walking on leash stubborn

[JVTMT]

otis is a very good boy who i got for mothers day 5/03 he was 7 mos. old 2 mos with breeder and 5 mos at pet shop. we just celebrated his 1st b-day on oct. 3rd. you can't help but love him. he really didn't need any potty training. i could probably count on 1 hand the accidents he may have had.

he is the provider of my unconditional love. i really can't move though the house without him right there with me. i can't even take out the garbage with him "freaking out". he is very attached to me....so much so......that if my 8 yr old son or my husband take him for a walk, they are back within minutes. when i walk him, he keeps me out for atleast 30 minutes. he has to smell everthing, listen to everything, check out the neighbors houses just in case someone comes to say hello to him. when its time to turn and head back ...... we are at a stand still. now he has nothing else on his mind except the dead, flat squirel in the middle of the street. he is very strong, very stubborn and very defiant when it comes to his walks.

what can i do to make his walk "productive" possibly "heel" and/or just take a nice walk without me having to pull/drag/fight him all the way home??? any advice for me.......?? please respond.. vicky

[Guest]

We have been having the same problem with our 7 month old male Cairn. RABBIT smells!! And, boy oh boy, if we actually see one!! He goes bonkers!

We have been working with a trainer and she suggested a choke collar for our "heel" session this past week.

It has been 'better' but he still has a ways to go. While walking, you have to say 'back' and then snap the collar and pull him back to where your legs are. We have to say 'closer' sometimes to get him to stay near to us, as well. If he slows down too much (haha), we are to say 'up up' and pull him closer to our legs. We have to say 'back' hundreds of times but like I said, it is a bit better. We take daily walks about 30 minutes at a time. It's only been 4 days since we began this, too.

Believe it or not, but our old 11 year old Cairn is doing wonderfully! Tooks 3 'snaps' and she has it down! So, there IS hope for this little guy. Just gonna take diligance on our part.

Cathy

[JVTMT]

cathy ann,

thanks so much for your adivse. we use a "harness" on otis now that he is stronger and pulls harder i should probably try the "chocker". i've been saying "easy, easy" while jerking back. do you think the "verbage" is important i.e. heel, etc. also, do you anything about a "clicker" (noise maker) also used; i assume for attention getting. i have/had high hope that otis would be the kind of dog that you can trust to stay with you and/or in the yard without a leash. what a dreamer i am!!! anyway, thanks again. vicky

[bradl]

Re: the clicker. A clicker is used not for attention getting but as an immediate signal that the dog has done something you will reward it for. It is somewhat of an indirect reward because it means "a treat is coming" -- but it really tells the dog that whatever it was doing at the exact moment it heard the clicker is treat-worthy. If you are using clicker training, don't click more than once. It isn't applause, it's a 'marker' of the exact, specific behaviour you want at the instant it occurs. The treat is the actual reward. The click also interrupts the chain of behavior and signals a break -- "Good dog! Come over here and get a reward."

[JVTMT]

bradl.........thanks for your advice on clicker vicky

[Guest]

Vicky,

A Cairn staying with NO leash?? I agree with you 100%...ain't no way!! Hehe! I would be very shocked to hear from a Cairn owner that had their dog trained that well.

Our trainer has actually been pleasantly surprised at how well our Cairns are doing with training. They are such smart little buggers but oooooh so stubborn! She started our first lesson with a talk about being 'realisitic' with regard to our expectations because he IS a terrier. Beileve me....I checked her out and she has gotten rave reviews from tons of our neighbors. Definitely knows her stuff.

And, I just recently read an article in our local paper from another training facility in our area that also said terriers were the most difficult to train.

Despite their reputations, he has learned to "stay", "sit", "down", "come" and now working on "heel". Not too bad for 7 months old! Majority of commands learned months ago.

However, we are are starting to have a slight problem with "come". And, it is because of rabbit smells in our yard. NOTHING but dragging him to the back door works if he has caught "the scent".

The training is costly. But, if you calculate what you spend over the lietime of your dog, it is well worth going thru it. Sure wish we could have afforded it for our first one.

Cathy

[Guest]

my carin terrier did not like the click noise of the clicker.

He was scared of it. We then realized he was noise sensitive.

We worked him out of that by banging pots and pans and pretending

we were having fun. Sounds silly but it worked.

Our cairn, 3 years old, always pulls when we walk. I am afraid to

use a choker. I think we need to go back to the trainer.

[Radaddy]

I have the same problem with Tucker. He strains so badly at his leash when out for walks that he gets this rasp in his throat that sounds horrible - almost like he's choking. We snap the leash and tell him "no," but as you can imagine with a cairn, that just doesn't help. He's determined to stay ahead of us at all costs! :wink: We've been thinking of taking him to a trainer or to classes at the local kennel club. Does anyone have any other recommendations?

[Guest]

Hi! I started my cairn on a leash when he was just 3 months old - - I have a retractable one and it seems to work well for him. He stays close by me and walks without straining - - also - - although hard to believe - - my little dog is pretty responsive when called - - he doesn't stray too far even when off the leash. We have deer, rabbits, bugs!!! and a lot of wildlife in our backyard. I guess we got lucky!! I bring treats with me when we are out -- this method of reward seems to work pretty well!!

[Guest]

Just like CarCarDawn, we started Cody on his leash when he was little. Actually we also used it to keep him close by during potty breaks as we have a big yard. When we started venturing outside he did pull allot especially when he saw another person or dog (he loves everybody except the squirrels). We were concerned over the choking action his pulling was causing so we got him a harness. It fits comfortably over his mid section and front legs (but it was hard to put on him the first few times). The benefit of the harness over the collar is that when we correct him for pulling away, we are pulling his mid section which makes him stop immediately. He quickly learned that pulling just doesn't work any more. We feel this was the least stressful way of training him to walk on the leash. Another important thing if you have a retractable leash as we do is to only give your pup so much room on it. He or she needs to know just how far away from you that they can travel. Keeping a specific distance is important as the dog will learn just how far they can go.

[Jodie]

My cairn Sam and I are doing the training at Pet Smart right now and to help with walking on a leash they recommeded a collar called a gentle leader instead of a choke collar. You can get them at any pet store, but here is a site so you know what I'm talking about:

http://www.sitstay.com/store/equip/collars2.shtml

Hope this helps

-Jodie