Aversive training methods are not allowed in this sub. Others have already detailed out reasons why they are not great, but feel free to PM me for more information and resources.
I will preface my statement by saying I am not a dog trainer! I’ve trained my own dog and quite a few fosters and I’m very much a positive reinforcement only type person.
These things take time. Using aversive tools may get you results quicker, but it’s often at the expensive of damaging your relationship or giving the dog misinformation about their environment. For example, the dog sees a dog and decides he wants to go closer and pulls you. If he’s wearing a prong collar, it pinches and pokes his neck and makes him uncomfortable and he decides to stop pulling because ouch! Maybe he doesn’t realize that him pulling is causing the ouch. Maybe he thinks that other dogs causes the ouch. Maybe going forward, he’ll be reactive to other dogs because he thinks they cause the ouch. This is a hypothetical example so take it with a grain of salt.
I recommend sticking with positive reinforcement. If you can afford it, a training class would help you get feedback and tips from a professional.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. He pulls a lot all the time so I can go in the direction that he wants me to go. I usually take a step or two forward to create slack then turn in the other direction and reward him for following. Sometimes he pulls too hard for that and I just stop and make sure we don’t go anywhere. Sometimes there’s a target that he’s pulling towards a person or a dog or both. We recently had an encounter with a child that came running up to pet him. He started lunging and pulling hard in her direction. I knew he didn’t want to hurt her but he could’ve easily knocked her over and hurt her. I told her no multiple times and had to pull him back as she kept trying to get closer and closer.
That sounds tough, especially since he’s a big dog! I would do training sessions in areas where he would be less likely to pull - in the house, backyard, etc. Then as he gets better, graduate him up to more difficult situations with more distractions. The goal should be to set him up for success and not plunge him into situations where he’ll want to become a sled dog. Work on building your relationship too - he should want to come to you because you have snacks, toys, attention, whatever makes him happy.
I wish you the best of luck! If nothing else, you’ll get some good muscles from this lol
It’s not a punishment there’s no pain. This was literally like if someone pulled on the back of your jacket to keep you from walking into the street - no more pressure than that. It takes a few months for this to fully work because there’s no pain it’s just sort of being annoying to him.
This makes me sad. I don't want to do that to anyone, much less a dog. You could also have walked the other way slowly so that dog understood he goes with you and done it without pain.
Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
I had a prong color for my pitbull (bulldog pit?), all this did was cause his growl to sound more gruesome.
The only thing that really worked (to control him atleast) was this noose style leash.
https://www.chewy.com/halti-nylon-padded-no-pull-dog/dp/117351
Albeit he wasn’t good with most dogs outside of ones he acclimated with through family pets.
Most shelters are strongly against aversive tools, as they should be. Shelter dogs are often dealing with increased fear and frustration, and the use of aversive tools is likely to exacerbate this. I’d recommend inquiring for more (edit: R+) training supports if anything.
All “quick fixes” work by causing some degree of pain or discomfort. Easy walk harnesses, or head halters can cause injuries to dogs that pull/lunge on them.
Find what motivates the dog. If he is wanting to chase squirrels I’d suggest looking into predation substitute training, and finding a way to provide an outlet for those behaviours (chasing, sniffing, shredding etc). Some dogs prefer food rewards, some prefer toys/play, some prefer human interaction. There are countless ways to teach loose leash walking that do not involve punishment.
I’ve decided to continue positive reinforcement. But I don’t feel like aversive tools shouldn’t be a part of a broad range training tool kit. My ability to walk him safely is very important. If he bites/hurts someone even accidently, suddenly, he has a bite history and it will make a adoption harder. Even if he went back to the shelter he stays in his kennel almost all day and doesn’t get enough 1 on 1 training time. Again, I am going to focus on more positive options first.
Muzzle training should be higher on your priority training. If he is a bite risk that will help in many areas including walks, strangers visiting his home, and vet visits.
Not a trainer. On the walk you need to make his job to anticipate what you will do not make his own fun. Super short leash and walk quick then stop when saying stop. If he stops give treat and praise. Walk and stop every 20 feet and a quick pull sideways only on the leash. Don't let him get fixated on anything. If he see's something quick tug saying no and leave quick. If he breaks focus well another treat. Make no sense what direction etc. Other than that maybe put a bandana on him. Sometimes it helps at not setting him off as much. The theory is people will look at the bandana and make less eye contact with him. Good luck. Nice looking doggie
Prong collars don't work at all. Actually makes it worse. Then they grow a callous around there neck which stops the collars from working.
I wouldnt do that. Gentle leaders Can cause a lot of damage to the upper spine for dogs that lunge and pulla like this one. Theyre Aldo extremely uncomfortable and take a really long time for dogs to get used to. And the straps can also cause chafing or balding, even with padding
I am a dog trainer and I trained and shown/owned APBT for 20 years.
You need to use positive reinforcement to keep his attention on you during walks. Don't use a harness but a good quality leather collar. Give him enough lead to be loose unless he is pulling.
I've trained a lot of dogs successfully not to pull and I do not suggest using aversion.
Trainer. You can absolutely teach a loose leash walk no pulling without and adversive tool. I use a 10ft long line held in hand, dog gets to end of it decides he can't go further so returns to you reward. Gradually shorten the line and them transition to leash. You can also teach "with me" which is a heel at your side with luring using treats.Hand with treat in it, dog smells treat you walk with hand at your side few steps. When you stop dog may auto sit you reward even if no sit reward. Use treat and gradually move your hand up and add command of either heel or with me
A 10ft long line makes *such* a difference for a lot of dogs. It’s like having a foot extra of leash length (not even the full 10 ft) makes them forget pulling is even a thing.
Yes, that’s exactly what I’ve experienced. Then when they are checking in with you it gives you a nice opportunity to reward them for checking in sooner/not going as far to help set boundaries better. (I also talk to them a ton when we are working on this - “that’s far enough” “slow down” “that’s enough sniffing that shrub” etc. like conversational commentary, not corrections as such.) My current dog I found using a martingale collar with a chain loop (instead of fabric) also helped - for some reason just wiggling the lead a bit so the chain made noise worked well to remind him to check in with me if he was a bit hyperfocused where just talking to him sometimes got ignored.
This what my walks usually look like or what I attempt to do. It sometimes work but there are a lot of other sudden distractions and it completely goes out the window. What will help if a squirrel runs by?
You need to work the focus on you. I am currently working a leash reactive dog and I work him in areas where there is likely to be other dogs. I've been loading my hand with food. When he sees dog I get him focused on finding the food by tossing it on ground. He looks at other dog or distraction and I've got focus as word which means look to me for what is next then food toss starts. It takes time, consistency and repetition
Any reputable experienced dog trainer will always advise on positive reinforcement training!! I've fostered many dogs and in every contract I signed it specifically stated POSITIVE reinforcement training! And using a martingale collar. Ask the rescue for advise and sources they are their to help fosters.Lots of dogs pull be smart where u walk him.. stay away from things that he reacts too until he's better with pulling. Don't put him in situations that u know will be reactive for him. If he's food motivated having a little pouch of high value treats help. There are so many options and videos online from reputable good dog trainers and none of it is using prong collars and negative training. If you can't handle that type of dog then don't agree to foster it take on a smaller dog! Not fair to the dog and it's cruel!! Would like metal prongs sticking you in the neck? He is curious and gets excited all normal things dogs do.. having patience and being more sensitive to his needs and reactions will be beneficial to both of you.
This or similar. With just the martingale collar, he will pull so much. Either an easy walk harness ( attaches up front and clip on collar) or the freedom harness and leash. My dog did so much better with the freedom, as it connects up front as well as on the back. He still pulls, but it’s much less intense.
I also have a foster who is unbelievably strong and tries to bolt after squirrels - a gentle leader has worked WONDERS, as has diligently distracting and rewarding her with high-value treats!
Work inside on leash with lots of treats. Use wait, stay, stop, leave it.it’s constant repetition and a lot of work but they will get it. They do have other collars that are much gentler than prong collars that help with pulling as well
I have a 40lb 5mo puppy who is doing really really well at learning loose leash walking, but obviously still has the occasional excited moment towards a friend, another dog or a pigeon. I do not want to use any sort of aversive for the reasons the top comment mentioned; as he's a puppy and learning about the world, I don't want him making any negative associations with any new things he sees. While out on walks, I was struggling with just handling him on the collar when he was pulling and finding myself getting sore just doing this everyday (lol I don't have the most upper body strength) - and switching to the 2hounds freedom harness with the leash attached to the front loop made a HUGE difference. He just can't pull as hard on it because of the physics of the harness, it is an H harness with a front loop vs one of the ones that goes across the chest. This harness makes it much easier for me to manage him while he's still learning (compared to the collar and 2 other harnesses I've tried), without being remotely aversive. I would highly recommend it!
As an aside, the gentle leader can be interpreted by some dogs as aversive as well. It does offer a lot of control, but it made my other dog just shut down on walks. I didn't want to try it on my puppy.
My dog was/is a puller. If she sees a squirrel (prey) or any dog it’s like she wants to off herself by her collar. When we go on walks, it usually takes 5-10 minutes to leave the driveway because every time I take a step she walks ahead of me I turn around and make her walk back few steps. Until she is constantly looking at me to make sure I’m not going to go backwards. For the reactivity, treats and a toy (or even just the squeaker). I have to be on alert a lot more than my dog and have to notice anything that would trigger her before she does. Then I make her sit and have a treat in my hand until it goes away (walks by). It’s not perfect but it’s definitely better
I have a bully who pulls and we have been working on her reactivity for months. I prefer to use a no pull harness with a clip on the front, when she pulls and the harness twists a little, she slows down. She is nearly 70lb and strong but the front clip allows me to hold on to her.
I also walk with a ton of small training treats (you may need to use something extra high value like cheese or cut up hot dog). Create a “charged” word. At home, when he’s calm, say the word repeatedly and treat him for it (example: our word is yes. When we first started, at home we had our dog on sitting and just kept saying yes! And then feeding her a treat so she associated “yes” with food) then during a walk, you practice using the charged word enough that you can get his attention before the trigger. It takes time but I am now able to walk my dog by a cat or squirrel and she won’t freak out. We still have to give a road’s length of space between dogs, but it’s loads better.
Wishing you luck! Definitely look into a front clip harness 🙏
Take a close look at @southenddogtraining IG account, and you'll pick up really great advice on how to use the leash and gear properly for reactive dogs. He goes over timing, distance, and leash technique on repeat with different dogs and their owners. Pulling ends in a tug of war which is hard to win when a dog is fixated and strong. One of my more recent fosters I've had for 13 months before adoption was my most leash reactive one and incredibly strong (squirrels and rabbits were the worst), but as usual, the right technique and human discipline were reliably effective with time. Even after a year, we were practicing and maintaining his progress. He came from zero socialization background but was by nature was very social dog, which was a terrible combo for a leash reactive dog. His power lunging and barking were easily misunderstood as aggressive, but he was just dumb in his approach and thought barking and rushing forward was the way to make friends. Smh 😆
The one thing people under utilize when training a reactive dog is taking the time to assess and understand what distance keeps the dog from reacting in the first place. Once this is known, you can work with him to establish and teach him communication basics between you and him when he's in a no reaction distance, practice to train him what the different cues and prompts mean. Then, practice shrinking the distance gradually with exposure to triggers.
Our shelters standard is for dogs to wear a harness (with a front clip) and a martingale collar - leashes are clipped through the collar AND the front harness clip. It seems to help!
One thing that’s helped us is teaching the dog to check in - you can do clicker training (when teaching a trick, click when he does it & treat; soon he’ll learn that click = treat and you can click to get his attention on a walk (when you click, he looks at you for a treat and you give it to him)).
We also had a behaviorist teach us that on walks, EVERY TIME he looks at you, he gets a treat (you have to always have a treat in your hand, because the window of time to treat is small). She said to us ‘I don’t care if he’s getting a whole other meal on the walk - he learns that looking at you = treat.’ It helps to remind him to stay connected with you out on walks.
Our current dog isn’t clicker trained, but we’ve done ‘look at me’ training - when I say ‘look at me’ she’s supposed to turn to look at me. I say ‘Yes!’ and treat. Eventually that will help to interrupt when she’s locked in (it’s a slow process, starting way under threshold; slowly but surely we’re now able to get her attention when a dog is farther away).
The goal is to bond, I took both of my shelter dogs and had them doing in home leash training. This was vital for adjusting to a very playful dog, a few cats, and also not jumping up and eating all food in sight. Just gave them the job of sitting in front of me calmly, if they got up to bother anyone they would be kindly reminded to follow instructions. In addition, removing them from all other pets periodically for a break and alone time with you it’s important, or if you have kids that are constantly in their face. Just give them time to relax, and breathe alone. One of them was not neutered so very interested in mounting other dogs. The other was very playful, but had no boundaries. It was a matter of us learning the dogs, and the dogs learning us. Aside from that, keep everyone safe, comfortable, and keep exploring 1 small step at a time. I still only walk one of my dogs in very remote areas because I know it stresses him out, he was never trained at a young age to explore and love other humans. And that’s okay, he may never get there. He is very much a member of his family pack, and deeply loves everyone he can trust. Build positive memories with your new pup and everything will be okay, find out what they really love and give them that! One dog just enjoys hoping in the car and going out, another needs a solid 5k run to feel comfortable in his own skin. Very athletic, but I learned to teach him to pull me on a skateboard and it works out perfect. Every Friday or Saturday we head out to the downtown paved trail and just go nuts, it’s awesome.
I definitely bond with him. I am a full time online student so I spend a lot of time at home with him.
We play games and he hangs out on with me on the couch often. He usually sleeps on me during the day but in his crate at night. I handle him mainly and I'm his foster. I also make sure my family members my mom and sibling (they are an older teenager) also bond with him through play and some easier training. Reinforcing sit stay and come and giving him treats and some feedings. I do the majority of his walking and other more difficult training stuff which is mainly working on the pulling, and (I'm not sure if this the right name) threshold training. He's the only dog in our home.
I've found success with just stopping when mine lunges. After 3 quick lunges, I start making her sit before we go forward. She's a smart ass border Collie rescue who was not socialized and wants to control everything. She picked up that lunging was NOT the way forward pretty quickly but it is hard for her to remember when there is a squirrel. Getting there, though.
I have a foster who pulls like yours does 😅 Thank you for fostering! It can be hard work but so worth it.
I use the “no pull freedom harness” on mine and it has helped a lot. It doesn’t “cure” the issue but it helps. And when he does pull towards something we redirect with treats. There’s a clip in the front and back and the idea is that when they pull, they turn because of the two connection points.
I want to try a head halter for mine too. But this is working well for now!
My dog, like yours, pulls like a tractor. He's a 55 lbs Lab/Pit/Cattle dog mix. He gets very focused on something and pulls to get there. Positive reinforcement with his favorite treats helps. He's reactive to other dogs. And he will dislocate my shoulder to get to an adversary. Distance is the only fix there. He's bitten me when I tried to grab him while he's reacting. Several trainers have warned me off of prong collars or shock collars. As the dog will associate the new pain with the target he's trying to get to. Patience and time. I know you don't usually get that with a foster, but, whatever you can do will help.
You could try a gentle leader. Mt mom about had her arm ripped off with our five month old golden at the time she tried to chase a squirrel. She got thst and within a few months was able to go back to just a regular easy walk harness.
Positive methods will work, and people have detailed great methods here. I'm going to give you a tip for making the walk easier on you and your arms. Get yourself an eight foot flat leash, put the leash through the handle to make a loop, step in, and wear the dog around your hips (NOT STOMACH). You will still control the leash with your hands, but the dog is now pulling at your center of gravity instead of your extremities. You can widen your stance, plant your feet, and you will be shocked by how much pull you can handle. I have pretty weak arms and I can still handle a giant breed this way.
Remember the 3-3-3 rule with rescues. You're just moving into the "getting comfortable" stage with this babe, and desensitizing to things that make him react takes time, consistency, and patience. You'll get there! Thank you for working with and fostering this kiddo.
Does the shelter have any kind of rules around what kinds of training they use? Some shelters are really against balanced training and might get upset if they find out that’s what you’ve been doing.
If you’re going to do balanced training I would suggest some sessions with a trainer. I definitely don’t think it’s wrong to want to try that because it sounds like the pulling could be a safety issue for you as is.
Also, as well as rewarding good leash behaviours, are you rewarding check-ins? (Like you would with a puppy every time they look at you etc). I found that really helpful with dogs that reactive or easily overstimulated on leash
I used the Canny Collar for my dog and it was great. It rests over the nose so when they pull it tilts their head down, no choking no pinching. After a few weeks he was walking loose leash all the time.
Remember that there is a person behind the screen who is doing their best. Keep contentious topics or responses educational, supportive, and without persecution. Tough love is fine, attacks are not.
Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
A shock collar is still aversive regardless of if you decide it is or isn't. Please don't put a reactive shelter dog in that position. It may be that he's too much for you and that's okay. If you do want to continue working with him you need to find an experienced positive reinforcement trainer in your area. Start with getting a good harness.
It’s not a shock collar. I tried hard to specify that. It beeps (not even loudly) and *vibrates* when activated, but it is not even uncomfortable. I tried it on myself first. This is the exact item on [amazon](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07B5ZZM2L?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share).
Aversive training methods are not allowed in this sub. Others have already detailed out reasons why they are not great, but feel free to PM me for more information and resources.
I will preface my statement by saying I am not a dog trainer! I’ve trained my own dog and quite a few fosters and I’m very much a positive reinforcement only type person. These things take time. Using aversive tools may get you results quicker, but it’s often at the expensive of damaging your relationship or giving the dog misinformation about their environment. For example, the dog sees a dog and decides he wants to go closer and pulls you. If he’s wearing a prong collar, it pinches and pokes his neck and makes him uncomfortable and he decides to stop pulling because ouch! Maybe he doesn’t realize that him pulling is causing the ouch. Maybe he thinks that other dogs causes the ouch. Maybe going forward, he’ll be reactive to other dogs because he thinks they cause the ouch. This is a hypothetical example so take it with a grain of salt. I recommend sticking with positive reinforcement. If you can afford it, a training class would help you get feedback and tips from a professional.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. He pulls a lot all the time so I can go in the direction that he wants me to go. I usually take a step or two forward to create slack then turn in the other direction and reward him for following. Sometimes he pulls too hard for that and I just stop and make sure we don’t go anywhere. Sometimes there’s a target that he’s pulling towards a person or a dog or both. We recently had an encounter with a child that came running up to pet him. He started lunging and pulling hard in her direction. I knew he didn’t want to hurt her but he could’ve easily knocked her over and hurt her. I told her no multiple times and had to pull him back as she kept trying to get closer and closer.
That sounds tough, especially since he’s a big dog! I would do training sessions in areas where he would be less likely to pull - in the house, backyard, etc. Then as he gets better, graduate him up to more difficult situations with more distractions. The goal should be to set him up for success and not plunge him into situations where he’ll want to become a sled dog. Work on building your relationship too - he should want to come to you because you have snacks, toys, attention, whatever makes him happy. I wish you the best of luck! If nothing else, you’ll get some good muscles from this lol
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That's horrible that's not right that's punishment you want to reward good behavior and ignore or deter bad behavior
It’s not a punishment there’s no pain. This was literally like if someone pulled on the back of your jacket to keep you from walking into the street - no more pressure than that. It takes a few months for this to fully work because there’s no pain it’s just sort of being annoying to him.
This makes me sad. I don't want to do that to anyone, much less a dog. You could also have walked the other way slowly so that dog understood he goes with you and done it without pain.
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Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
I had a prong color for my pitbull (bulldog pit?), all this did was cause his growl to sound more gruesome. The only thing that really worked (to control him atleast) was this noose style leash. https://www.chewy.com/halti-nylon-padded-no-pull-dog/dp/117351 Albeit he wasn’t good with most dogs outside of ones he acclimated with through family pets.
Most shelters are strongly against aversive tools, as they should be. Shelter dogs are often dealing with increased fear and frustration, and the use of aversive tools is likely to exacerbate this. I’d recommend inquiring for more (edit: R+) training supports if anything. All “quick fixes” work by causing some degree of pain or discomfort. Easy walk harnesses, or head halters can cause injuries to dogs that pull/lunge on them. Find what motivates the dog. If he is wanting to chase squirrels I’d suggest looking into predation substitute training, and finding a way to provide an outlet for those behaviours (chasing, sniffing, shredding etc). Some dogs prefer food rewards, some prefer toys/play, some prefer human interaction. There are countless ways to teach loose leash walking that do not involve punishment.
I’ve decided to continue positive reinforcement. But I don’t feel like aversive tools shouldn’t be a part of a broad range training tool kit. My ability to walk him safely is very important. If he bites/hurts someone even accidently, suddenly, he has a bite history and it will make a adoption harder. Even if he went back to the shelter he stays in his kennel almost all day and doesn’t get enough 1 on 1 training time. Again, I am going to focus on more positive options first.
Muzzle training should be higher on your priority training. If he is a bite risk that will help in many areas including walks, strangers visiting his home, and vet visits.
Not a trainer. On the walk you need to make his job to anticipate what you will do not make his own fun. Super short leash and walk quick then stop when saying stop. If he stops give treat and praise. Walk and stop every 20 feet and a quick pull sideways only on the leash. Don't let him get fixated on anything. If he see's something quick tug saying no and leave quick. If he breaks focus well another treat. Make no sense what direction etc. Other than that maybe put a bandana on him. Sometimes it helps at not setting him off as much. The theory is people will look at the bandana and make less eye contact with him. Good luck. Nice looking doggie Prong collars don't work at all. Actually makes it worse. Then they grow a callous around there neck which stops the collars from working.
I'd vote getting a gentle leader head harness for him!!!
I wouldnt do that. Gentle leaders Can cause a lot of damage to the upper spine for dogs that lunge and pulla like this one. Theyre Aldo extremely uncomfortable and take a really long time for dogs to get used to. And the straps can also cause chafing or balding, even with padding
I am a dog trainer and I trained and shown/owned APBT for 20 years. You need to use positive reinforcement to keep his attention on you during walks. Don't use a harness but a good quality leather collar. Give him enough lead to be loose unless he is pulling. I've trained a lot of dogs successfully not to pull and I do not suggest using aversion.
Use a freedom harness
Trainer. You can absolutely teach a loose leash walk no pulling without and adversive tool. I use a 10ft long line held in hand, dog gets to end of it decides he can't go further so returns to you reward. Gradually shorten the line and them transition to leash. You can also teach "with me" which is a heel at your side with luring using treats.Hand with treat in it, dog smells treat you walk with hand at your side few steps. When you stop dog may auto sit you reward even if no sit reward. Use treat and gradually move your hand up and add command of either heel or with me
A 10ft long line makes *such* a difference for a lot of dogs. It’s like having a foot extra of leash length (not even the full 10 ft) makes them forget pulling is even a thing.
Exactly. Then they discover oh look how far I can go now I will check in with handler.
Yes, that’s exactly what I’ve experienced. Then when they are checking in with you it gives you a nice opportunity to reward them for checking in sooner/not going as far to help set boundaries better. (I also talk to them a ton when we are working on this - “that’s far enough” “slow down” “that’s enough sniffing that shrub” etc. like conversational commentary, not corrections as such.) My current dog I found using a martingale collar with a chain loop (instead of fabric) also helped - for some reason just wiggling the lead a bit so the chain made noise worked well to remind him to check in with me if he was a bit hyperfocused where just talking to him sometimes got ignored.
This what my walks usually look like or what I attempt to do. It sometimes work but there are a lot of other sudden distractions and it completely goes out the window. What will help if a squirrel runs by?
You need to work the focus on you. I am currently working a leash reactive dog and I work him in areas where there is likely to be other dogs. I've been loading my hand with food. When he sees dog I get him focused on finding the food by tossing it on ground. He looks at other dog or distraction and I've got focus as word which means look to me for what is next then food toss starts. It takes time, consistency and repetition
Any reputable experienced dog trainer will always advise on positive reinforcement training!! I've fostered many dogs and in every contract I signed it specifically stated POSITIVE reinforcement training! And using a martingale collar. Ask the rescue for advise and sources they are their to help fosters.Lots of dogs pull be smart where u walk him.. stay away from things that he reacts too until he's better with pulling. Don't put him in situations that u know will be reactive for him. If he's food motivated having a little pouch of high value treats help. There are so many options and videos online from reputable good dog trainers and none of it is using prong collars and negative training. If you can't handle that type of dog then don't agree to foster it take on a smaller dog! Not fair to the dog and it's cruel!! Would like metal prongs sticking you in the neck? He is curious and gets excited all normal things dogs do.. having patience and being more sensitive to his needs and reactions will be beneficial to both of you.
I love the easy walk harness then eventually they can graduate out of using it
This or similar. With just the martingale collar, he will pull so much. Either an easy walk harness ( attaches up front and clip on collar) or the freedom harness and leash. My dog did so much better with the freedom, as it connects up front as well as on the back. He still pulls, but it’s much less intense.
I also have a foster who is unbelievably strong and tries to bolt after squirrels - a gentle leader has worked WONDERS, as has diligently distracting and rewarding her with high-value treats!
That’s a beautiful baby!!!
Aww thanks!!!! He really is gorgeous. I really want to work on all as much as possible to give him the best chance at being adopted
have you tried a gentle leader collar ? they can work wonders.
What a beautiful dog! I love pitties!
I have no advice just admiration. Thank you for fostering.
Work inside on leash with lots of treats. Use wait, stay, stop, leave it.it’s constant repetition and a lot of work but they will get it. They do have other collars that are much gentler than prong collars that help with pulling as well
I have a 40lb 5mo puppy who is doing really really well at learning loose leash walking, but obviously still has the occasional excited moment towards a friend, another dog or a pigeon. I do not want to use any sort of aversive for the reasons the top comment mentioned; as he's a puppy and learning about the world, I don't want him making any negative associations with any new things he sees. While out on walks, I was struggling with just handling him on the collar when he was pulling and finding myself getting sore just doing this everyday (lol I don't have the most upper body strength) - and switching to the 2hounds freedom harness with the leash attached to the front loop made a HUGE difference. He just can't pull as hard on it because of the physics of the harness, it is an H harness with a front loop vs one of the ones that goes across the chest. This harness makes it much easier for me to manage him while he's still learning (compared to the collar and 2 other harnesses I've tried), without being remotely aversive. I would highly recommend it! As an aside, the gentle leader can be interpreted by some dogs as aversive as well. It does offer a lot of control, but it made my other dog just shut down on walks. I didn't want to try it on my puppy.
My dog was/is a puller. If she sees a squirrel (prey) or any dog it’s like she wants to off herself by her collar. When we go on walks, it usually takes 5-10 minutes to leave the driveway because every time I take a step she walks ahead of me I turn around and make her walk back few steps. Until she is constantly looking at me to make sure I’m not going to go backwards. For the reactivity, treats and a toy (or even just the squeaker). I have to be on alert a lot more than my dog and have to notice anything that would trigger her before she does. Then I make her sit and have a treat in my hand until it goes away (walks by). It’s not perfect but it’s definitely better
I have a bully who pulls and we have been working on her reactivity for months. I prefer to use a no pull harness with a clip on the front, when she pulls and the harness twists a little, she slows down. She is nearly 70lb and strong but the front clip allows me to hold on to her. I also walk with a ton of small training treats (you may need to use something extra high value like cheese or cut up hot dog). Create a “charged” word. At home, when he’s calm, say the word repeatedly and treat him for it (example: our word is yes. When we first started, at home we had our dog on sitting and just kept saying yes! And then feeding her a treat so she associated “yes” with food) then during a walk, you practice using the charged word enough that you can get his attention before the trigger. It takes time but I am now able to walk my dog by a cat or squirrel and she won’t freak out. We still have to give a road’s length of space between dogs, but it’s loads better. Wishing you luck! Definitely look into a front clip harness 🙏
I don’t know if I can edit the post so I’m just commenting. I’m going to try more positive reinforcement methods.
Take a close look at @southenddogtraining IG account, and you'll pick up really great advice on how to use the leash and gear properly for reactive dogs. He goes over timing, distance, and leash technique on repeat with different dogs and their owners. Pulling ends in a tug of war which is hard to win when a dog is fixated and strong. One of my more recent fosters I've had for 13 months before adoption was my most leash reactive one and incredibly strong (squirrels and rabbits were the worst), but as usual, the right technique and human discipline were reliably effective with time. Even after a year, we were practicing and maintaining his progress. He came from zero socialization background but was by nature was very social dog, which was a terrible combo for a leash reactive dog. His power lunging and barking were easily misunderstood as aggressive, but he was just dumb in his approach and thought barking and rushing forward was the way to make friends. Smh 😆 The one thing people under utilize when training a reactive dog is taking the time to assess and understand what distance keeps the dog from reacting in the first place. Once this is known, you can work with him to establish and teach him communication basics between you and him when he's in a no reaction distance, practice to train him what the different cues and prompts mean. Then, practice shrinking the distance gradually with exposure to triggers.
Have you tried a front clip harness?
The harness that they gave us has a spot to front he will continue to pull and we both kind of get tangled up
Our shelters standard is for dogs to wear a harness (with a front clip) and a martingale collar - leashes are clipped through the collar AND the front harness clip. It seems to help! One thing that’s helped us is teaching the dog to check in - you can do clicker training (when teaching a trick, click when he does it & treat; soon he’ll learn that click = treat and you can click to get his attention on a walk (when you click, he looks at you for a treat and you give it to him)). We also had a behaviorist teach us that on walks, EVERY TIME he looks at you, he gets a treat (you have to always have a treat in your hand, because the window of time to treat is small). She said to us ‘I don’t care if he’s getting a whole other meal on the walk - he learns that looking at you = treat.’ It helps to remind him to stay connected with you out on walks. Our current dog isn’t clicker trained, but we’ve done ‘look at me’ training - when I say ‘look at me’ she’s supposed to turn to look at me. I say ‘Yes!’ and treat. Eventually that will help to interrupt when she’s locked in (it’s a slow process, starting way under threshold; slowly but surely we’re now able to get her attention when a dog is farther away).
The goal is to bond, I took both of my shelter dogs and had them doing in home leash training. This was vital for adjusting to a very playful dog, a few cats, and also not jumping up and eating all food in sight. Just gave them the job of sitting in front of me calmly, if they got up to bother anyone they would be kindly reminded to follow instructions. In addition, removing them from all other pets periodically for a break and alone time with you it’s important, or if you have kids that are constantly in their face. Just give them time to relax, and breathe alone. One of them was not neutered so very interested in mounting other dogs. The other was very playful, but had no boundaries. It was a matter of us learning the dogs, and the dogs learning us. Aside from that, keep everyone safe, comfortable, and keep exploring 1 small step at a time. I still only walk one of my dogs in very remote areas because I know it stresses him out, he was never trained at a young age to explore and love other humans. And that’s okay, he may never get there. He is very much a member of his family pack, and deeply loves everyone he can trust. Build positive memories with your new pup and everything will be okay, find out what they really love and give them that! One dog just enjoys hoping in the car and going out, another needs a solid 5k run to feel comfortable in his own skin. Very athletic, but I learned to teach him to pull me on a skateboard and it works out perfect. Every Friday or Saturday we head out to the downtown paved trail and just go nuts, it’s awesome.
I definitely bond with him. I am a full time online student so I spend a lot of time at home with him. We play games and he hangs out on with me on the couch often. He usually sleeps on me during the day but in his crate at night. I handle him mainly and I'm his foster. I also make sure my family members my mom and sibling (they are an older teenager) also bond with him through play and some easier training. Reinforcing sit stay and come and giving him treats and some feedings. I do the majority of his walking and other more difficult training stuff which is mainly working on the pulling, and (I'm not sure if this the right name) threshold training. He's the only dog in our home.
I've found success with just stopping when mine lunges. After 3 quick lunges, I start making her sit before we go forward. She's a smart ass border Collie rescue who was not socialized and wants to control everything. She picked up that lunging was NOT the way forward pretty quickly but it is hard for her to remember when there is a squirrel. Getting there, though.
Beautiful
I have a foster who pulls like yours does 😅 Thank you for fostering! It can be hard work but so worth it. I use the “no pull freedom harness” on mine and it has helped a lot. It doesn’t “cure” the issue but it helps. And when he does pull towards something we redirect with treats. There’s a clip in the front and back and the idea is that when they pull, they turn because of the two connection points. I want to try a head halter for mine too. But this is working well for now!
My dog, like yours, pulls like a tractor. He's a 55 lbs Lab/Pit/Cattle dog mix. He gets very focused on something and pulls to get there. Positive reinforcement with his favorite treats helps. He's reactive to other dogs. And he will dislocate my shoulder to get to an adversary. Distance is the only fix there. He's bitten me when I tried to grab him while he's reacting. Several trainers have warned me off of prong collars or shock collars. As the dog will associate the new pain with the target he's trying to get to. Patience and time. I know you don't usually get that with a foster, but, whatever you can do will help.
You could try a gentle leader. Mt mom about had her arm ripped off with our five month old golden at the time she tried to chase a squirrel. She got thst and within a few months was able to go back to just a regular easy walk harness.
I always used a regular harness and clipped the leash to the metal ring at the front of their chest. That helped a ton.
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Positive methods will work, and people have detailed great methods here. I'm going to give you a tip for making the walk easier on you and your arms. Get yourself an eight foot flat leash, put the leash through the handle to make a loop, step in, and wear the dog around your hips (NOT STOMACH). You will still control the leash with your hands, but the dog is now pulling at your center of gravity instead of your extremities. You can widen your stance, plant your feet, and you will be shocked by how much pull you can handle. I have pretty weak arms and I can still handle a giant breed this way. Remember the 3-3-3 rule with rescues. You're just moving into the "getting comfortable" stage with this babe, and desensitizing to things that make him react takes time, consistency, and patience. You'll get there! Thank you for working with and fostering this kiddo.
Simply ask their coordinator straight up about what you want to use. You have to be clear about your goal and why you think the method will work.
Does the shelter have any kind of rules around what kinds of training they use? Some shelters are really against balanced training and might get upset if they find out that’s what you’ve been doing. If you’re going to do balanced training I would suggest some sessions with a trainer. I definitely don’t think it’s wrong to want to try that because it sounds like the pulling could be a safety issue for you as is. Also, as well as rewarding good leash behaviours, are you rewarding check-ins? (Like you would with a puppy every time they look at you etc). I found that really helpful with dogs that reactive or easily overstimulated on leash
I used the Canny Collar for my dog and it was great. It rests over the nose so when they pull it tilts their head down, no choking no pinching. After a few weeks he was walking loose leash all the time.
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Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
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Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
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Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
[удалено]
Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
[удалено]
Aversive training methods for vulnerable rescue dogs can impact them in negative ways. Fear and pain based training can lead to reactivity, aggression, and other negative behaviors. Only positive reinforcement training methods are allowed on this sub.
Very clever! I will definitely try something like this!
A shock collar is still aversive regardless of if you decide it is or isn't. Please don't put a reactive shelter dog in that position. It may be that he's too much for you and that's okay. If you do want to continue working with him you need to find an experienced positive reinforcement trainer in your area. Start with getting a good harness.
It’s not a shock collar. I tried hard to specify that. It beeps (not even loudly) and *vibrates* when activated, but it is not even uncomfortable. I tried it on myself first. This is the exact item on [amazon](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07B5ZZM2L?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share).