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Loose leash walking - videos and articles

Hector

Well-Known Member
Here is a list of videos and articles that I thought would be helpful for those looking for more tips, techniques, or information on loose leash walking. I have read and watched everything here. I wanted to include a variety of tutorials showing different dogs, training collars, and methods. Obviously you don’t have to use the same collar shown in the videos to do the exercises or achieve the same results. This is be different for the reactive part. Every dog is different and it is the owner’s responsibility to learn how to use the training collar and determine what works and what doesn't for their dog. Just remember to practice, practice, practice, and keep calm and have a good attitude. Please keep controversial and heated comments to a minimum. If you want to argue on why gentle leaders are ineffective or how a prong is the way to go or how a harness will make pulling worse; then please start your own thread. If you can’t tell, I’m a huge fan of loose leash walking.

David Hogan – love his videos, lots of variety and simple to follow

Dog walking tips – he’s using a head collar also known as a halti or gentle leader (in my opinion this is a very good video and I have achieved the same results with my dog using a martingale collar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek5UJpERxWQ

Loose leash walking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRm2LM8AncQ

On leash tips and effective communication with dogs (emphasis on feedback)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqThyzqnM5U

Loose leash tips (front clip harness used on Bruno the lab)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld-Y4vaGJjU

Structured walk, using tug as a motivator and reward (martingale collar on a pitbull)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFXiF7drvyE

Calm Dog Walking ( gentle leader used on Great Dane )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLFFVM8UW8M

Walking training Great Danes (gentle leaders on the danes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8u6BwJDJs8

Loose leash training – decrease the pulling (regular collar on a cute fluffy dog)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXXX3dSyOx0

Leash training (gentle leader used on an Old English Sheepdog)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33D6t6-9EH4

Zak George

[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDk61XaJMpk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDk61XaJMpk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYXfRsHyDqM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBN2_YuTclU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkxzP4E-QrI

[video=youtube;7ZNj4M2uLqo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZNj4M2uLqo[/video]
[/URL]
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Gail Fisher – 3 parts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V3EwEoPF7Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uewGYgbeFtU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seiiv7IH8fk

Ahimsa Dog Training - Silky leash technique Part 1 & 2

[video=youtube;xZarFGdcj8s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZarFGdcj8s[/video]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MkG0XHKzLQ

SolidK9Training – structured walk (prong collar) – excellent video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv75lADEbRM

Prong collar on rescue dogs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_87561&feature=iv&src_vid=4z8scXDvod4&v=BzfzVl2dwWA

Articles
Whole Dog Journal - How to Teach Loose Leash Walking to Your Dog
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_10/features/Training-Loose-Leash-Walking_20624-1.html

Dr. Sophia Yin (her material has been a tremendous help and this was before I found David Hogan’s videos – Walk on a loose leash part 1 (lots of pictures)
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/walk-on-loose-leash-part-1-choose-the-right-walking-pace-and-make-it-clear

Part 2 – turns
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/teaching-dogs-to-walk-on-loose-leash-part-2-making-about-turns

Part 3 – U-turns
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/walk-on-loose-leash-part-3-u-turns

Incorporating the exercises
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/m...exercises-how-to-incorporate-them-into-a-walk
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Leash Reactivity - videos

David Hogan
Classical conditioning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBxAHDu-nQY

Excited greeter on the leash (warning very cute dog!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwsCRzMUOsE

Reactive dog part 1 - prep work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tusWcpsEihw

Desensitization and distance work – boxer part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXeSvoeorEI

Using the turn and reverse –boxer part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e_1uCQUYvE

Barking and lunging – flat coated retriever part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWEsn0rxj40

The “turning in” move – flat coated retriever part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49n-UZB5HJE

SolidK9Training – prong collar
Leash work with a shelter dog (slip lead and prong collar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-VJXhM0iJo

Lunging dog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV4086_EoAs

Out of control pack
[video=youtube;4z8scXDvod4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z8scXDvod4[/video]

First Class Dog Training – this guy uses obedience and a prong collar to help dogs build confidence and owners gain control. Even though there’s not much loose leash walking there is a lot of good information on how to control reactive dogs. I’m a fan of this guy’s videos.
Building confidence to stop aggression
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B13b4s1jX9I

Saving K9 Gasper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So5YNJ-xy_c

Training a rare breed – Puli breed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEMv4NiLeus

Using obedience to build confidence XXXXL K9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn3HSQ_vwRY

BAT (behavior adjustment training) – just a few videos
BAT - What is it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMc-zyNfRO0

German shepherd and prey drive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snKNGkAi64U

Akita
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LllNXrmfkl8

Using BAT on dog aggression
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwf53xwyndw

What end results look like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t593WqLBotk

Articles
BAT steps for reactivity
http://functionalrewards.com/more/bat-steps-for-reactivity/

Dr. Sophia Yin
Reactive Dog – moving past distractions
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/reactive-dog-moving-past-distractions

Foundation exercises for the reactive dog
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/reactive-dog-foundation-exercises-for-your-leash-reactive-dog

Website
Gentle leader - You have to scroll through this site to watch the videos on how to use the collar, and how to use it for loose leash walking, and for leash reactivity. There are also a couple of videos on the site on how to use the easy walk harness.
http://abrionline.org/videos.php
 
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M & M

Well-Known Member
Hector holy lots O Info but watched the prong collar slip knot leash one so far & that damn pitty is Lily..... She sits & waits to have leash put on her & she sits at door till I say come but outside jumping, grabbing the leash & nipping redirect redirect redirect sit sit sit, oh look a leaf is blowing blah blah blah.....The boyz, I ended up buying the front lead harness & that worked for them.... Going to watch a few more video's see which way I want to fix this... This has to stop, she's a big girl with a whole lot of attitude right now.... Which is unacceptable, don't know how or when it happened but I'm taking back control...... I still love her to death, she cracks me up & is a very loving EM...... Three steps forward five back but every dog is different & you can teach an old broad new tricks LOL live & learn......
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Hector holy lots O Info but watched the prong collar slip knot leash one so far & that damn pitty is Lily..... She sits & waits to have leash put on her & she sits at door till I say come but outside jumping, grabbing the leash & nipping redirect redirect redirect sit sit sit, oh look a leaf is blowing blah blah blah.....The boyz, I ended up buying the front lead harness & that worked for them.... Going to watch a few more video's see which way I want to fix this... This has to stop, she's a big girl with a whole lot of attitude right now.... Which is unacceptable, don't know how or when it happened but I'm taking back control...... I still love her to death, she cracks me up & is a very loving EM...... Three steps forward five back but every dog is different & you can teach an old broad new tricks LOL live & learn......

The hard part is to be more interesting than whatever is distracting your dog. I really like David Hogan's videos.
 
I have watched almost every video in these posts and I love all of them. They are all encouraging but I am feeling very discouraged. If you were to see Cooper you would think that he is the easiest dog to train. He is very treat motivated. He does a fantastic job training in the backyard and in the house. He knows a ton of commands! The absolute moment I set foot out the front door, he stops to first pee on my plant right out the door and then no amount of treats will keep this guy from pulling to the next post to mark, or whatever else catches his attention. I have been working with him between 5 and 20 minutes a day on training and heeling and even doing the whole walk and turn the opposite direction if he pulls thing, and the stopping thing. I stop, and yeah he stops and looks back but does not come back to me or get the leash loose..he just waits like he is waiting for me t go and then resumes pulling. I am having a hard time NOT getting frustrated. On a positive note, and I truly sincerely hope this works, hubby is buying a prong collar tonight. I have watched many of the videos and I do understand how to properly fit it from the Leerburg website and the hand pop and loose leash. I am going to try it on him tonight and I really hope it works. Because I want him to be able to go on walks. We are a very active family and I want to be able to take him camping and not have him be out of control. I will keep watching videos until I get the collar to make sure I am doing it right. I am so glad you all are here to keep the positive and suggest new things. For the record, Cooper is a Dogue De Bordeaux and he is probably at 100 lbs or so...he is around 11 months old. He also has the AWFUL habit of grabbing onto the neck of our lab anytime she wants to go play fetch or run around. She has kept going with him attached to her! No amount of no's etc gets him to stop this. I don't know where this habit surfaced but I now believe that may have been one of the main reasons he was put up for adoption on CL in the first place. The previous owners had a large male American bulldog who didn't tolerate his "necking." OUr lab gets tired of it and she snaps at him and he will stop for a moment but get back at it. Any tips for that would be appreciated too!
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
I have watched almost every video in these posts and I love all of them. They are all encouraging but I am feeling very discouraged. If you were to see Cooper you would think that he is the easiest dog to train. He is very treat motivated. He does a fantastic job training in the backyard and in the house. He knows a ton of commands! The absolute moment I set foot out the front door, he stops to first pee on my plant right out the door and then no amount of treats will keep this guy from pulling to the next post to mark, or whatever else catches his attention. I have been working with him between 5 and 20 minutes a day on training and heeling and even doing the whole walk and turn the opposite direction if he pulls thing, and the stopping thing. I stop, and yeah he stops and looks back but does not come back to me or get the leash loose..he just waits like he is waiting for me t go and then resumes pulling. I am having a hard time NOT getting frustrated. On a positive note, and I truly sincerely hope this works, hubby is buying a prong collar tonight. I have watched many of the videos and I do understand how to properly fit it from the Leerburg website and the hand pop and loose leash. I am going to try it on him tonight and I really hope it works. Because I want him to be able to go on walks. We are a very active family and I want to be able to take him camping and not have him be out of control. I will keep watching videos until I get the collar to make sure I am doing it right. I am so glad you all are here to keep the positive and suggest new things. For the record, Cooper is a Dogue De Bordeaux and he is probably at 100 lbs or so...he is around 11 months old. He also has the AWFUL habit of grabbing onto the neck of our lab anytime she wants to go play fetch or run around. She has kept going with him attached to her! No amount of no's etc gets him to stop this. I don't know where this habit surfaced but I now believe that may have been one of the main reasons he was put up for adoption on CL in the first place. The previous owners had a large male American bulldog who didn't tolerate his "necking." OUr lab gets tired of it and she snaps at him and he will stop for a moment but get back at it. Any tips for that would be appreciated too!

Yes, I can relate to a dog that is obsessed with marking. I have one! It's frustrating to walk him BUT keep at it. A prong collar might "snap" him out of it and get him to refocus on you. The prong collar didn't work on my shepherd. He's not a very good walker so what I do once we hit the sidewalk is do a rebounding (recalling him back to me) exercise. This worked well with Buddy because he likes being recalled. I let him go at his pace and I will stop and call him right before he hits the end of the leash (I try my best, but at times he will hit the end of the leash) and he comes right back and I treat him and we turn 360 and do it again if he insists on pulling ahead. Sometimes I don't treat. I keep everything at a fast pace because he is very high strung. Once he comes back, we move right away. This usually takes 15 reps before he understands to heel and not pull ahead. I have to do this every time we go on a walk. He also pulls very hard towards bushes or posts. I would keep doing the rebounding exercise close with a post in sight. I keep doing it until he gives up and heels. At that point we are able to walk by the triggers without his urge overtaking his manners. If he wants to try again, then the same process is repeated. The key is not letting them WIN and that's not always easy. I have to admit, I give in sometimes.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
The absolute moment I set foot out the front door, he stops to first pee on my plant right out the door and then no amount of treats will keep this guy from pulling to the next post to mark, or whatever else catches his attention.

I would remove the plant. Keep working with him until he can focus on you before you move on. Keep your movements fast and exciting. Reward at a high rate. Do exercises like walk 1 step, sit, treat, walk 2 steps, sit, treat, walk 1 step, sit, treat and then do a turn and walk the opposite direction. Sometimes you have to keep talking to your dog to keep his attention. This works well with Buddy because he's a mentally 100 miles an hour.

I have been working with him between 5 and 20 minutes a day on training and heeling and even doing the whole walk and turn the opposite direction if he pulls thing, and the stopping thing. I stop, and yeah he stops and looks back but does not come back to me or get the leash loose..he just waits like he is waiting for me t go and then resumes pulling.

When you stop make sure to call him back to you. Be happy and say "Cooper!" and as he is coming towards you, you can either turn around and pick up your pace so he becomes the follower or you can have him sit in front of you and then you take 1 step back and he comes and sits and do it again or you can walk backwards yourself as he is coming towards you. Just be careful not to get run over or trip. You can also train a "go sniff" command as a release from the heel. Here is a video

Dog Training Tip- Leash Walking: Go Sniff and Marking - YouTube


For the record, Cooper is a Dogue De Bordeaux and he is probably at 100 lbs or so...he is around 11 months old. He also has the AWFUL habit of grabbing onto the neck of our lab anytime she wants to go play fetch or run around. She has kept going with him attached to her! No amount of no's etc gets him to stop this. I don't know where this habit surfaced but I now believe that may have been one of the main reasons he was put up for adoption on CL in the first place. The previous owners had a large male American bulldog who didn't tolerate his "necking." OUr lab gets tired of it and she snaps at him and he will stop for a moment but get back at it. Any tips for that would be appreciated too!

Once you get the prong collar, I would use that to correct him and let him know that behavior is unacceptable. If he is responsive to a verbal command, I would use that first. If he decides to blow it off, I would say NO again and block him from getting to the lab and send him away. When the old female comes running to me for help from Hector, I say "LEAVE HER ALONE" and it usually works. I'm guessing this is some sort of prey drive, but I could be wrong. Does Cooper like to play tug or with a flirt pole?
 
Hector,Thank you so much for your replies and tips. I really appreciate the input because sometimes I feel so "on my own" with this whole situation and I am trying to do right by Cooper and also have him be a part of the family. I do think walking him and being able to take him on a walk and out in the public is important because otherwise we cannot take him anywhere or do anything with him. Unfortunately, the store did not have his size in prong collar last night :( . So, I now have to order online, which is ok, because I was going to spend the little extra and buy the Herm Sprenger one. I continued to work with Cooper yesterday in the backyard and he is starting to do really well keeping up with me. I do move fast so he doesn't get distracted or start to pull. So we do a TON of turns. And he knows the command "turn" so it is really good. I do not think that I am going to try to take him back out front until have the prong. Because he knows his commands, and he does great in the backyard but I am not going to get injured again taking him out into the front. As far as tug of war, we do not play that because I thought in my reading/research that that game promoted aggressive behavior or could cause it? I could be wrong, and I apologize if I am, so I just don't do that. With the whole grabbing the neck thing, unless he is on a leash, he does not listen to not do the neck. He will not play fetch but he doesn't want her to have fun either. I will definitely use the prong as a training tool for the neck thing as well. Thank you again for taking the time respond. It gives me hope.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Hector,Thank you so much for your replies and tips. I really appreciate the input because sometimes I feel so "on my own" with this whole situation and I am trying to do right by Cooper and also have him be a part of the family. I do think walking him and being able to take him on a walk and out in the public is important because otherwise we cannot take him anywhere or do anything with him. Unfortunately, the store did not have his size in prong collar last night :( . So, I now have to order online, which is ok, because I was going to spend the little extra and buy the Herm Sprenger one. I continued to work with Cooper yesterday in the backyard and he is starting to do really well keeping up with me. I do move fast so he doesn't get distracted or start to pull. So we do a TON of turns. And he knows the command "turn" so it is really good. I do not think that I am going to try to take him back out front until have the prong. Because he knows his commands, and he does great in the backyard but I am not going to get injured again taking him out into the front. As far as tug of war, we do not play that because I thought in my reading/research that that game promoted aggressive behavior or could cause it? I could be wrong, and I apologize if I am, so I just don't do that. With the whole grabbing the neck thing, unless he is on a leash, he does not listen to not do the neck. He will not play fetch but he doesn't want her to have fun either. I will definitely use the prong as a training tool for the neck thing as well. Thank you again for taking the time respond. It gives me hope.

You're very welcome and I'm glad you're not giving up! I hope you find something that works. I understand how frustrating it is when dogs pull. I've been there when i volunteered at the shelter. I didn't know such methods existed or there was such a way to teach dogs to walk nicely. I accepted the pulling because I knew they had no outlet. Now that I have dogs of my own, it's not cute anymore. The key to loose leash walking is figuring out what works for you and your dog. For my belgian, a fast pace and a high pitched voice works very well because he has high prey drive and is easily excitable. For Hector, high pitched voice doesn't really work. To get him excited, I'd have to start running. Hector is more low key and focused, so he enjoys focus exercises.

I like to play tug with my dogs although I don't have much luck engaging them. It is a game with structure. You start it and end it. A great time to practice "tug it", "drop it" or "out" or "release", "leave it" commands. It teaches the dog impulse control and certain dogs enjoy it enough that it is used as a reward.

Some videos on tug. The list goes on and on, but you get the point. Keep the updates coming!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QEJDE2WjPA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyKGbJQ-ldc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSB4DXDWOWs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhN6pV2ZgaQ

[video=youtube;fStkepYzbJw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fStkepYzbJw[/video]
 

Gia

Active Member
Great links. I was trying to train without treats and our walks have been more of a workout for me than her. I am going to have to try a new method tomorrow. Wish me luck:)
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Great links. I was trying to train without treats and our walks have been more of a workout for me than her. I am going to have to try a new method tomorrow. Wish me luck:)

Good luck and let us know how it went!
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
No luck as of yet still getting pulled smh


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What method(s) are you using? How long is the leash? Sometimes I find it easier to give them a longer leash and then slowly shorten it as you progress on the walk as they are given the chance to burn off excited energy.
 

Gia

Active Member
What method(s) are you using? How long is the leash? Sometimes I find it easier to give them a longer leash and then slowly shorten it as you progress on the walk as they are given the chance to burn off excited energy.

The one when you give them full leash and slightly tug when she begins pulling.i think the leash is 5ft


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