Consistent good walking on leash

Share your favorite training tips, ideas and methods with other Positively members!

Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost

Post Reply
carrie_02
Posts: 37
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2016 9:03 pm

Consistent good walking on leash

Post by carrie_02 »

Hi all. I have an adopted adult Dachshund who I haven't really trained in the past (he's 5, I got him 2 years ago, and this is my first dog ever). I walk him every day but only in the past few months have I been training him to not pull on the leash. My basic method to train has been giving food for not pulling or darting around, and turning around if dog pulls. He's actually gotten quite good at this and I only give out a few pieces of food during the walk.
The problem is, like I said he doesn't pull much now and walks nicely on the leash, but I can't just walk naturally and normally. I've got to be really deliberate / obvious about what I'm doing. Examples of what I have to do: Like when I stop, I have to clear put my legs together and stomp so he knows I'm stopping. When I turn, I have to turn almost crashing into him so he knows I'm turning, or else he'll keep going the same direction. When going in or out doors, again, he'll wait to be allowed out, but only if I clearly point at him to sit, deliberately hold my hand out in a "stop sign" for a few seconds straight, and don't move too fast. All of this would be fine to have to do when training the dog, but this has been going on for a long time and no progress is being made. We are stuck at this- the dog does walk pretty well and wait at doors pretty well, but only if I make it way obvious what we're doing. How can I teach him to stay calm even when I'm moving more normally and naturally, at full speed and without exaggerating my moves?
Thanks!
User avatar
Nettle
Posts: 10753
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:40 pm

Re: Consistent good walking on leash

Post by Nettle »

What exactly are you finding so inconvenient? If you get down to dachsie level and see the world from your dog's height, you'll realise how much he needs information if you are going to change direction, stop or go. He can't read your mind.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
carrie_02
Posts: 37
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2016 9:03 pm

Re: Consistent good walking on leash

Post by carrie_02 »

Nettle wrote:What exactly are you finding so inconvenient? If you get down to dachsie level and see the world from your dog's height, you'll realise how much he needs information if you are going to change direction, stop or go. He can't read your mind.
Maybe I didn't make it obvious what i meant. My problem was that, without very exaggerated movements, and for example stomping when we're stopping (sometimes several times I have to stop the ground to get her to stop) makes me think she doesn't understand very well what we have to do. I think sometimes she finds some of the things I have to do, like walking almost bumping into her when turning, or stomping the ground hard to get her to stop, a little bit unsettling or scary, but I have to do them because if I don't she doesn't know what to do.
And I know I'll have to give her some signal when I'm making a change usually, because I'm not going to make her stare at me the whole walk, but I have seen lots of positive trainers whose dogs don't need such exagerated movements as she does, and even when she has those exagerated movements, sometimes she still pulls ahead and doesn't seem to know what I want until I try a few more times.
Erica
Posts: 2697
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:35 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: Consistent good walking on leash

Post by Erica »

For a normal walk, I would just start using verbal cues. Delta sometimes doesn't notice when I'm stopping, so I say "hold" and he will go "oh, we're stopping now." To introduce these, say your new cue, then give the old one that gets the behavior. Eg, "Doxie, halt!" (nice voice, not drill sergeant!) then stomp. Reward for stopping. The dog will start to make the connection that "Doxie, halt!" means "I'm going to ask you to stop." After a few days/a week of this, try waiting a second or so between verbal cue and old cue. If he stops in that time, big jackpot of a reward!

Some dogs will be watching their owner's every move to see what they're doing and pick up on the smallest cue (hello there, border collies!). Other breeds have different instincts, like scent tracking, or observing the world, that don't involve obsessive instruction-taking. ;) You work with the dog you have, and your dog needs more obvious signals than the herding/retrieving dogs who have decades or centuries of "pay attention to the human" bred into them. Dachshund were bred to work on their own, not take constant direction from a handler, so it would take a lot of work to get the same behavior out of them as the herding or retrieving dogs you likely see most trainers showing off with. There's a reason so many have border collies and labs and such - the breeds are bred to take instruction. Obviously you can train any dog with positive reinforcement, but some breeds will look better and make the trainer look better than other breeds. :)

I went to a heeling workshop for competitive dog sports. One of the things the instructor went over was that people in obedience have very subtle but intricate cues for telling their dog "I'm about to turn left" or "I'm about to slow down." Things like dragging their toe on the ground, or changing where they're placing their feet, become those tiny signals that their dogs can pick up on. This is almost trickier for the human to get good at than for the dog to start to understand, so I only say this to tell you - a lot of the time, the dog is trained to cues, but hours and hours of focused training have gone into making the cues subtle. It's a bit much for an average walk as I doubt you want to be doing a dance step every time you're turning left. ;) So instead, because no judge is docking points from you for talking, you can say "Doxie, left" so your pup knows what's up.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
mansbestfriend
Posts: 301
Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 7:35 am
Location: Queensland, Australia

Re: Consistent good walking on leash

Post by mansbestfriend »

Hi. Just wondering if your dog is deaf, or zoning out. If deaf, a light touch should get your dog's attention. A structured basic obedience class with Positive Reinforcement only, might help with bonding and communication, and training.

Walking my independent KelpieX is very stop/start, but that's her nature, and it's part of the fun of the outing. Sometimes we just sit in a nice quiet spot and watch the world go past. I'm sure stomping, bumping, and staring and pointing would make her quite anxious though.
Cheers. :)
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single Sit.
Post Reply