Problems with my setter on leash...help!!!!!!

[Caroline Black]

Hi,
My partner and i have a beautiful sweet 9 month old male irish setter called Pepper. He walks very well for my partner, but with me, he just pulls and pulls and pulls. I have tried treats, a toy ...everything but makes no difference...its almost like when he sees me taking him out its like...cool, party time!!!!
We had a weekends training where the trainer told us to keep him on a long long lead when in the countryside...but not to set him free AT ALL until you feel totally confident he will come back. However i don't know if we will ever get to this stage. What do you all do when out in the open with your young setter. He needs to run, but its difficult to give him what he needs while on a lead.
We also live in an apartment without a garden...which doesn't help matters. He goes out with either of us approx 3-4 times a day for walks of between 30-45 minutes each time. I feel he is capable of a lot more exercise though! He does love swimming, and a good run in the doggie park...so thanks god for doggie parks at least!!!
Apart from that, he is extremely affectionate and adorable...any tips greatly appreciated.....
Caroline

[Caroline Black]

Hi there...thankyou so much for your advice. I have tried the halti before, and yes it kind of works, but i get the feeling that it isn't actually teaching him to behave well on the lead, it feels more like he doesn't have the choice. Could you explain to me how the other lead you mentioned works? I checked online and it seems to be elastic, but how does this teach him to walk properly, i thought in reading it, that it could have the opposite effect...ie. make him pull more?!!

And also, do you have any thoughts on what i mentioned about having him out in the countryside / setting him free or not. Basically he will come...as long as theres nothing more interesting!!! But if he spots something, or gets a whiff of something, he'll be off!!! Its tough, because we want to give him a good run, but are afraid to let him totally free.......

[Teresa]

Hi,
Very good question you asked!
As the leash pulling, i don't believe i can help you, just add another question: I'll soon be walking with two dogs on my own on a leash, can anyone give me some tips on how to do it without involuntarily becoming a musher (i am really thin, heh)
As the walking free, when i started letting Pitanga run free, i did it in fenced parks, but really large ones, where she would no notice the fences and always had a really good treat for her with me, so that when the time came, i was always more interesting than everything else! then very gradually, i reduced the interest on me, but kept recalling and today, I can go anywhere with her loose and recall without any problem! Maybe not the best or most correct solution, but this really worked for me!
Teresa

[Caroline Black]

Hi Eva, in reply to your message about his collar....it isn't actually a choke collar as one might think...its just a regular one, but made of metal/steel....and the trainer we had here recommended it ...this was his technique (not sure if i agree with it)....when he pulls you give a very brief 'tak-tak' (a jerk downwards, and then release very quickly) so you don't harm the dog in any way, just give him a bit of a surprise (heightened by the sound of the collar ) which refocuses him on you....well firstly i can't do it...as the 'tak-tak' has no effect on Pepper whatsoever, and i think there must be a better way.
Anyway he has a lovely brown leather collar these days......makes him look very distinguished!!!!! (but my guy still uses the metal one for walks)

[Caroline Black]

Thankyou so much for your advice!!!!

[Caroline Black]

Wow im getting bogged down with collar and harness info on the web..there really is so much choice out there!!!! has anyone heard of a canny collar, or a kumfi stop pull harness?

[Nicole Wilson]

Yes, canny collars are quite popular over here. It seems to work for pointers and setters :-) There are also Halti harnesses which work quite well.

[Sue and Cash]

I am so curious to see the video's of these collars in action. My dog has been a puller, twirler, spinner and just basically unruly to walk from day one. I find he does walk very nice in the petstore though or at the vet. Just not out for a neighborhood walk. He is too overstimulated by cars, bikes and other dogs. Lunges and barks and bascially makes me look more out of control than he is. He does so much better if he had his run first. And we drive a 20 mile round trip everyday, rain, snow etc. so he can run free in a large fenced dog park. We have a great one with hiking trails and loads of forest and brush areas so he feels like he can really be a hunting dog. His recall is great and stays close or has one eye on me at all times. But this has taken a couple years of daily work and calling him back to me over and over with rewards when he was a baby. Now his reward is a pat on the head and a hug. And then I set him off again with a "go play" command and he frollicks back into the woods. Some think I am nuts driving so far daily to use this area but I won't trust my dog totally in an open area. He has a strong prey drive and if a squirrel or rabbit caught his nose I am worried I would lose him. We have let him go in dog parks not fenced often but they are far from roads and open enough to keep an eye on him. I love a young setter and the excitement that the world offers them each day. I am sure things will improve for you as your dog ages.

[Jennifer Martin]

With my training of Rio, I am following the method, that the moment he starts to pull on the lead, I stop and call him back to me, he turns releasing the pressure off the lead, I praise him and then and only then walk on again on a loose lead, in theory it sounds great, in practice well, it's hard work - but repetition and consistency is paying off. I would say try it - if he starts of like a 'run away train', stand firm, hold the lead with both hands and wait for him to realise he's not going anywhere until he settles and the lead is loose. The thing to remember is that the dog pulls to get where he wants to be, so that in itself is a 'treat' and if he finds anything to pick up or chew - well, that is yet another treat.
I have found this quite interesting reading http://www.gopetsamerica.com/irish-setter/irish-setter-training.aspx .
There is also - ''The Dog Whisperer', -Cesar Millan' maybe not to everyone's taste but he does make some good observations on how our behavior influences our dog's.

[Pat]

Hi Caroline,
Just read your email and there is one thing that I find useful when our Setters are too exhuberant for our arms and that is to turn your rope slip lead into a figure 8. One loop of the figure 8 goes over the dog's neck as usual but the second loop goes over the muzzle. That way you have a instant rope slip lead 'halt' and more control over your Setter - where the head goes the body has to follow.
Hope this helps and that I have explained it okay.
Pat

[Ilona & Gina]

Hi,

Just read Jennifer Martin's reply on Pepper's pulling on the lead. My experience: Yes, stopping and turning into a lamppost as soon as they pull is hard work (took us about six months). It may take longer that other methods (never tried andy other). Gina still pulls, but rarely. Most pulling happens when we leave the house and she wants to get to the beach where she is allowed to run off lead.

Then I stop and stay put, she turns around, sits and I see her little brain ticking "sure, that was too fast". Gina is 15 months now. With the free runs - I understand you live close to a dog park - so he runs off the lead there, ist that right? Is it safe, fenced in, without distractions?

We started in our local doggie-park, and I remember how scared I was when we let Gina and her brother Anton run off the lead for the first time. They were four months old, and I almost had a heart attack! Guess what, they came back every time we called. Liver treats worked well. Also, I learnt to take dog trainer advice with a pinch of salt :)), as each dog is different.

I still repeat recalls frequently, make her stop in the middle of her runs and do a lot of games and training while we walk or run. She loves it and doesn't actually want to leave my side. She looks at me, "hey mum, what's next?"

However, I find that when I am stressed and impatient with Gina nothing works at all. I had to learn to take it easy when she pulled and pulled and didn't get the message - grrrrr!

I am sure Pepper will be fine, on and off lead - enjoy your lovely dog!