Walking my dog is pure h**l!?

Question

I am still trying to train my adopted dog, Daisy- a 55 lb AmStaff. Recently, I thought I had trained her to ignore dogs barking in their fence when we walk by, but yesterday and today she caused such a mess..... Today, my little dog's collar snapped off of her, and I couldn't get it back on until Daisy calmed down, which was never going to happen with a wolf-looking dog barking it's @$$ off at my dog. Last night, her pronged collar got tangled up so the leash was against her neck instead of the prongs. Today, she didn't care how hard I pulled on her leash, she kept lunging.... I was so embarrassed- both times the owners were out, and it took what seemed like eternity to get the collar and leashes fixed and get out!!!

Is there something wrong with expecting other dog owners to control their dogs in their own yard?!

Usually when Daisy starts barking at the dog on the other side of the fence, I turn her around and walk back. I have her sit, wait a few minutes, and we walk passed the dog again but this time she is calm and doesn't react.

What else can I try?! I have tried the gentle leader, (didn't work, and yes I followed the instructions) and now I'm using a pronged collar because she lunged at a cat 3 weeks ago, making me flip around and land on my back.

Answer 1

1 - walk only one dog at a time, do not EVER walk more than one dog if you do not have complete control of both of them

2 - use no longer than a 4 foot leash and teach your dog the heal command

3 - do NOT expose your dog to a situation she cannot handle, you are teaching her nothing

4 - only expose your dog to situations you know she can handle, and you know you can handle...if either one of you loses control of the situation, remove yourself from it and do NOT return until you have build your way back up slowly (over the course of days)

5 - if you have to, take her to a place where you can walk her that she CAN handle until you have better control (go to a different neighborhood if you have to)

If she constantly fails, she will never know what she has to do to succeed.

Answer 2

You are not using the prong properly.

It should never "get tangled with the leash against her neck instead of the prongs".  I don't even know what you mean by that, but I use prongs on a daily basis and it has never moved from where I put it on the dog's neck.

If you were using it correctly, she would NOT be pulling.  Contact a professional to show you how to place one on a dog, and how to correct with it.

Add:  I have an 80 lb Rottweiler that has lunged on a prong... she did not get it tangled, nor did she pull me down and I am not a big person.

Add: The matter-of-factness in your words is a very unattractive quality.  This is what I am saying:  You aren't using it correctly.  There shouldn't be enough space for the collar to get "tangled".  If you are correcting correctly, she would not be pulling.  Find a REAL professional, or find this dog an owner who can actually handle her.  You aren't doing her any good with the experiences you are subjecting her to now.

ADD:  Yes, my word is the word of God because I have brains, common sense, and a kick a$$ trainer.  Common sense keeps me from being wrong in this situation.  You asked a question, just because you don't like the answer (that you don't know how to handle that dog, and should find someone that can), doesn't mean that the answer changes, or that I am wrong.  And yes, being assertive and secure with myself is a GREAT quality to have.

Answer 3

there is a leash i forget the name but it  looks sort of like this

http://www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies/serv...

however the harness I am talking about has a buckle in front  in between her forefront legs.. this is where the leash connects to... it makes makes her unable to lunge because you have the control of her most powerful spot: the chest and front legs

i use this for my 80 pound german shepherd who wants to kill every animal within hearing distance and lunges crazily.. it works !! now when i walk her i can control her so that i dont get leash burns and i dont have to pull her by the neck so it hurts her.

there is another harness similar to the photo but the leash connects on the back which gives her the room to lunge powerfully this is the WRONG one

Answer 4

First don't walk both dogs at the same time.  You need to use this time to train the new dog to ignore distractions and to focus her energy on you.  Yes I know this is a pain but walking one distracted dog is hard enough.   Start out away from these distracting environments.  Expect the dog to keep her eyes and concentration on you.  Do this by walking quickly and with purpose.  At first you might have to do this exercise in the yard or around your house.  Do many turns during your training right turns, left turns, and about turns will teach your dog your focus on you.  Also change your pace fast and slow.  Your goal is to have your dog so focused on your movements that she will pay attention to nothing else.  When your dog is working perfectly in these less distracting environments, start adding small distractions.  This can include working in areas where there are dogs barking in the background by not 2 feet near your dog's ear.  Make sure that attention and focus is maintained in all situations.  Finally progress further.  Sounds like this dog would benefit from a rally or basic heeling class.  Also make sure that you are using good quality equipment on both dogs.  Equipment failures during walks can make things very bad for the dog and expensive for the owner.

You cannot expect other owners to have control of their dogs especially in a fenced yard.  You can only train your dog to deal in distracting situations.  Don't let the other dogs be a part of your failures, train your dog in spite of them.

Answer 5

Two People Answering:

Lauren: If your dog is distracted by other people or dogs on a walk try clapping loudly a few times to distract then make a sharp turn around. if that doesn't work, try pinching your dog slightly with your FULL HAND until it's distracted.

sydney:clapping could help also,try to distract her with treats.if that doesn't work,try a choker collar it does not hurt the dog it just gives them a small tug,or a pincher collar which is more affective.or try a bark collar which plays high frequency sound which bothers them if they bark,depend on the setting you wish is how high the sound is.again this will not hurt the dog.

P.S.- Don' give your dog long commands like "Stop That!" or "Get down!" dogs respond better to quick, stern, loud remarks like "Ah Ah!" or "No!"

Answer 6

I use the prong collar for my dog. Make sure you have it at the top of her neck behind her ears and make sure you have enough links removed so its not loose. When she starts lunging give her a good jerk and she should eventually learn. But then again there is that one dog who seems to not be fased by anything. If the prong collars doesnt work I dont know if the electric shock collars would or not.  I doubt it but it would be a different kind of stimultion and she might not like it...

Answer 7

My dog also use to lunge at other animals while walking and he pulled me on my a s s  quite a few times.  I hated taking him for walks, and I tried every kind of collar to no avail.  The gentle leader didn't work on my dog either so don't feel bad.  I ended up getting a gentle leader harness for him (he's a german shepherd/malamute mix).  It was amazing to me the difference in him when I put it on him the first time to take him for a walk.  I don't know if it was the feeling of the strap around his chest and under his legs or what but from the first time I put it on him, he walked beautiful with it.  He still does the occasional lunge at squirrels and other dogs, but with the harness on him when he does that he turns himself back toward me and away from the animal he's after.  You can control them much better with the harness.  I have been training him to stop, sit and lay down if we see someone with a dog or just a person approaching us and wait until they pass.  He has been doing really good at waiting quietly and letting them pass and then we go on with our walk.  On several occasions he has just stopped, sat, lay down and I'll notice a dog coming toward us.  It's been very helpful in walking my dog.  He really seems to respond better with the harness.  It might be worth a try.  Be sure you get a harness where the leash hook is in the front in the middle of his chest and not on the back.

Answer 8

I really feel for you, honestly. I adopted a 7 year old australian cattle dog last year. She is only a small built (about 17kgs) but she is all muscle and she threw me on the ground twice when she "launched" herself towards a fence because another dog was inside.

I had really given up on walking her and only my husband could do it. I was so embarassed. We tried the check collar, training, nothing. Then I signed her up for group walks in off leash areas and she is a changed dog. She is sociable and gets on with everybody. Maybe I'm avoiding the problem but now I only ever take her to off leash areas as being on leash seems to be the problem. I've heard positive feedback about that harness though. Good luck.

Answer 9

WOW... you seem like you are going through h**l...LOL..well..My little maltese is the EXACT same way believe it or not.  One of the first things I've learned about dogs is that if they don't get enough exercise then they will react like that about other dogs.  They will focus all their energy on other dogs and other animals because they have so much pinned up.  Dogs need ALOT of exercise..and this could be your problem.  Try taking her to a secluded area like a park and letting her run like crazy sometimes.  Also..try running with her or jogging with her to keep her focusing on how to keep up with you instead on any animals.  If that doesn't work..then..maybe your should try a trainer.  good luck...

Answer 10

I use a prong collar when I walk my Aussie mix and she's a joy to walk with it.  She used to be a nightmare.  However, before I started using a prong collar, I had a trainer show me the correct way to use it on her, and I think that's what you need to do.   You need to find a trainer who charges by the lesson and not by a set number of lessons.  I I had one so I know that they are out there.  Sometimes you just have to look really hard.

I'm also adding a link about prong collars.  It is possible that you are doing something wrong by using too many links or not enough links.

Good luck.  Don't give up :-)