Dog Training Question...

I trained my childhood dog for showing, so walking on a leash was something we worked on a lot. The best way is to get a soft slip (choke) collar, one that tightens when they pull against the leash. I'm not suggesting one with spikes inside or anything extreme, just a soft fabric one that will hang loos when the dog isn't pulling, but get tight when the dog pulls against it. At the start, the dog might pull against it until they're gasping, but don't worry. Your dog won't strangle themselves and a short jerk on the leash with a command to wait or stop or slow down will be quickly learned. You can also put the collar under the dogs jaw, so the top part rests on the top of the dogs head and the leash can be held vertically above the dogs head. If you walk like this, with the leash pulled snug, but not choking, the dog can't pull (no wiggle room) and you can teach them to follow the softer motions of the leash when walking and turning and stopping instead of having to pull or jerk the leash to get their attention. This takes work, like every day at every walk, but it will payoff. Good luck!

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Find a basic obedience class for her and you. It's usually 8 classes, one a week. We've done it twice with 2 different dogs, and I highly recommend it. (I think it was $65, but it varies.) Once you learn the basics, everyone is so much happier! Your dog wants to please you, she just doesn't know what you want her to do. For right now, when you're ready to go for a walk, have your treats in your hand. Make her sit and stay while you leash her. If she moves, you immediately say,"no!', then sit and stay again until she is leashed. Then "release" her and give her a treat. (If you've trained her to sit and stay, you should also have a release word.) In order to train her to walk on a leash, she needs to know how to heel. A class can help you with that. You'll really enjoy the training class, and you'll learn alot!!

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For the excitement before the walk, have her sit and stay and start to get the leash out. If she gets excited, calmly put the leash back and walk away for a few seconds and then try again. She will learn pretty quickly that she has to be calm for the leash to get put on and to go. It may take a long time the first couple of tries and she may have to miss a walk or two if you need to get your daughter to school, so I would probably start with plenty of time or during the day when you get her hooked up and take a very short walk and back in and do several times throughout the day.

I do love gentle leaders, if she is still pulling with it on, I would double check or have someone else at a pet store that is used to them check the fit. They do have to be fairly tight, especially the part behind the ears. I have also used an easy walk harness, which if you don't need head control works well also. I'm not a fan of choke or prong collars, they really can hurt. Clickers can work great for teaching her the position you want her in. I have used them on several dogs to teach a heel position. Starting with if they are not pulling and gradually only clicking when they are right where I want them and then they have to stay where I want them longer. Another option is if she pulls, turn and go in the other direction and then turn back again quickly. A third option is if she pulls you stop walking until she puts slack on the least again. All of these of course take time and treats always help as well as verbal rewards when she is not pulling. When she is running around, anytime she comes up and walks beside you make sure to reward her too. As she gets better you can teach her a "close" or "with me" or a "heel" if you want a more formal position. Our dog knows "short leash" also which means I am going to hold her closer for whatever reason, usually something is going by, but it will be for a short time and then she can go back out a little bit, but no pulling.

For the jumping I would also try just turning around and not kneeing her, since what she is after is attention when she is getting excited about her walk. The knee is still attention even if it is negative, you are still touching her. Turning and around and ignoring her until she is off usually works pretty quickly.

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with her training. Keep working on the training in various places and that will help. Hope your walks get easier soon!

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choke collar they sound cruel but the work quick. you need training classes. when I was taught to train with a choke collar you let the dog wander and pull them back to you suddenly. also when you turn you pull them to the left so they have to watch you instead of getting choked. turniong right you bump your knee into them. now the kneeing in the chest works once you hit the right spot but its hard to hit takes me about 20 tries to get it. dont put her leash on her till she calms down and put a treat in your hand so when the leash goes on she is rewarded. find a dog trainer to work with you you will be amazed in the diffrence of the behavior after you do.

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I have the same thing with our new 50lb mutt, from the shelter. It's exhausting when you're not sure what you're doing and I get great advice but I'm not getting very far and I've had a dog before!
I agree with Nancy B, get yourselves to a local training course (Petco run them on a weekly basis), which will show you what to do.
One thing my trainer showed me was to use a regular leash but then loop it back under her belly to creat a kind of loose slip knot. (Not sure how to describe this.) Basically, when she pulls it pulls her back end. It doesn't hurt at all but it confuses them. This is the only time my dog doesn't pull AT all, and apparently they eventually learn not to pull.
I still say - classes.

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Do some reading or watching of The Dog Whisperer (Cesar Milan). It comes on Discovery channel I think or Nat Geographic Explorer. He addresses issues like this all the time. Generally speaking, what you have to do is NOT reward the jumping and excitement. Wait until she is calm and will sit for you until you put the leash on her and take her out. Just wait her out. It might seem like it takes forever for the first few times, but she will figure it out soon enough... she might get excited, but she won't get to go anywhere until she is calm and submissive and will sit.
We did the "knee thing" with our dog when she was a pup (from 10 weeks until 2yrs pretty much) and she learned to jump sideways. In other words, she jumped, but she wouldn't put her paws on you. It's much easier to wait them out when they aren't jumping ON you. lol
Maybe you could try wearing the leash around the house. Just fold it up and stick it through a belt loop or something so that she sees you get it, but she doesnt get anything out of it? Just wear it around all day. Eventually, call her to you, have her sit and lean down and grab her collar. Take the leash from your belt and lay it on the floor... praise her if she still sits. But don't put the leash on her. Just praise her and then walk away. Do that for a few days... until she learns to ignore the whole "getting the leash" thing.
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Sounds like you've done a great job so far! One effective approach is to desensitize her to the leash. Have her sit, and go toward the storage space for the leash. Every time she gets excited, quickly move away from the leash and have her sit again. Praise her for settling down. Keep progressing toward the leash, eventually picking it up, approaching her with it, but aborting at each stage the moment she loses her composure, and get her settled again. This may require a few sessions in which you never do get the leash out, or clip it on her, or out the door, so plan these for times you weren't planning to walk anyhow.

When she jumps, is it against you (or the person with the leash)? If so, then learn to anticipate the moment of the jump and a step toward her just as she's gathering herself. That throws her timing off and she'll abort the jump, and usually have to step away so you don't bump into her. Take ownership of the space she was going to use for a jump. When I see this as a game or contest, I have fun with it instead of being annoyed. I did this with a small terrier of my mom's – it took less than a week for her to give up the jumping completely with me. But my mom doesn't do it, and gets jumped on daily – complete with scratches, clothing snags, and muddy prints.

The pulling habit is sometimes tough. I believe in quick, uncomfortable punishment for canine disobedience. Not to harm them, but to let them know their place in the pack (family). If they were wild dogs, they would endure snaps, nips, and growls from senior pack members, so I try to do something similar enough that they will understand and comply. A dog is most secure and at ease if it knows its place in the family. A choke-chain sounds cruel, but it isn't if used correctly. But I was able to train my mom's dog to heel with a regular collar. Plus, a dog continually gagging itself or twisting its head back on a walk isn't having the greatest time, either.

I draw the leash very short, stand at her side while she is in a command-sit, and tell her to heel, along with a double "tsk-tsk" click. I give her a brief (never harsh, unless she didn't respond quickly) jerk forward. My commands are brief and "barkish." My praise is smooth and quiet when she steps forward. We walk a few feet, holding her close, then command sit. Repeat until she connects with the command and the clicks, eliminating collar jerks as soon as she gets it (you can eventually use only clicks).

She will probably start pulling almost instantly. Require that she sit, let her calm down a moment, then praise her. An occasional treat is okay, too, but don't give this every time or she'll only work for treats. Repeat as many times as it takes – I've never seen a dog require more than maybe a dozen starts before it realizes the walk will never happen if it doesn't cooperate. Then keep extending the distances, correcting with quick, sharp jerks on the leash opposite whatever direction she starts to pull in. Every jerk should be accompanied by "heel" and the tongue clicks. If she doesn't stop pulling quickly, make her sit and settle down.

This probably sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't. It's just repeating a few basic commands, watching the dog's timing and learning to outguess and correct her. I got an Old English Sheepdog and a rowdy terrier mix both trained to heel without pulling in just a couple of sessions each, and those dogs were pleased with themselves, heeling with big smiles on a loose leash, with only occasional clicks to remind them not to stop and sniff (though I do allow some of that on every walk, too). Dogs really like to know what the expectations are, so the clearer you can be, the better.

Keep in mind there can always be distractions that throw them off for awhile, and they may try to bolt toward whatever it is. Just remind them about obedience with a quick "sit!" and a jerk, if absolutely necessary. I make a habit of immediately requiring a" sit" if we see another dog, a bicycle or jogger, or any other potential problem approaching, until they are consistently heeling.

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You might want to get the lead out several times a day. Put it on her and then just go about your business. (make sure you keep an eye on her in case she gets tangled). Take it off and put it away without taking her for a walk. Once she has been desensitized to the leash, put it on her, wait until she gives up and lies down (could take a while at first) and then reward her by taking her for a walk.
If she jumps up just turn your back, make a loud high-pitched hurt noise and walk away.
For walking to heel, the main thing you need to do is focus her attention on you. When she starts to pull, just turn around and start walking in the opposite direction. You'll probably find that you're just going round in circles in front of your house at first but eventually she'll realize that it's not that fun. Also I would persevere with the Gentle Leader - it will make it easier for you to pull her when you start walking in the opposite direction. You'll definitely find this hard to do with your daughter because the direction changes will be sudden so you'll have to find some free time to train her alone.
The other thing I do to keep the dogs attention on me is that they have to stop and sit every time I stop walking. I do this at unexpected times during the walk and every time we cross a road (good if you might let your daughter walk her when she's older). It keeps them on their toes.
Good Luck!

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Good for you for giving her attention, training and walks! I highly recommend you pick up a copy of "Good Owners, Great Dogs" by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson. It is a wonderful dog training book and relies entirely on positive reenforcement. Kilcommons, the primary author, had an abusive father as a child and sought refuge in dog training. It is an easy read and has a section devoted entirely to training the adult dog and a section devoted to problem solving. I read most of it in one afternoon. He does not recommend either the knee in the chest method for jumping or a "choke collar." There is a special kind of training collar he recommends in the book. I think for your situation, he would require her to be in a "sit and stay" and sit quietly before she goes on a walk. It will take some time and patience to work on this. The closest he comes to recommending any sort of punishment is a "shaker can," an old pop can filled with 15 pennies and taped. Dogs don't like the sound of it. He also addresses the leash pulling in the book. (I had trouble with the gentle leader with one of my dogs too.) Finally, I recommend you pick up a clicker and some good treats at the local pet store. I have a 15 year old dog and recently lost a 17 year old so I haven't done any dog training in awhile, but I am reading up to prepare for the arrival of a new puppy in a few weeks. Good luck!

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Try a harness and a retractable leash. We just got a coonhound that I've been working with.The leash lets me stand my ground if I want to. I can also click it for him to hear. When she gets out of control, just stand still until you are back in control, not her. It also helps if you have some treats in your pocket that she gets when she's done well.

M.

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The Haltis and Gentle Leaders are great, but dogs do not love and adore them. That doesn't mean they shouldn't have them. It takes patience to get a dog used to one. I use one with my pup; if she could speak English about it, her words would not be nice ones. But it doesn't really hurt her to wear it and she likes to go out and about so much that sometimes she forgets she has it on.

It sounds as if you're basically doing well with your beagle, and that's great, because beagles aren't always easy to train.

I think you might be wise to take her to some obedience classes at your local pet store, reputable dog training place, or kennel. What's happening is akin to excitable greetings; she's so happy about taking you for a walk she does all the excited, inappropriate things. It's a habit with her; she thinks the noise and furor are acceptable ways of acting in this circumstance.

If I were going to work on it, I would be prepared to take a lot of time. It can't be done in a day or even a week. I would start by calling her to me and having her sit in front of me. I would reward her with a tiny bit of treat - just a taste - when she does this. When she's confident about doing this, I would show her the leash, say, "Good sit," and reward her when she could keep sitting. Even if she can sit for only two seconds once she sees the leash, reward her. Extend the time to thirty seconds or so.

When she can do that, I would practice snapping the leash on her and reward her when she keeps sitting. Teach her a command, like "Let's go," that will tell her to start moving on your command, and reward her for that. (You're using very tiny rewards, right? Otherwise she's getting pudgy about this time.)

You have to practice her walking behavior outdoors in many different places. Dogs are very practical; if you always practice in the back yard, and then take her into the front yard, she'll think, "Oh, I'm not in the back yard, so I don't have to do that stuff!" This reminds me of some children I know, but let's not go there.

If you can get her to sit on leash - preferably beside you, but don't be too picky at first - then reward her. Then walk her just a little way, but make sure she knows you have that bit of kibble or carrot or dog biscuit in your hand, and reward her every few feet. If you have your hand with the treat near her nose, she's likely to keep her nose (and the rest of her) in the place beside you where you want her to walk.

Don't make her practice too long at at time, but do it once or twice a day. Be very consistent and pleasant. Use a regular tone of voice.

The idea is to make Bessie Beagle think, "Oh, if I change what I do, I have a good chance of training my mama to reward me whenever I sit for my leash or walk next to her." Eventually you'll be able to drop the many food rewards and just use praise, because she'll have the new habits down pat.

I think training a dog is like working with a two-year-old child, no matter how old the dog is. It does take that kind of patience and perseverance.

(If you want to keep trying the Halti/Gentle Leader, take it and Bessie B. to a pet store and ask the expert to adjust it to fit your dog's nose correctly. It needs to be snug enough to work, and loose enough to be comfortable. I don't always find it easy to get the exact fit. Once I get it there, however, my dog is so much easier to work with; I'm guiding her by her head instead of pulling her by her neck.)

Hope this helps.

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I have seen Ceaser (The dog Whisperer) get this couple a leash belt thing? It is a belt that goes around your waist and the dog's leash hooks to the belt somehow and you adjust it so the leash is only long enough to keep the dog right at your side....no slack for pulling... Beagles are small and don't weigh that much, so the pulling shouldn't be a factor if she is attached to your body core? I don't know...might be worth a try?

I also have a neighbor who walks his large dog while holding a wooden spoon filled with peanut butter...it keeps the dog right at his side because the dog is always trying to lick the PB off the spoon:) Don't see how this would work for you seeing how Beagles are so short? but anyway...just a thought!

Good job on teaching her not to bolt when the door is open! We had a Beagle a couple years back...sadly Abner got hit by a car, because he bolted out the front door one day and into the street, trying to get at a squirrel across the street in the neighbor's yard..it's in their nature to track and chase things/smells...so good for you for teaching that lesson, it's a big one!

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Google "clicker training". It worked wonders with our Saint Bernard. She ended up with such good leash manners that I could walk her without her leash attached to her collar. I only had to hold it in my hand and she still behaved!

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Everyone's suggestions are good, so go with that. But while your daughter is in kindergarten, could you enroll in a dog training class? Reading about dog traiing is one thing, but most people actually learn best if they get some hands-on practice with a professional.

Outside of class, make sure your dog knows you're the boss. That means, you two walk side-by-side.When you go in and out of doors, you (the alpha) enter first.

At age 8, it will take some time to break ingrained habits. Though cute, beagles aren't known to be the smartest breed (sorry beagle owners!), so be patient.

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As far as jumping I have heard that pennies in a can work, shake when ever they jump and it deterrs them. the pulling when walking we have a choke caller for our dog and it works great.

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lol,lol....typical dog behavior-you should see my 3 at go outside time..its like trying to tame a zoo.but you have to use solid stern command voice-STOP_COME HERE_...try using a body harness you have more control than with just a collar an leash.my cocker is trained beautifully-shes sooo good...my min pins..mom an baby...whew its like trying to walk a couple elephants-they pull so hard they walk sideways..so i finally put the baby in a harness-huge difference...but the biggest thing is you have to stay stern...

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Our dog (almost 8yr. old black lab) did the same thing every time we went to take him for a walk. We tried the halti (the collar that goes around the nose), but it didn't work for us either. He was just too willful. We finally got a harness that straps around his front legs and across his back. When he pulls, it puts pressure on the tendons in his legs, making him stumble a little bit. If he pulls really hard, he will fall down. After about a week of walking on this (once a day for about 20min.), he no longer pulled at all. He didn't like the feeling of stumbling. My daughter can now walk him with no problem, and she's 90lbs....he weighs about 120lbs. I would suggest you try one of these, I believe it was around $15 for the xl size at the pet store. Ours actually broke (my daughter was messing with it and somehow broke the clip), and we walk our dog with a regular leash now, no problem. Hope this helps.
Good luck!

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