As for the sitting when you stop, I may be wrong but if he wanted to look up to you he has to sit if he is close.
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Traditionally, for obedience (or hunting where "heel" originally comes from) the position is on the left. I prefer to teach both sides (using different words). For pet training it's more versatile (suppose you need to walk into traffic, and want your dog away from trucks zooming by?) And for sports like agility, herding and freestyle/heel to music your dog HAS to be comfortable handling off both sides.griffin wrote:This has been "bugging me" for some time now. My wife even asked me and I have no idea. I watch all the shows and every time, the dog is on the left, WHY?I also have a 6ft lead which I attach to the harness, with the dog on my left I hold the loop in the lead in my right hand, my left hand holds the lead nearer my dog but which lets them me on a loose lead, the lead between my hands is loose as well.
It was natural for me to have Eddie on my right, it felt better and it allowed me to keep him away from the side of traffic (the road). I too have a six foot leash I use (the wife uses a 20 foot retractable. The leash hangs in a loop from my right hand, with the end in my left, putting Eddie on my right...
Is this just a difference between countries? Or is there a different reason?
Sorry I was away for Easter and missed this.NancySinatra wrote:How many times per day should I be practicing with my dog? I've been using the method that Victoria describes in her book, which is very similar to this, but so far...we haven't gotten any farther than in front of my house.
We take several short walks per day so that she can potty and one very long one and she's allowed to run around on a 30 foot leash without any expectations of training or pottying at least once a day (we don't have a place where she can run without a leash).
She is 6 months old, be careful she isn't doing too much exercise which can affect her bones and muscles, they are still developing. It would be better to structure the running on a long line so she is also learning as well as running. it will start giving you more control and your dog more obedient to you.My dog is a Corgi and she's almost six months old. She needs serious exercise every day to maintain a good attitude and walking her back and forth in front of my house a few times a day is not going to do it. But we need to get this pulling problem under control. It's amazing how powerful a 15lb puppy can be and it's just going to get worse as she grows...and one of the reasons I wanted a dog is to have a walking companion. Any advice is very appreciated.
Mattie wrote:Pawzk, I have found that that type of harness encourages a dog to pull because of were the strap is, round the chest, horses have straps round their chest in this way so they can push into it to pull a cart, it is easy for a dog to push into the strap to pull us along.
I use a trail/trecking type harness, this goes either side of the neck and the strap round the body is set further back and can't rub the elbows either. As the straps are down either side of the neck it is more difficult for a dog to push into so they pull us.
Also, as the body strap is further back, the lead attaches to the centre point of a dog's balance and when a dog tries to push into the harness to pull, the lead has the effect of lifting the chest slightly so puts the dog off balance so he doesn't have can't push into the harness. It interupts the forward momentum, and the dog doesn't have enough power to push. If the handler is on the ground and the lead is low, the dog will be able to push into the harness more.
This type of harness also has a similar affect on a dog as the TTouch Body Wrap, it can help a nervous dog feel more confident and relaxed so enjoys his walks better.
For a dog aggressive dog it gives more control because of the strap being further back, the handler is able to control the body better even if he is jumping and leaping about and it won't damage the dog in any way unlike a a head collar. If a dog starts to jump and leap about in a head collar he can do a lot of damage to his neck and trachea.
I started using step in harnesses for my dogs and had a lot of problems with them, these were 2 middle aged dogs that didn't pull, they did have problems with the stepping into the harnesses and is why I found the tracking/trail type harness, I had no problems with my dogs with these.
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Pawzk9 wrote: Interesting, I suppose I'll have to find my old tracking harness and take a look at it. The tracking/trailing harnesses I've seen attach in the middle of the dog's back, not over the point of balance (shoulders) and we know the further back the attachment is, the more body the dog has to pull with. Which is why sledding/pulling harnesses attach WAY back. When I am tracking with a dog, I don't want that dog to be inhibited from pulling. I WANT a tight line.
Having a lead attached to a second point on a harness is fine if you only have 1 dog, when you have several dogs you can't, you then find you are being pulled along. With one of these harnesses it isn't so easy for the dog to pull because on a short lead it will put pressure under the chest and make it more difficult.CAN a dog pull against a step-in with a single attachment? Of course. Add a second point of contact and the picture looks a lot different. Also, if the center strap is properly adjusted and the harness well fitted, I haven't seen them ride up onto a dog's neck. The easiest way to put one on is to lay it on the floor, place the dog's feet on either side of the center strap and pull it up. The dogs don't really have to "step" into it. Maybe we are thinking of different harnesses. I'm with you on head halters though. I'm not fond of them.
I was referring to the dog's natural center of balance (if unimpeded by a leash or anything) According to our local TTouch practioner (who is also a physical therapist and very good at understanding anatomy) the center of balance is a straight line from the withers to the ground. As to the length of leash I use when tracking. On a trained dog it is 20 feet. On a beginning dog I'm just using my 6 foot leash, attached to the tracking harness. I won't be getting more distance until the dog is confidently pulling at that distanceMattie wrote: The centre of balance is above the shoulders when pulling, when walking properly it is further back.
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What length of lead do you use for tracking? The ones I have seen are quite long, the further away from you the dog is the better chance he has of pulling in one of these harnesses so shouldn't affect your tracking. Dogs can tell the different between short leads and long leads as I have found out in the past unfortunately"
If I have a dog who's not trained for LLW - i.e., is still equipment dependent, I generally won't be talking that dog for walks with multiple other dogs until our training is further along.Mattie wrote:Having a lead attached to a second point on a harness is fine if you only have 1 dog, when you have several dogs you can't, you then find you are being pulled along. With one of these harnesses it isn't so easy for the dog to pull because on a short lead it will put pressure under the chest and make it more difficult.
Dogs need exercise as well as training, when you have a lot of dogs you can't exercise them individually, they have to be exercised together. I don't want my dogs to have a life of training even when young, they have training periods and fun periods, they don't cross. I do also do training when I am just interacting with them by giving them a command at odd times, this reinforces what they have learnt.Pawzk9 wrote: I was referring to the dog's natural center of balance (if unimpeded by a leash or anything) According to our local TTouch practioner (who is also a physical therapist and very good at understanding anatomy) the center of balance is a straight line from the withers to the ground. As to the length of leash I use when tracking. On a trained dog it is 20 feet. On a beginning dog I'm just using my 6 foot leash, attached to the tracking harness. I won't be getting more distance until the dog is confidently pulling at that distance
The centre of balance depends on the breed of dog, dogs that are big in front like Staffies carry their body forward, the centre of balance is on the shoulder then. Other breeds were the front and back end is more equal the center of balance is further back. It comes down to how much weight the back legs carry. Were a dog carries it's head is a good inclination of whether its centre of balance is forward or more central. A lot head carried like bull breeds means that their weight is forward, a high head carriage means the centre of balance is further back. Hope that makes sense.
If I have a dog who's not trained for LLW - i.e., is still equipment dependent, I generally won't be talking that dog for walks with multiple other dogs until our training is further along.
I mean the equipment is what is keeping the dog from pulling, as opposed to the dog understanding that when the leash is loose, we can go forward. Otherwise we can't. When out on a walk, I don't expect "heel" position or rapt attention. But I expect the dog (when on leash) to keep me in his mind enough to remember not to pull me. And when the dogs know that, walking multiple dogs is easier.Mattie wrote:[What do you mean by equipment dependent?