| Loose leash
Java was pulling on her lead from day one (close to 4 mos). That is, until I took her to obedience class and the first thing the trainer did was put a training collar on her. It only took two corrections (and an initial indignant yelp) for her to get the idea that maybe she wasn't in charge after all.
Even at 10 mos, her posture and attitude change slightly when the collar is on her. I only use it when we are walking, and she is much better about maintaining a loose leash. I rarely need to pop the leash, even during obedience classes (and this is generally during a 'leave it' exercise). It only takes the rare pop on the lead to correct her. Part of this is just maturity. Her attention span is better, she is more focused on the task at hand and eager to please. She has also become my 'velcro dog' - she doesn't want to stray too far when we're together and/or she is on leash.
Word of warning, though - don't be surprised if people who see your dog with a training collar on give you wide berth on the sidewalk or even cross the street. They assume the training collar is there to keep a vicious dog in line. I have had this happen on a few occasions - funny thing is, both times Java was walking nicely at my side not even giving the other dog notice. The first time this happened she was 5 mos, ears taped and all oversized paws - hardly a Kujo!
If you don't currently have your dog in obedience class, you may want to consider a few private sessions with a trainer. If you can find one who has experience with Dobes, even better.
Good luck! |