jax39 Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Bit of a long one! I walk a young female lab once a day for half an hour. Doesnt sound much I know, but she pulls me the whole time, and I ache afterwards!! If she picks up a scent of something, she very nearly has me over, shes extremely strong, and Im not!! Is there anything I could do in such a short amount of time to try and improve this? Ive also decided to stop giving her off lead runs on the nearby park, as she has no recall at all, and was today jumping up at a pregnant lady, almost knocked over a small child (in enthusiasm I must point out) but has total deafness when it comes to commands! Im assuming she hasnt had an awful lot of training. She is a very enthusiastic dog and just wants to say hello to everyone, but this always means a big jump up, which is not good! I dont really want to spend money on harnesses etc, as shes not mine, but I would like to be able to make our walks a bit more enjoyable, rather than stressful! I love seeing her, shes such a sweetheart, but Im no longer looking forward to walking her! Any advice would be fab, thankyou! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fee Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 (edited) Could you use a headcollar with her? It would give you much more control and save your shoulders being pulled out of joint. I can understand you don't want to spend a fortune when she's not your dog, would the owners not buy a halti or similar for her? Or maybe someone here who has one they could loan so you can see if it helps. You could still work on the training as well, but it would make your walks less of an ordeal in the meantime. Edited August 13, 2008 by Fee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Try popping her lead under one armpit in the meantime, it can stop them pulling so much. Quickly turning and walking in the opposite direction and rewarding with food when they come back to position works too and doesn't take too long for them to catch on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jax39 Posted August 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 maybe Ill see if i can borrow a harness or head collar? dont know how id get on with the walking away/turning around part, as im afraid shes much stronger than me! But ill give it a go!! Also not keen on mentioning it to the owners, as this is what Im paid to do, and they might see it as Im failing to do my job properly?? Thankyou for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redditchlady Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Gentle Leader Look it up on 'tinternet. They work wonders. Ok not solving the problem on why she pulls, but short term it will help to keep your shoulders wholesale. Hope that helps Kazz xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spins4me Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 maybe Ill see if i can borrow a harness or head collar? dont know how id get on with the walking away/turning around part, as im afraid shes much stronger than me! But ill give it a go!! Also not keen on mentioning it to the owners, as this is what Im paid to do, and they might see it as Im failing to do my job properly?? Thankyou for the advice. I had the same problem with my big bouncy Spinone boy - he was wrecking my hands - broken and dislocated fingers. A Dogmatic solved the problem. http://www.dogmatic.org.uk/ I can lend you one to try. PM me and let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 maybe Ill see if i can borrow a harness or head collar? dont know how id get on with the walking away/turning around part, as im afraid shes much stronger than me! But ill give it a go!! Also not keen on mentioning it to the owners, as this is what Im paid to do, and they might see it as Im failing to do my job properly?? Thankyou for the advice. Are they paying you to walk the dog or train and walk the dog? If it's just walking, then it's not your responsibility to train the dog not to pull and you shouldn't worry about telling them, nor it reflecting on you - and you could let them know that your walks would be much more pleasant for both of you if they would pay for a harness/headcollar? Also if you are training her, either by arrangement or not, it would be good to let them know so that they are happy about the method and so they can continue with it when they are walking her? If you are meant to be training the dog too, then presumably they already know she pulls and are paying you for the training element as well? In which case ignore the above I prefer harnesses to head collars as I have had dogs that just will not accept the head collar but are very happy to wear the harness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 The figure of 8 head collar that TRPD sell is also extremely good for a pulling dog - and is about the only thing that works and worked almost instantly with my MIL's dog who pulls like a ruddy steam train (or rather pulls like a steam train when shes not got the figure 8 on ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jax39 Posted August 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 Thanks again for all help and advice! Im only paid to walk her. Anyway, today I used a gentle leader, and it was like I was walking a different dog! It was marvellous, no pulling! She didnt like it though, so Im hoping she will get used to it in time. If not, I have a whole selection of harnesses/collars etc lent to me, so may try other things if she does find the leader distressing. But so far so good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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