Loose Lead walking

Valuable training articles posted by Victoria and other Positively members.

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***Melissa***
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by ***Melissa*** »

Thanx Noobs, will do that :D
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~Ben Williams
Liz & Koa
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by Liz & Koa »

Hi Mattie,

I saw Victoria using this technique Sat. on her show. I want to know if you learned it from her or if she is seeing the great results you got and using it, becuase I have never seen her do this before.

Thanks

Liz
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Mattie
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by Mattie »

I was taught it when I went on a TTouch Workshop some years ago, at that time I only had 3 dogs and none pulled but I say the effect it had on others that did pull. I don't know where Victoria got it from, like us on here she studies others and how they train, it is this open mindedness that makes her so good.
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Noobs
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by Noobs »

You know the biggest difference between Victoria's method and the one Mattie has here is that Victoria waits longer before she turns, and she also does a vocal "ah-ah" interrupter. So when Victoria turns around, the dog has reached the end of the leash. Using Mattie's, if you turn as soon as the dog goes past your knee, normally the dog realizes before he hits the end of the leash that you've turned, so it never gets yanked. (Ideally, that is, not counting the dogs who just charge forward at full speed.)
Liz & Koa
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by Liz & Koa »

Yes, we can all learn so much by watching others.

I thought the TTouch was just about calming the dog? Is it, actually, training of some kind?

:)
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Mattie
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by Mattie »

There is some very good training with TTouch as well as calming, if a dog is at the other end of the lead and won't come towards you, try stroking the lead with your hands doing the stroking alternatively. It works :lol:
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Noobs
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by Noobs »

Mattie wrote:There is some very good training with TTouch as well as calming, if a dog is at the other end of the lead and won't come towards you, try stroking the lead with your hands doing the stroking alternatively. It works :lol:
Really?! Wow, I've gotta try that. But you do a lot of Reiki and all of that stuff (my MIL does as well but to people not animals) so you would probably pull it off better than I could.
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Mattie
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by Mattie »

Don't under estimate yourself Noobs, if you are not sure about it try it with someone holding the other end of the lead and pulling a little then swop places, you will see how it works then. :lol:
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RhysMom
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by RhysMom »

I have a question. I totally understand the want to use a harness, I think they should be used instead of collars, but I am training my dog to do canicross with me (he is to pull with the harness on). I am afraid it might confuse him to suddenly ask for the heel in a harness. He heels well now with his collar, unless he sees another dog or if a squirrel runs too close. We're working on distraction right now. Anyone have a solution? Opinion?
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Mattie
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by Mattie »

Try having 2 different harnesses, one for walking and one for working, dogs do pick up when they are to work and walk. A friend's dog is very good at tracking for lost dogs, she has the same harness for both walking and tracking and seems to know what she is to do. My friend's dog came from the same pound as my dogs came from so there is no history of her.
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emmabeth
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by emmabeth »

Yep - dogs can differentiate between pieces of equipment..

For years I had no fenced yard, and my dogs would be let out one at a time on a 30ft lead. They very very quickly learned taht this yellow 30ft lead was only ever used for toilet breaks in the yard and nothing else so remained calm when they saw it.

Pick up the black flat webbing training lead of a similar length, or any of the shorter leads and they would go mental for walkies time!

As long as there are some differences between teh two harnesses, you shouldnt have a problem. Be careful wtih colour differences as dogs dont see colour the same way we do (they do see some colour, but not like us).
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Wicket
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by Wicket »

I've been teaching my chi-poo loose lead walking but small animals seemed to always be a trouble. Sometimes she'd suddenly pull and yank herself off the ground, with the harness on. Instead of turning away from the squirrels and birds, I decided to run towards them, which scared them off and my chi-poo would run, heeling beside me.
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Mattie
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by Mattie »

This is a guide to start the loose lead walking Wicket, as you are finding out sometimes we have to go with the dog in order to train her, this is what dog training is about, being so flexible that we can change what we are doing. Well done for spotting what will work. :D

With the harness on she won't be hurt if she suddenly is in the air, if she was on a collar she could do a lot of damage to her neck or trachea, I can't even think about the damage done if she was on a headcollar.

You don't have as much time to react with a small dog that you do with a big dog, small dogs do improve our reflexes. :lol:
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Christie
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by Christie »

Mattie wrote:I use a trail/tracking type harness on my dogs. These go down each side of the neck instead of round the chest so it is more difficult to pull in them. also the strap round the body is futher back than most harnesses and they don't rub. 2 of my dogs rub easily but these harnesses have never rubbed them.

I also have a 6ft lead which I attach to the harness, with the dog on my left I hold the loop in the lead in my right hand, my left hand holds the lead nearer my dog but which lets them me on a loose lead, the lead between my hands is loose as well.

I say, close to my dogs and start to walk, if their head goes in front of my hip, I drop the lead in my left hand and turn and walk the other way. When the dog is getting close, again I say close. I don't get very far at first, usually just walk up and down the same piece of pavement but it doesn't take long when my dog starts to watch what I am doing and starts to walk next to me.

After about 5 or 10 minutes, depending on how they are doing, I like to finish on a good note with praising my dog, I stop the training. I do this daily until my dogs automatically walks close to me, normally about 7 to 10 days.

With this method if you forget to drop the lead in your left hand it does pull on the dog but not hard and because he has a harness on, it doesn't hurt him. If your timing is off and you let him get further forward than you want, it won't matter, just make sure next time your timing is better.

If I can teach a dog to walk on a loose lead anyone can. :lol:
Where do you get the trail/tracking Harnesses for dogs at?
RhysMom
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Re: Loose Lead walking

Post by RhysMom »

Christie wrote:Where do you get the trail/tracking Harnesses for dogs at?
The harness I use for Rhys to hike in I got from Brown Dog Design (http://www.weightpullharness.com/Walkin ... esses.html). They make weight pull harnesses too, but if you click on walking/running harnesses you can look at those. I use it for canicross, bikejoring, and hiking with him and he LOVES it. He goes mental when he sees the harness come out of his box.
If you like them, she makes them custom for your dog. She asks for weight, breed, and girth measurements I think.
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