I finally feel like we're getting somewhere with it! Now Spen is nowhere near perfect and even his best "heel work" will never win at Crufts but he's doing so, so well. Yesterday we managed a 20 minute walk home from the phone shop on a loose leash. Today we managed that same walk mostly on a loose leash. The difference was that yesterday he was on his collar which is what we've been practising loose leash walking on and tonight he was on his harness coz I just wanted to get there and back without bothering with training. He had other ideas though and offered it several times on the way there and almost the entire walk home. Not at all bad considering most of that walk is along the edge of an over grown field so not exactly a boring walk for a dog.
On the footpath in front of the flat he's offering to walk next to me while off leash too. We run, we do turns, I throw the treat in one direction and run off in the opposite direction so he has to actually find heel again and we basically just have fun with it. Obviously I can't do this so much on the streets but I try to make it as fun as possible for him there too. And he does seem to be enjoying it to some extent. It's not the most fun behaviour in the world but it earns him rewards and praise so he does it with his usual grin.
It goes out the window if another dog is within a certain distance but with work I'm sure we'll get there.
Loose leash walking progress
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Re: Loose leash walking progress
Brilliant! 
You've put in so much work, and it's taken a long time, but you're seeing real results - particularly if you remember what he was like when he first arrived
I so often see people being dragged along by labs and i get the impression that they worked at it for all of a week and then just resorted to hanging on tightly...
You've put in so much work, and it's taken a long time, but you're seeing real results - particularly if you remember what he was like when he first arrived
I so often see people being dragged along by labs and i get the impression that they worked at it for all of a week and then just resorted to hanging on tightly...Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Re: Loose leash walking progress
Oh god he was hell when he first arrived! Broke my fingers, did my hubbys back in and spent entire walks just lunging at the end of the leash!JudyN wrote:Brilliant!
You've put in so much work, and it's taken a long time, but you're seeing real results - particularly if you remember what he was like when he first arrived
I seem to see more people being dragged along by Labs than any other breed oddly enough. Wonder whether it's a breed thing or whether it's coz people see them as an "easy" dog and just don't put the effort in. I've gotta say though, Spen's been a hell of a lot harder to teach leash manners to than any of my others!
Re: Loose leash walking progress
Love reading posts like this as my chow/retriever was the most *awful* puller when we first got her from the shelter. Anyone who puts in the hours of work it can take to get some dogs walking half decent gets my respect. Well done you!
Re: Loose leash walking progress
Thanksvicki wrote:Love reading posts like this as my chow/retriever was the most *awful* puller when we first got her from the shelter. Anyone who puts in the hours of work it can take to get some dogs walking half decent gets my respect. Well done you!
We're still working on it, he's finding it extremely difficult with the snow, he just wants to do zoomies 
