Positive PetzineYour Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It...
Sometimes people have dog training or behavior problems which seem completely impossible to solve. Sometimes we just put up with unwanted behaviors such as aggression, fear of fireworks, barking or whining, or think we can't train a special trick or useful behavior just because it seems too difficult.
Today I've got a special treat for you, step-by-step instructions for tackling "Mission Impossible". There's a saying "if you can believe it, you can achieve it" - and I'm going to make a believer out of you!
One person who had her own "mission impossible", a Giant Schnauzer who would get crazy around sheep, is Sue Ailsby. I interviewed Sue to find out what the biggest lesson she learned solving this problem was and you can find the interview here.
In that interview, Sue also tells us exactly what we need to do to achieve "mission impossible" for most dog owners -
walking on a loose leash!
Loose Leash Walking is perhaps the most difficult thing for a positive trainer to master without using some sort of management aid such as a head halter or no-pull harness. Traditional trainers have aversive collars which makes the task somewhat easier (although not always), but at the cost of inflicting pain upon the dog at some point (or continuously). If the thought of walking your dog on a prong collar seems less than ideal, check out this interview with Sue Ailsby. If you've already learned positive methods for loose leash walking and still don't have a dog who walks nicely on leash, you will undoubtedly find out exactly where you have been going wrong.
Don't forget to check out the blogs at http://positivepetzine.com There have been tons of questions about pups who chew, house training frustrations, Tamar Geller on Oprah and 20/20, how to speed up a slow "come when called", and several posts regarding aggression towards other dogs.
Until next time...
Regards,
Aidan
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Positive Petzine
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Comments
Great story...Follow-up Qs
The great part for Sue was that she had a scenario where the dog would consistently pull so that she could set the dog up for training and set time aside for training not to pull in that particular scenario. She didn't mention if her dog pulled on the leash for every other occasion.
What of always pullers? Do we just not move forward?
Sue had mentioned that she would pick the dog up (but she didn't pick up the llama...). Is this an appropriate response if you have to go somewhere - like out for a pee - yet you want to maintain consistency? What do you do if, once you've reached your destination and you've put them down, you can't wait until you get the behavior you want, like in the morning when you have to go to work? Do you just pick them up again and bring them back inside? Seems like the dog will not get the exercise it needs at that rate and if the situation won't allow enough time to produce the desired behavior then the dog won't learn what he's suppose to do.
Basically, I'm looking for advice on how to maintain consistency in daily situations, while following the lesson. Also, nothing was mentioned of the type of leash to train this behavior. I have a retractable leash...
Loose leash management strategy secrets
Great questions!
Song (Sue's dog) didn't normally pull on the leash as far as I know, I very much doubt that he was an 'always puller' and I suspect that he only ever pulled when around sheep or deliberately cued to do so (he was a titled sled dog from memory).
Never fear, I have solutions for you!
Remember that walking on a loose leash is a learned behavior. We can put learned behaviors on cue. I have several leashes, each is a different cue for the sort of behavior I expect. In different situations I expect different behaviors. I remember at one point when Sabella was young we were tested on loose leash walking in a class, and the instructor said "there's no point in testing Sabella, there's not a chance she will pull on the leash" yet Sabella did indeed pull on the leash quite badly then outside of class when walking with my other dog. However, in class or walking alone with me she knew that she would never be reinforced for pulling on the leash by being allowed to move forward.
So in those situations she knew that different behaviors were expected. If I put her on my Black Dog hands free belt, she knows that she is to heel right beside me, even if we're jogging. She has plenty of leash, it's just that I use that leash when I want her to stay right beside me and not stop to smell the roses.
So what I suggest is that you use your flexi, carry her or use a food lure and ask her to heel when you don't have time for loose leash walking, and make sure that you make time for loose leash walking more often than not.
I have never owned a flexi-leash. In most hands they tend to encourage leash pulling because they, by design, apply some tension and allow the dog to move almost wherever he wants whenever he wants. Don't use the flexi on your main walks, get a 4' leash and a flat buckle collar or head halter instead and make a firm commitment not to reinforce pulling when using that hardware.
Don't worry about a lack of exercise. If you use Penalty Yards with a strong puller your dog will get plenty of exercise, just mostly walking backwards at first In any case, the dividends of having a dog who walks nicely on leash will pay off with more pleasurable miles spent walking eventually.
If your dog doesn't get enough exercise opportunities because of living arrangements or work commitments, you can make up the deficit with training and mental exercise which is very efficient.
Regards,
Aidan
http://www.positivepetzine.com
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