My Retriever (8 months) used to be a really good little walker but in the last few weeks he is out of control. He pulls constantly on walks - if he sees another person, dog, squirrel, bird he just tries to take off - and he is getting so big he has nearly pulled me over several times.

I did puppy classes when he was really small but he found all the other dogs distracting and I got on better with him one to one over the park. But now he has regressed and I feel I need help. Ive persevered this week with shorter walks, confined to the park, not the street and had a little success re teaching the "heel" command but he still pulls like crazy if he spots something

Should I retry the puppy classes? Any tips for getting him back under control?

Have you tried having him on a harness to stop the pulling? i think that they can be quite effective.

I tried all kinds of training tips for getting my German Shepherd to walk on a lead including obedience training but nothing seemed to work.

Someone on the GSD forum i use recommended the Gencon Head harness, I think I paid around £17 from Ebay...the best £17 I have spent!!! It is actually a pleasure to walk her now. The only downside is that it doesn't really teach them not to pull so much as stop them.

Definately worth a look though, I had a nasty accident after my baby bear pulled me across a slippery wooden floor and twisted my knee. 40kgs of dog is hardwork when she pulls!!

She is a gorgeous poochie though

My dog pulls a lot but the most effective thing I find for her is when she starts pulling I turn around and walk in the other direction....

I tried a few harnesses and found the best one for my dog is a koko pleasure walker (think thats the name) it goes rond the front legs and pulls the dog upwards if they pull. Tilly will still pull if she sees something she wants to get to but it is 90% better.

Yep, we do this in dog training. We also get them to walk close by holding a treat in our hand out of dogs reach so they focus on that rather than other distractions. Butgetting them to walk to heel is hard and you're in for the long haul OP. I still struggle now with my 15mth old dog (also a retriever), but after 10 mins of walking she's calmed down and doesn't pull. She's still "puppy headed" where everything is exciting when out!

Thanks all. I was unsure about a harness as its almost as if Ive "given up" trying to teach him to walk properly if I go down that route - but I guess its better that than being pulled over.

Ive been trying the "holding the treat just out of reach" trick for the heel command, but my main problem is, when he's out, even the tastiest treats holds NO interest. He is so distracted by "stuff" he wont touch anything to eat. He's fed predominately on dry food with the odd meat topper so things like sausages, liver, chicken chunks, cheese should hold an attraction for him - and they do at home - I can get him to do just about anything for a sausage piece indoors - but outside - not interested. He actually responds to non food "treats" like loads of fuss and praise more when Im out - but again, its only if there isnt another person or a squirrel within 100yds!

Have you tried a clicker or dog whistle? A noise might break hs focus (being what ever he's seen) and if it's associated with food, even better.

Maybe reserve. Certain treat or heeling, his favourite so he only gets it when he's out and responds to the command.

I use something called a 'haltie' on my 7 month old lab. It goes on like a muzzle but they can still open there mouth. When he pulls, it tightens round his mouth & he stops pulling. He didn't like it on at first but got used to it.

Great wee thing, about a tenner from Pets at Home. Can walk with slack on the lead no problem

Just wondering if he's getting enough excersise to run off his energy. Sometimes a good run before walking a dog like a retreiver could be an answer but where and how is the question.

I used to watch Ceaser Milan (the dog whisperer)on tv and he was brilliant with dog issues.
Maybe you could google him!

When I walk a Norfolk Terrier in the summer who likes to pull, he wears a harness and that works well but he still pulls. He is an enthusiastic little hair ball.

Cesar Milan is not considered a good dog trainer by most uk based trainers. His dominance based theories and confrontational style are not recommmended practice by any of the main uk pet behavior or training bodies such as the abpt. While his methods seem to offer a quick fix on the (heavily edited) tv show they can often lead to problems in the long run. Here is a great article debunking most of his theories

http://drsophiayin.com/philosophy/dominance/


For the OP: Lots of dogs get worse in their behaviour when they get to the teenage stage. You might need to take his loose lead training back to basics and treat him like a puppy again. Walk forward whe the lead is loose and stand still when he is pulling - it has to be consistent though.

For times when you just need to get from A to B use a head collar or halti type harness which will give you more control. Try to practice the loose lead walking on the collar though or you will be stuck with the harness.

My dog pulls like stink. We've been to classes and tried everything, nothing worked! She doesn't pull if you use a halti, but she doesn't like it. I know it's not fashionable at all, but now I use a choke chain and it works and she enjoys her walks.

I believe they're ok if used properly. I had one for my golden retriever and used it for all 13 years of her life and never had a problem with it.