Leash training

[astark5551]

We have two Blue Heelers that are 4 months old. All progressing very well with games etc until I connected them to the leash for the first time. The first time I just let them run around with the leash connected to their collar for about 30 minutes watching them to make sure they didn't get hung up on any obstacles. Went fine, they ran and played with only a slight concern that this strange cord followed them. However, today trying to use it for recall they just had a fit. Jumping and pulling and just nuts so I took off the leash and searched for any advice here on how to go forward. Probably here but wasn't able to find any information. Can you direct me to the info or give advice here in the forum.

 

Thank you!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello astark551,

Welcome to the forums.

I need some details to better have an idea of what evoked this behavior exactly. Were you practicing recalls by having a helper hold them and then calling them and letting them come to you while dragging the leash? When did the pulling/jumping occur? Was it when they were restrained by the leashes and prevented from moving? If so, they were likely reacting to the "resistance" and need some conditioning to get used to that. If so, I can provide some details on how to condition them to that.

[astark5551]

Adrienne,

 

I have both of them able to stay on command (well most of the time). So I told them to stay in sit position, moved away from them the distance of the leash (6 ft) and said 'come' giving a slight tug on the leash. This provoked the behavior. They definitely reacted to the "resistance". I didn't want to pull hard and drag them. I tried letting them see their treat in my lap and that didn't help, they were to preoccupied tugging against leash. Trying to use recall with the leash because so far they come to recall only when they feel like coming. I have used the treats as recommended to call them but they still are coming only when they want to. I want them to come every time, right! I have really enjoyed your training advice and games and these two love new games.

 

Thanks - Arthur

[Adrienne Farricelli]

OK, so it sounds like the tug is what evoked the behavior. With young puppies as such who aren't used to the leash yet and react so strongly to tension, we may need to take a step back and first condition them to accept the leash before using the leash for training them to come.

 

For young pups who were never used to wearing a leash before, the initial resistence of the leash may be an odd sensation and it turns on their "opposition reflex. "The opposition reflex, as its name implies, is a phenomenon where an animal pulls in the opposite direction. There is belief that there is some biological reason behind the opposition reflex as it's triggered by the dog's fight, flight and freeze response. Pulling back (or tugging) on the leash will make the dog pull more forward (forging ahead), while pulling the dog forward will make the dog pull back (balking, with feet planted on the ground).

 

So the objective in the case of your pups is to condition them slowly to this odd sensation. We therefore need to help these wee ones out a little so they don't go in panic mode. You will have to train this conditioning exercise one dog at a time so to not let them feed off each others' emotions. The goal is to gently teach the pups to give in to slight leash pressure.

 

Practice in a room with little distractions going on. You want to be the most interesting feature of the room. Have some high-value treats and sit on the couch. No leash is on at this point. Make a smacking sound like you’re kissing the air with your mouth, then toss your dog a treat straight after. Repeat this simple exercise several times until your dog learns to associate the smacking sound with treats. You’ll know this is the case when, the moment you make the sound, your dog looks for his treat! Once you have a solid response, you can put on the leash.

 

Now, practice the same exercise on the leash repeating. At some point, stop making the smacking sound. Your pup will likely lose interest and will try to walk away. As soon as minimal tension builds on the leash, make your smacking sound and deliver the treat. Repeat the same exercise several times. You want your pup to learn that giving in to leash pressure is rewarding so it prevents the pup from resisting it. You can then try this exercise while walking in a quiet room, any time your pup is lagging a bit behind or walking in front, stop, make your smacking sound and reward for loosening up the leash and coming to you for the treat. You puppy should eventually learn that the sweet spot next to you is extra rewarding, the leash is loosened up and he is rewarded. A win-win!

 

Of course, it's important to work at the pup's pace. If at any part of this exercise you notice your pup is going a bit in panic mode, you need to take a step back and evaluate how to make the exercise a bit easier such as by using lighter pressure, or working in an area that is less distracting, or using higher value treats, or making sessions shorter, etc.

 

I will post shortly with some tips on training to come from a stay.

Edited October 23, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Adrienne,

 

I have both of them able to stay on command (well most of the time). So I told them to stay in sit position, moved away from them the distance of the leash (6 ft) and said 'come' giving a slight tug on the leash. This provoked the behavior. They definitely reacted to the "resistance". I didn't want to pull hard and drag them. I tried letting them see their treat in my lap and that didn't help, they were to preoccupied tugging against leash. Trying to use recall with the leash because so far they come to recall only when they feel like coming. I have used the treats as recommended to call them but they still are coming only when they want to. I want them to come every time, right! I have really enjoyed your training advice and games and these two love new games.

 

Thanks - Arthur

 

Here are a few throughts about training the stay and come. Training two dogs at once can cause some extra challenges that may interfere with progress, especially when training is not too fluent from the get-go. Two puppies of the same age are often too focused on each other and eager to play and interact that they may not be able to concentrate and absorb information pertaining to their environment. Sure, a little competition among the two can sometimes make them more eager to come especially when there's a strong reward involved, but if one or the other is preoccupied about something (like outdoor noises or a leash attached causing resistance), the other will feed off the emotions and then you are left with two dogs who are too over threshold to learn. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

 

It is best to start training the pups one by one and then only when they are both fluent in performing the behavior, you can gradually add the distraction of one another. Also, it's important to use high-value treats and a room with not many distractions going. This helps make you more "salient" than anything else and your pups more responsive to you. Try without leashes, you want your pups to voluntarily learn that coming to you is rewarding and not only that, that coming to you frees them from staying still which for dogs in perpetual movement like puppies can feel very challenging. Start with brief stays at a very close distance to put your pups for success. If your pup breaks the stay too often, it is likely he's not ready for staying that long, the area is too distracting, the treats are too low value.

 

Once each pup is learning to be responsive, you can then practice with both pups (still with no leashes), but you may have to take some steps back again because they may be distracted from one another and therefore, you may need to start back again with very brief stays and from very close distances. Your pups are very young, so we need to also consider that it might be too hard for them to do longer ones for now.

 

Training, socializing. playing and walking each pup individually is important, especially when owning two puppies. When owning two puppies, they may be prone to a phenomenon known as sibling rivalry. This individual time with you is important to help them learn to bond with you, learn to stay away from each other and learn to listen to you. Now, not all siblings develop sibling rivalry. There are several reports of dog owners raising two sibling or close-to-age-puppies at once without any particular problems but it's just something to be aware of. Usually, male/female combos work out best.

Edited October 23, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[astark5551]

Got it Adrienne. Thanks. Working well.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Glad to hear. Happy training!