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pulling
5K views 27 replies 17 participants last post by  4x4bike ped  
#1 ·
Hello everyone. We are first time doberman owners. A 10 month old female (we have had her since she was 9 weeks old) We have a 3 years old Shetland papillon mix female as well. They, for the most part, get a long. The sheltie is the Boss.
As for our Doberman, her biggest issues is pulling. We have tried everything from chains to "easy walk harness" and it seems like nothing is working. No matter what she pulls! The only thing she does well on is bicycle with a "k-9".
Any suggestions?
Thanks. :)
 
#4 · (Edited)
Please do not bike with a 10 month old their growth plates in their legs can be damaged by running too early after 18 months their growth plates will be closed then they can run beside a bike or roller blades. As for pulling a pinch collar will keep them from pulling but you need to have a extra collar when using a pinch for they do sometimes come apart. I use a light weight nylon type choke for back up in case the pinch comes apart your Springer brand pinch that is German made is allot better then some of the others. You do not have to get the big heavy type pinch collars you see on Pit bulls or your bigger type dogs a light weight pinch will work just fine. The best and only way to make a pinch work is have it high behind the ears when it slides down on the thicker part of the neck it is not as effective. Since Doberman's are slick hair it is hard to keep the pinch on where it works best but it can be done has to be fairly tight but not so tight it will damage their neck. With a pinch you do not need to pull on it or yank on it it is not a choke chain and should not be used like a choke chain. The dog will correct itself by pulling will usually yelp because it pinched it self the dog will soon learn pull it get pinched. I usually just turn and go the opposite direction with out any comments to the dog if it gets pinched oh sorry you were not paying attention to me. It is entirely up to the dog if it wants pinched or not which it will soon learn if the pinch is up behind the ears. Good Luck.
I have used the light weight Springer pinch on my 110# Bouvier also my 92# Doberman I'm 65years old have disabilities so I do cheat when walking a big powerful dog.
 
#10 ·
Please don't bike with her.... In the long run you're creating damage to her body.
If she's breaking. Choke chain collar there is something very wrong happening. I've used choke chains on different dogs for 20+ years and have never had one break.

It sounds like you truly need an experienced trainer who can teach you both what you need to know.




T-Rex, I've used pinch collars and never had a dog freak out. Something isn't quite right there.
 
#6 ·
1 - as said, don't bike with a puppy. this puts too much stress on their body at too young an age. wait until she's 2 or so, then reintroduce the bike.

2 - find a trainer. seriously. basic obedience classes are always helpful, and you could use the insight of someone who's watching you walk with her and sees how you respond.

corrective collars CAN be useful, but they aren't always the right choice, and in some places local laws ban things like pinch collars. ask your local chapter of the DPCC who they recommend: Chapter Clubs | DPCC
 
#7 · (Edited)
It's not so much the speed at which you're biking, it's the repetitive stresses on the same joints and muscles on a hard surface. Hers are still reaching maturity--too much repetition can lead to problems on down the line--strains and tears of the tissues involved, arthritis on worn joints.....

When you are biking with her, it is a form of forced exercise, because she wants to keep up with you, and will run along beside you in order to do that, even when she needs to stop and take a rest, or even just sniff a tree and do other dog things.

Exercise at this point needs to leave the dog free to stop and start--to decide when to take a break and when to start running around again. Moderation and dog-led exercise are the key with a young dog. Using her brain will tire her out too. Fun obedience sessions, trick teaching, teaching her to track, or find objects--all of that is a form of exercise too.

Especially as it gets hot, you will need to keep a close eye on her--like I said, she will keep up with you as long as she can--and may overdo it. Dogs don't deal with excess heat during exercise as well as people do and she is closer to the hot pavement than you are. She could overheat easily. She can also burn or injure her pads on the hot, hard surfaces of many roads, so that is another thing to watch out for.
 
#11 ·
Prong collars can came apart--unhooked, so to speak. That is why you should use a regular collar hooked to the leash also when you use a prong. But they don't "break"--they can be rehooked back together when they come apart.

But all collars--chain, prongs, flat collars, even easy walkers (incidentally, you should not use the kind that go around the nose on a dobe--too much risk for torque on the neck and spine, which dobes have problems with anyway) need owner training to use properly. There are tricks to use to help keep a dog from pulling--a good trainer would help you immensely. That is where I would start.
 
#12 ·
Get a trainer... Correction collars can and are great tools but only when used properly. It's important to get proper training because improper use can not only be dangerous, but is way less effective

I second all the forced running comments... Definitely wait until the pup is fully physically developed before putting that much strain on the body.
 
#14 ·
What I've been doing with my 4 month old Dobie puppy is whenever he starts pulling I stop walking and hold the leash. he starts pulling again and I hold my ground. Eventually he sits or looks at me or turns around therefore loosening up the tension on the leash. I then continue the walk and repeat if he starts pulling again. Hope this helps :) my pup now only pulls when he's determined to get something or if he tries to walk ahead of me which he is immediately corrected for and is brought back to a heel position
 
#17 ·
Use a prong collar and make sure you use it right. Many novices do not. Not having it fit right is a common mistake. Only put it on the dog when you are working him.

I have never had a dog freak out for a prong correction but they do learn to stop pulling fast. It works. Those shoulder harnesses and such, I have never seen work.

Use a snap off lead for in the house and when you take him out use the prong. They will work.
 
#18 ·
I see you are in Montreal. There is a workshop for walking on the leash given by the canine education school "De Main de Maitre", I believe they are still taking registrations. It is about 40 bucks if I am not mistaken and will be on May 9th, Saturday morning. Could be a good opportunity to get you started and meet a trainer that could eventually help you further if the problem persists. If you are interested I will PM you more details :)

Additionally Animal Vert (pet grocery store that focuses on sustainable, environmentally friendly, holistic and local products) is having a promotion in combination with the class: if you bring in any old choke chain you will be given a free choice of a new collar. Also all participants to the workshop I believe will receive a rebate coupon of 15-20% if I am not mistaken so it could be a great opportunity.

Here is the school's website. It is in French but several of the trainers speak english as far as I remember.
 
#20 ·
I have an incredibly soft dog. You look at him sideways and he immediately appeases. You bump into him and he yelps. Not once did he make a peep when I tried a prong on him. He ended up shutting down as it is NOT a tool for soft dogs, but again, if your dog is screaming and freaking out, you are using it incorrectly. If that were my dog, I would have checked the prong for sharp edges, made sure it was fit correctly, and then if all that were right, brought to the vet immediately.
 
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#22 ·
Went to see the vet the other day for her 1 year check and the vet said she is in perfect condition. I also asked him about biking. And his response was " all exercise is positive. Biking including" again she doesn't bike for more than 15 at a time and not every day. He even asked if he could go biking with her.
 
#23 ·
I suppose biking to keep a year old dog in shape might be better than having a fat, unfit dog (from a vet's point of view having to deal with so many obese pets)--even in terms of joints, etc and future risk of arthritis. But there are other much better ways of keeping a young dog in shape and calming him down enough that he can focus on your training efforts.

Why take a risk? Flirt poles are great (if you don't encourage a lot of leaping in the air and massive amounts of twisting and turning); so are games like fetch or "go find". Again, mental exercise is a great way to tire out a young dog--even just simple focus training--you build a closer bond in addition to burning off some of that energy that can lead to destructive or unwanted behavior.

Do those things first, before walking the dog. You'll find his energy level during the walks will decrease to the point that you can have enough control over him to get through the over-excitement he is exhibiting now with his pulling, and do some training that he can focus on and learn from.
 
#28 · (Edited)
look into a holt head collar I use a size 3 you might want to try a 2 the 3 is on almost smallest setting pets mart has them. worked wonders for my boy and now that he understands how to walk on a leash we are working on transferring back to a normal collar
Absolutely! Try a face halter. My suggestion would be the HALTI brand, as it not only has a slightly pinching affect on the muzzle, but also has an optional piece that connects the actual halter to your dogs regular collaring in case it comes off. And as a commenter mentioned above, if your dog continues to pull with the face halter, stop using it.

The down side.... Some dogs never get get used to it.

Best 2nd choice: a chest halter with an attachment rig which fixes across the sternum. It can be used two ways. Most common is to run the leash outside of the legs This puts slight amount of pressure on the shoulder, which duplicates a method we used years ago by draping the leash over the shoulder. The other is to run it between the legs. It must be adjusted properly to work.

I ran into to a woman the other day in the bank. (I live in Portland, we can take our dogs just about anywhere.) She was a tiny person with a 100 lb.+ GS.
She was using both methods at the same time!

Personally, I have never seen any collar mitigate serious pulling when used on a seriously determined dog.

A final method, which I am surprised nobody has mentioned, is to train your dog to "heel". Its not that hard, and you don't always have to have a dog on heel, just when they won't respond to a "plea" to QUIT PULLING!

Good Luck
 
#26 ·
Harnesses which limit the dog's movement can help in training the dog to walk at your pace-- but not the head collar per se--it can twist the head into an unnatural position and put too much strain on the dog's neck if they pull, and dobes have a tendency to spine troubles anyway.

The kind of harness that works better attaches in the front, at the dog's chest. There you have to watch that they aren't always trotting sideways to relieve the pressure on their chest, because that puts a sideways strain on their knee joints, but you can at least switch the leash from side to side so the amount of time the dog spends walking sideways if he continues to pull a bit is balanced out.

But that should really be a training aid, not an permanent thing, to teach a dog that when he walks at your pace, he should feel no pressure anywhere and can move freely, within the area you give him.