That dog won't heel

[sine]

Owed a pet care biz in metro D.C. We had a number of clients who had retriever pups. Every single male retriever pup became a problem when they turned 9....months old and persisted until about 14-18 months old. Trainers were not very effective. Gentle leaders or slip/choke collars did not work.

The single best solution which I learned from my brother in law was.....

Do this on the lawn. Use a standard lead/collar. Take the lead from the collar down the spine and then loop the lead around the torso in front of the hips. As the lead loops back up, tuck the lead back under the lead at the top of the hip and up into your hands. This will shorten the standard length lead just so that your hands are down at your side (when using both hands to hold the lead) with minimal slack. Now you have to pay attention as the pup will squirm and roll around at first (why you do this on the lawn) and the lead will tighten around the torso as this happens. You need to let the lead tighten some but not too much during this commotion. Pups learn quickly that if they walk straight there is no pressure.

During your walk remove the lead every once in a while from your pups hips so that they can sniff around and take care of biz. Standard verbal commands apply.

Do this and no one will holler at you for using a prong or shock collar. After about 14-18 months you will have a wonderful walking partner.

[sine]

Video

[Cookietruck]

I would beat you for a week if I saw that happen. xxoo

with the slip chain and this method, it's not really a painful type of correction. when the walker/trainer drops slack into the leash by letting go with the hand closer to the dog, they can then pull it taught and get a slight pop sound on their neck and right at their ear. Even more surprising for the dog with this method, when the trainer drops the leash they can pop the leash and also turn and walk in the other direction...once the dog turns and catches up, stop, the dog should sit, "watch me"...praise, then turn back around and keep walking.
the dog learns very quickly they need to pay attention to their walker (leader)..

"watch me" is a good command for walking if they start to focus their attention on other things.

[Too Tall]

with the slip chain and this method, it's not really a painful type of correction. when the walker/trainer drops slack into the leash by letting go with the hand closer to the dog, they can then pull it taught and get a slight pop sound on their neck and right at their ear. Even more surprising for the dog with this method, when the trainer drops the leash they can pop the leash and also turn and walk in the other direction...once the dog turns and catches up, stop, the dog should sit, "watch me"...praise, then turn back around and keep walking.
the dog learns very quickly they need to pay attention to their walker (leader)..

"watch me" is a good command for walking if they start to focus their attention on other things.

Good to know. I was being a bit reactive.

[Cookietruck]

Good to know. I was being a bit reactive.

no worries, i could absolutely sense the humor on your post. just wanted to explain it a little better in case anyone in the thread might be looking for a method their dog might be receptive to.

[vertical_doug]

[mg2ride]

I don’t get all the current hate for cinch/choke collars. They are the BEST training tool. When training with them they need to be high on the head resting right behind the ears. This puts it right on the neck/throat where it is immediately effective and not down the neck near the front legs where it is pretty much chest.

Dogs are not stupid and will not choke themselves. As soon as they fell the direct pressure on their throat they will heel. I prefer the traditional chain cinch collars because of the noise they make as they go from loose to tight.

For those who think this method of training is cruel, do not ever watch the Westminster dog show. This is how every dog in shows is trained and walked.

"You got to be cruel to be kind in the right measure"

[mnoble485]

This is a timely topic as Grace, our new 4 month old golden, is all puppy. She’s as stubborn as a mule right now. Our big problem is her chewing on anything and everything. House trained in record time and sleeps in her crate like a baby but boy is she a live wire.

Mike

[Chad]

This is a timely topic as Grace, our new 4 month old golden, is all puppy. She’s as stubborn as a mule right now. Our big problem is her chewing on anything and everything. House trained in record time and sleeps in her crate like a baby but boy is she a live wire.

Mike

Mike, if you have the crate and potty training down at 4 months, you better just count your blessings!

When we have puppies we try our best to make sure the only thing on the floor is a chew toy. Nothing else. If you catch them chewing on something you don't want chewed, scold and give them what they can chew. Make sure there is always lots of what they can chew available.

Enjoy! Puppies rock, so much fun.

[djg21]

Goldens are landsharks at 4 mos. Everything in reach will find its way into their mouths. That is how they explore the world. I never worried about hand-fetch. All of my Goldens did it. I never consistently discouraged it, and they all grew out of it. If you’re concerned, substitute a good chew toy for your hand or arm.

Do be careful with toys and objects that the dog may chew apart and/or swallow. You don’t want the dog to ingest anything that can lead to an intestinal obstruction. That means no raw hides (at least unsupervised), no toys that can be chewed apart and swallowed, no stuffed soft toys, no toys with squeakers that can be ripped out and swallowed, no rocks or stones in the mouth (this has been a big thing with my dogs), no ripped tennis balls (PetSmart sells some that are glued together in halves and my dogs have easily ripped them in parts). Puppy proof your home. Cords, coins, and anything else a puppy might chew or swallow need to be removed. Have fun. It goes by quickly.

[mnoble485]

Constant refrain:
Wife "You can't leave the remote there".
Me "Have you seen my other shoe?"

Nothing is safe, my hands look like I put them in the garbage disposal.

But she is cute.

Mike

[djg21]

Constant refrain:
Wife "You can't leave the remote there".
Me "Have you seen my other shoe?"

Nothing is safe, my hands look like I put them in the garbage disposal.

But she is cute.

Mike

They are fun.

My 1 1/2 year old has been entered in his first dock-diving competition. My LBS is “sponsoring” him and he’ll be in a club jersey.