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Just wondering if u have any tips/help training Blaze not to pull on his lead or if any1 can recommend any collars halti's or harness's all he has atm is a leather collar and a flexi lead which isnt always extended somes times he has a tiny bit ov lenth or im tryin to keep him next 2 me so he only has the minimum he can have and he is only extended for 5/10 mins durin a walk fully so he has abit of freedom aswell any help is again greatly appreciated (also i have heard that harness's are not that great as it doesnt stop them pullin so if i cud hear about individuels experiences that wud be great)

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Hi BB

How old is Blaze?

I would agree with you that harnesses do not stop pulling, especially on a sibe! :)

A good way to teach loose leash walking is to change direction as soon as your dog walks in front of you. By changing direction, the dog then has to catch up to you, and they also learn that they cannot go where they want to by pulling. You then give them big rewards when they are walking without pulling. You can try training this on a flat collar, depending on the age of your Sibe - but I have found martingale/half chain collars useful for this type of training, as you can adjust them to sit nice and snug at the top of the dog's neck, right behind his ears. When he lags or just before you change direction (as he is in front of you) give him a quick check on the leash, it doesn't need to be a harsh correction just pull the leash across your body (not upwards).

It is important to get the timing very precise, turn quickly on your heel in the opposite direction as soon as the dog walks in front of you. As soon as he catches up give big praise and a high value treat (a toy if he is prey driven or some nice smelly/soft treat he doesn't often get). With time and consistency you will have a dog that walks nicely on the leash :D

Forgot to add - I use a nice leather leash when walking the dogs, 4ft is a good length. You don't want to use a long leash and you want to keep it is loose as possible - holding the leash rigid will transfer pressure to the dog and will decrease your chances of a good result.

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Hi BB

How old is Blaze?

I would agree with you that harnesses do not stop pulling, especially on a sibe! :)

A good way to teach loose leash walking is to change direction as soon as your dog walks in front of you. By changing direction, the dog then has to catch up to you, and they also learn that they cannot go where they want to by pulling. You then give them big rewards when they are walking without pulling. You can try training this on a flat collar, depending on the age of your Sibe - but I have found martingale/half chain collars useful for this type of training, as you can adjust them to sit nice and snug at the top of the dog's neck, right behind his ears. When he lags or just before you change direction (as he is in front of you) give him a quick check on the leash, it doesn't need to be a harsh correction just pull the leash across your body (not upwards).

It is important to get the timing very precise, turn quickly on your heel in the opposite direction as soon as the dog walks in front of you. As soon as he catches up give big praise and a high value treat (a toy if he is prey driven or some nice smelly/soft treat he doesn't often get). With time and consistency you will have a dog that walks nicely on the leash :D

Forgot to add - I use a nice leather leash when walking the dogs, 4ft is a good length. You don't want to use a long leash and you want to keep it is loose as possible - holding the leash rigid will transfer pressure to the dog and will decrease your chances of a good result.

great answer, added to rep

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i will try that thnx he is 16 weeks old

I'd probably try it without a correctional collar as he's still young at four months and you *should* be able to teach him a loose leash walk without a tool. If you have trouble, try the martingale, but give it a go on the flat collar first - I take my pups out to a big open space so I have lots of room to practice with them. If you have the yard space you can also try it at home in the backyard first to get him doing it a low distraction environment.

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ok thanks i have noticed 2day that when i say blaze here he will cum runnin at me unless hes got summin more intrestin to sniff so maybe thats a start thanks for the advice smeagle

No worries!

I try to have treats I only ever use for training. For my prey drive dog, it's a tug toy she loves that only ever comes out at training time, for my food drive dog (my sibe) it is high value treats that are soft and smelly, like chicken, sausage, luncheon roll, cheese etc that he only gets when we are training. This makes training more motivating for the dog :D

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he wasnt pulling as much 2day tried to keep my arm as relaxed as possible and that seemed 2 wrk much better am just wondering wot every1s take on getting him a anti-pull harness? i no alot of people said they didnt wrk so am just wondering what age did u start using it and do u think that if i start him using it asap he will learn from it or just increase his urge to run/pull? again any help wud be greatful

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I know Husky's have the urge to pull, but now is the time to train him not to as much as possible. I try to never use an anti-pull harness with a puppy as I prefer to try and get them out of the habit as they are yound enough to still learn. Obviously if it was an older dog that was pulling then i would possibly use the anti-pull harness, but in all fairness i have found them to be useless with our GSD - and the good old fashioned turn the other way when they pull/ go infront of you works far much easier and costs nothing - apart from your patience and time!

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do i say anything when he catches up so like if i say heel he nos hes gotta be by my side ive tried this and he just keeps walkin past me so do i give him the treat when he stops walkin past me or as i turn around have it so he can c it then when he gets there i say heel then give treat and praise? also if he hasnt learned by a certain age when shud i start using antipull harness? he is 4 months atm thanks for advice

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he wasnt pulling as much 2day tried to keep my arm as relaxed as possible and that seemed 2 wrk much better am just wondering wot every1s take on getting him a anti-pull harness? i no alot of people said they didnt wrk so am just wondering what age did u start using it and do u think that if i start him using it asap he will learn from it or just increase his urge to run/pull? again any help wud be greatful

Glad to hear you made some progress! :) At four months of age I would be inclined to not use any training tools, as he's still quite young. Remember a tool is just a tool, and no tool on its own will teach a dog not to pull - that has to come from you and what training you put in with him. Loose leash walking can take a bit of time and commitment to get consistency but it is much better to put the effort in now, than have the problem when he is bigger and stronger.

If you are desperate to use a tool, I would try something 'soft' like a martingale. You can get them with either half a chain or a material loop (like the Blackdog ones).

You can see my beagle Daisy wearing the full material martingale in this pic:

copyofpb23186111227425347.jpg

do i say anything when he catches up so like if i say heel he nos hes gotta be by my side ive tried this and he just keeps walkin past me so do i give him the treat when he stops walkin past me or as i turn around have it so he can c it then when he gets there i say heel then give treat and praise? also if he hasnt learned by a certain age when shud i start using antipull harness? he is 4 months atm thanks for advice

Yep, give him lots of praise when he catches up to you and isn't pulling - not just a treat but lots of excited verbal praise. Every time he walks in front of you change direction instantly. You might have to do it constantly the first few times but trust me they catch up, and the frustration builds when they realise they don't get anywhere as soon as they walk in front of you!

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