I dread taking my dog on a walk...?

Question

She is an 8 month old boxer/hound mix. I know boxers are very active and need plenty of exercise. The problem is when I take her on walks, any person she see...ESPECIALLY little kids...she has to charge after them. She almost takes my arm off with her. She jumps on them and has to be all over them. She is basically an attention hog. I say no very sternly and i try to pull her away but that doesn't seem to get the point across. I have her in a harness and it helps but she is still very strong. What can I do to make her behave when we go on walks?

Answer 1

Invest in a haltie. Or a "gentle leader."

They're like harnesses, for horses, except especially made for dogs that pull.

You'll just have to take the time to get her used to it before taking her out on walks in public with it. Walk her around in controlled environments like the living room and the backyard with it first.

Worked like a charm on mine. :] He's extremely good on it now. And no, it isn't cruel; he's as happy as ever with it, because he knows it's his ticket outside. He'll sit and let me put it on, and then he'll stand up and go to the door and whine in anticipation until I get there.

Answer 2

I agree you should get a Haltie, my neighbor has a big boxer and it work great since she only outweighs him by 20 pounds.

It is not unusual for puppies to get overly excited about new people, dogs and places.  Avoiding them is not the way, she needs more, perhaps shorter trips, out of the house.

The battle may be lost before you even get the leash on and out the door.   Does she get very excited about the leash and pull you out the door?

Start here:   First and very important, you must stay calm and keep your voice quiet if you speak at all.  If you lose patience stop and calm down before you try again.

My dogs are getting better, but it used to take 20 to 30 minutes to get out the door because I would not proceed if they got excited.  Just getting the leashes out got the excited.  I had to desensitize them by getting them out and waiting for them to calm down.  Then try to get them to put there nose in the collar, more waiting.  Get to the door, more waiting.  Get out the door first with no pulling or pushing, lots of waiting, re-dos etc.

This requirement that she remain as calm and quiet as you must continue for the whole walk.  If she becomes excited/acts alert because of dogs or people, quickly reverse direction until she relaxes.  Ask new people to ignore the dog, and ask if they would be kind enough to wait until she calms down before you make introductions.  

Make sure that everyone in the family ignores her until she behaves politely.  This is especially important when the family comes home.  If you all pet her because she is happy to see you, you inadvertently encourage the wild greetings.