely and made him sit. I've been doing this for about a week, and today I just got back from a walk with him. Best. Walk. Ever. It was about 20 minutes, and I probably had to have him stop and sit... maybe five times. Trust me, compared to some of our other walks, this is A MIRACLE.
Granted, I still need to bring enough treats to choke a horse. But that's okay. I'll worry about cutting back on the treats once he's doing the loose-leash thing more and more on his own.
Huzzah!
This week, I tried again without the head collar, and I decided to start taking my training clicker on our walks (and enough treats to choke a horse). As we were walking, I'd "click and treat" (hit the clicker and deliver the treat) randomly -- as long as he was staying by my side. And every time Darwin started -- just started to eke out in front of me, I did a "click and treat" before he had a chance to be "bad." Because when he hears that clicker, he stops and LOOKS at me like, "Make with the treat, Mom." So, it's working as sort of a diversionary tactic.
But if he flat out darted ahead and pulled, I stopped completely and made him sit. I've been doing this for about a week, and today I just got back from a walk with him. Best. Walk. Ever. It was about 20 minutes, and I probably had to have him stop and sit... maybe five times. Trust me, compared to some of our other walks, this is A MIRACLE.
Granted, I still need to bring enough treats to choke a horse. But that's okay. I'll worry about cutting back on the treats once he's doing the loose-leash thing more and more on his own.
Huzzah!
