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frustrated - 2 years later, still horrible at walking


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my 2 year old walks great with my husband. She sniffs and go. With me, it's a party and she needs to stop every 2 minutes throughout the entire walk. Sometimes she stops at a corner and just sits there. Sometimes she just doesn't feel like walking. It's been going on for 2 years and was hoping she would just get better with age but I can't take it anymore. What can I do? I do own a clicker but when I googled how to use it, the articles were mostly about dogs that pull. Well she doesn't really pull, she just smells a tree for 5 full minutes, stops for everyone and everything and just doesn't walk. I am at a loss so any help is appreciated :(

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Are you taking her for walks to potty? I was told actually that we should not do that. Walks are for exercise. Potty should be one or two areas that you take her to to potty only. What she is doing is totally normal. Now as for the clicker it is used in training dogs for everything. It makes them aware that they have done what is expected and is usually followed by a treat or praise. You can even use it in potty training. When she does her business, click and treat/praise. With a little time she will probably go on command.

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JRMMJONES

I had that problem for a while.... the trainer said I was letting the dog walk ME... Now she takes perfect walks. Took one week, and she is now enjoyable on our daily walk.

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Sweet as Taffy

The trainer in Taffy's puppy class recommended this harness http://www.softouchconcepts.com/index.php/product-53/sense-ation-harness

I don't know if this link is working but it is softtouchconcepts.com SENSE-ation harness

I recently bought it at a small pet supply store so they could help me fit the harness. It works well for resistant walkers and pullers. The harness goes around the legs and the clip for the leash is under the neck as opposed to the back. The harness is supposed to help the pup feel where you want her to go. I really like it.

I also keep mentioning the training using a long stick with a treat on the end (could use clicker at same time you treat) so hopefully you could eventually get rid of the stick and just click.

Edited by Sweet as Taffy
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no our walks are always long walks and not just for pee or poop. I'm really at a loss. She doesn't do this with my husband. Today I kept a very short leash and would click and give her a treat. I don't know if I am doing it right or not. When she'd pull to go to a tree I stopped and waited for her to stop pulling and then she sits because she is confused. I just need to do something consistently and I just don't what that is.

Of all the things I expected having a dog, I never ever thought the one thing I see all dogs do she'd have trouble with me - WALKING. :(

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Have you taken her to get training? I think a trainer can show you exactly what you need to do to get the results you want. The trainer can see what you're doing and help you through the process.

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she got training at 6 months old but that was a year and a half ago. I can get a trainer. I am just not confident that they can help. It's like she has a.d.d. with me. I wish I loved walking her but this makes me not love it at all.

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A trainer will help you understand what is going on with the walks and I'm sure you will be enjoying them soon. Trust me, Bosco still has some issues that I need to reinforce or relearn myself. Kinda like we have to do with our human kids LOL :D

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Jo-Anne

no our walks are always long walks and not just for pee or poop. I'm really at a loss. She doesn't do this with my husband. Today I kept a very short leash and would click and give her a treat. I don't know if I am doing it right or not. When she'd pull to go to a tree I stopped and waited for her to stop pulling and then she sits because she is confused. I just need to do something consistently and I just don't what that is.

Of all the things I expected having a dog, I never ever thought the one thing I see all dogs do she'd have trouble with me - WALKING. :(

You first need to learn her some basic commands, which you feel comfortable with. So first you have to find out for yourself what`s important to you what your doggie should do or not do at all. When I take a walk in the woods here my baby can never choose which tree is the best, so he wants them all :DBut I am not waiting for him because then I will be in the woods all day long. Take a long leash! let the dog have your attention by letting her sit down twice or more, make that fun. Decide at how many trees you want to stop and how much time you want to take, and don`t change that! Is your dog allowed to walk free anywhere? Edited by Jo-Anne
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Any thoughts on how to correct this specific behavior. On our walks, she turns her head every 2 minutes to see who is behind her. She is not scared or anything. She just wants them to stop and say hi to her and they may or may not and then she proceeds to walk once they've past her. Even on a non busy street which I try to keep her on, if she seems someone down the block she will wait for them. I tell her let's go but it has no effect. If it's another dog, I understand why she is stopping but she does this for people. We over socialized her I guess lol.

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Any thoughts on how to correct this specific behavior. On our walks, she turns her head every 2 minutes to see who is behind her. She is not scared or anything. She just wants them to stop and say hi to her and they may or may not and then she proceeds to walk once they've past her. Even on a non busy street which I try to keep her on, if she seems someone down the block she will wait for them. I tell her let's go but it has no effect. If it's another dog, I understand why she is stopping but she does this for people. We over socialized her I guess lol.

That is totally normal. Bosco just loves to see people, dogs, deer, etc. Keep working on commands and it will eventurally slow down or at least when you come come or let's go, she'll move on. But I see it on every dog when we walk, they all want someone to acknowledge and love them like their owners do.

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Marlen

Renee has given you great advice. It's true that we cannot help we if we can't see what's actually going on. We can only offer general advice.

The process of a walk is like a ritual to me. My dog and I have to be in a good mood before going out and after walking back in the house.

So, when you put a leash on her, have a smile on, pet her and tell her what a good girl she is. Always take her out when she's alert and she's not napping. If you wake her up from a nap and instantly take her out, she might be grumpy. So, with an excited voice, tell her you're going for a walk.

The key to success while walking a dog is to be confident. If you start thinking "Goodness, I just know she's going to stop" or "Oh, there's a dog there. She's going to bark or pull etc" you've lost the game. That's because without you knowing it, you're sending your dog signals that something's wrong, plus most owners that I have seen start tensing their body, thus stressing themselves and the dog, and by tensing they also tense the leash and the dog feels a pull on the neck or on his body, and he starts thinking that something is going to happen and he becomes hyper-alert. Now, I know that's not the problem with your girl but still, you might be tensing the leash, and she might not like it. Walk your dog like you own the world! It might sound a bit arrogant , but it helps a lot.

My boy will often stop and stand whenever I use a harness on him. He walks better with a collar on the neck.So, you also have to experiment with which type to walk her with, a collar or a harness, or other types of collars.

As for her waiting for people to come to her or looking behind, use treats and make her concentrate to you. If she stops when she sees someone, show her a treat, hold it in your hand by your side and lure her to follow you till you pass the human or the dog. Keep her focused on you and not who's around. Although she's being social, I can understand how frustrating it can become if she stops every single time. Be consistent and she'll start realising that if she continues walking after seeing someone, she's going to get a treat.

Now, if you want for her to follow or stop sniffing a tree, I use as a command the "let's go" . If I tell my dog that or call his name, I expect him to stop what he's doing and move on, follow me and continue our walk. It's similar to "come" so you might want to use that.

I'm "notorious" for writing long posts. I know most of the regular members here have missed them :P

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no worries Marlen. I appreciate the feedback. I do use let's go and come on and she has no reaction to it. Absolutely none. :( I know GMA said it's normal for them to want to stop and see everyone but she doesn't do it with my husband. She sniffs and go and doesn't turn around, sit and wait for people. That makes for a super long frustrating walk. If she was a puppy I'd say okay she needs to see and know everyone as she is a puppy but she is 2. How long do I use food for though? How many days or weeks before she gets it? What type of schedule? I'm also worried about constantly feeding her food to get her to do stuff. She is on raw food so it's not like I can bring that with me so I could use treats but how much how many and when? 1 treat per block? So you're saying when she turns aroud every 2 minutes, hold a treat to her nose? She will be a porky pig honestly then because that is how much she turns around. :--). I need some kind of balance.

As far as sniffing all day long, I have been keeping a shorter leash and using a clicker when she is walking by my side and I give her a treat. I also stop if she pulls so she gets that part. But I know they said stop when they pull but she stops to wait for people so technically stopping when she is pulling to wait for people well that is giving her what she wants to stop and wait for people.

Of all the things I thought about having a dog, didn't think I'd have to deal with walking of all things. I get jealous when I see other dogs and their owns walking so great. :(. Meanwhile I'm the one trying to avoid busy streets due to the nightmare of it. :(

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Marlen

It takes a lot of time, weeks, maybe months. But if you give up, it'll become worse. I didn't know you're feeding her raw food. I feed kibble and when I give lots of treats, I can feed him a smaller meal. A treat can be a small piece of kibble. It doesn't have to be huge or make her a little pig lol. Plus, you don't have to constantly give her a treat, give her one for every two people she passes, or for every 5 minutes of walk. it might take her more time, but she'll get it and you'll need less treats.

If you're worrying about her food intake, you can use a toy. Bring her favorite toy with you on the walk, and use it as a treat or as a distraction.

What schedule do you have? Do you take her for walks as often as your husband does? If not, she's probably not used to you. Yes, even after 2 years. My second dog, also a female, didn't like being walked by anyone else but me.

You can do another trick. Take her out with your husband, let him walk her for a couple of minutes and then switch and start walking her. See if she'll continue walking for you.

Clicker training might work for some, but not for me, and maybe not for you. It's great for dogs that are active (like german shepherds for example) but it's not useful for me and my boy.

Lately, I've been using a whistle. There are various dog whistles out there and from the first moment I introduced it to Misha and used it as part of his training, he's been really responsive to it. I use it for recalls and he actually runs to come to me. Try that and see if she comes to you and use it while on walks, to distract her and keep her walking.

You mention that you use the commands but she won't listen, well for me that's the problem. If she doesn't listen to you, she won't follow you for walks too. Work on her basic training and she'll get better. Using various commands without our dog responding, leads to dogs ignoring the commands, thus ignoring us.

Dog training is difficult, and most people I've met and have asked me for advice, are not patient, which is essential. Reading something is always easy, applying all that you've read is always difficult, that's why dog trainers still have a job lol Behind a well behaved dog is always a good training, either from the owner or from a professional.

Here I'm going to make things even more complicated by asking you this. Where are you in your dog's hierarchy? :) Meaning, are you alpha dog or is she the boss?

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well I guess she is the boss if I am the one posting about it. :( I don't mean it to be that way though. My husband walks her in the morning and the afternoon M-F. I walk her at night M-F and our long walks are on the weekends which is where I try to get my training in. Due to our schedules, we can't really change the walking schedule. She should have a good association with me. I feed her in the mornings, my husband feeds her at night but I am always the one to give her all of the extra treats in the house while we are home ie: lettuce or her night snack or treats outside. That has always been done on purpose for the association thing so it does baffle me. I'm not a stranger to her and she is food motivated and all of the fun treats come with me. You would think she'd keep her eyes on me at all times all day long for gods sakes. A few of the female dog walkers have also complained to be about them having the same issue as I do so It could be a female thing too. Why? I don't know but my male dog walkers have no issues and I have confirmed that with them. If it's me and my husband she is of course a perfect walker but she thinks we are going somewhere fun. Yes she eats almost all raw. She does get a tiny bit of kibble like less than 1/4 cup so perhaps I can bring that out with me.

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Marlen

Yes, most people say that female dogs bond easily with men and male dogs with women. But that's still an hierarchy thing. What I have observed is that men are more confident and the dogs know that and are willing to follow them. My dog-training instructor had once told me that for every 20 men that are trained by him, only one woman shows up for the dog training classes.
The one who gives treats is not always the leader, and does not necessarily have a strong bond with the dog. Do you make her work for her treats? Do you make her work for her food?
I always give this example with how I feed my dog. I make him sit or lie down and he has to stay focused on me and wait for me to allow him to go it, even if I decide to make him wait for half a minute or more. He works for his food because he obeys. Simple and easy for him to do, yet helps a lot with establishing who's boss.
The more dog related tasks you have, the more the dog depends on you the more he looks up to you but it's also a matter of rules. What rules you have established and how the dogs respects those rules. In general, even if problems are noted in a particular aspect of dog-owner relationships for example walks, food aggressive, dog aggressive etc it all has to do with all your interactions with the dog, so you have to think of every single thing that happens between you and your dog and if it's good-bad, correct-incorrect etc. That's why for me, every dog owner has to have basic dog training knowledge and know some basic things concerning dog behaviors and a dog's body language. The reason why we need professional dog trainers is because we are not programmed to know all these things and they are able to help us without all the fuss because they watch us interact with our dogs and they know what is going on between dog-owner. For now, try luring her with treats, if she stops try tugging the leash a bit and don't stop walking. See if any of these works. If none of them work, try talking to a trainer. Some of them are willing to help via email, but they almost always have to evaluate the situation up-close :)

Edited by Marlen
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one more question sorry but you've been so great but you brought up something that I hadn't thought of. You are my hero :) When I give her her treats at the house, we always say let's go crate and she runs to the crate and I give her the treat there. She isn't crated meaning the door is left open all day long we just like to feed her treats in there so it's a positive association for her and less messy on our floors.

When I feed her dinner, she gets feed by the door which is not that far away from the crate in the living room. When I bring her food tray should I go to where I feed her by the door (she is always waiting there) for me to come, tell her to go to crate, put the food tray down and then say come? I have a feeling she will come before I say it but just wanted to get your thoughts on that. You make a great point. I've never thought about holding her food "hostage" per se to make her work for it so she knows I am in charge but how can I make her work for it? She does understand sit and down and she is always sitting and shaking all exicted for her food but maybe doing some of this at home with her food tray will help her understand who is authority outside.

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Marlen

The more she works for her food the better it is. You can do whatever you want. Ask her to wait by the door, or ask her to wait in the crate and then come to you.It's all good as long as she learns patience and that she eats when you decide. The point is for her to follow your instructions. She's just not supposed to move until you say so.She has to come to get the food only when you tell her to. The fact that you're feeding her treats in her crate is a good step. Just never give treats to her without asking her to do something. Even if you tell her to sit, lie down and sit again or just give you her paw.

All of their needs are potential "hostages" for us :P lol Of course, you'll never deny them food or water etc but instead, you'll provide them under reasonable rules. That means that we provide what they need, and we have to have a NILF attitude. Nothing In Life is Free. It's not being mean, it's being a responsible leader. A dog that follows is a happy dog. The dog that knows who's leader, always tries to see what his leader wants him to do. I always start working with the problems that dogs have inside the house and then with the problems that they have during walks. That's why when someone tells me his/her problem, I start asking about the dogs eating/sleeping/walking habits and their behavior towards humans/certain situations and other dogs.

I'm happy to help even a little bit :) If you have any more problems, feel free to ask. It's not always sure that we'll be able to help, but you never have anything to lose by asking.

Edited by Marlen
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small update as I had to walk her this afternoon because my husband had dinner plans. We went out and It went well I guess? I'm not sure when to use the clicker and I don't want to confuse her. Sometimes I use it when she is walking well by my side and sometimes I use it to get her attention like today she stopped on a corner and wouldn't budge even though I said let's go. She wouldn't walk and tugging doesn't work by the way. So I clicked and she moved but I don't know if that is the right way to use it. I thought you're suppose to use it to reward good behavior not to make her move. Any advice? Also I held liver in front of her nose when she turned her head and wanted to wait and that worked. It doesn't work too much with kibble though. She likes the kibble but not enough to get her to give up on waiting on someone but the liver definately worked.

Me and my husband both use let's go but I wonder if we've overused it at this point. She hears it 500 million times from me on a walk so maybe she is just immune to it? Would it be worth it to teach her a different let's walk command or would that confuse things?

Oh and I held her dinner hostage and that totally worked. She was confused at first but she immediately go it.

It's only Day 1 I guess of this new method so baby steps I guess.

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Marlen

Hm, I'm confused as to how you use the clicker :P I mean, it's supposed to mark a good behavior but you click, and she moves on? If that works for you, go for it. But if you choose that method, you have to stick with it to the end. Meaning, you'll either mark a good behavior or distract her with it and ask her to move on when she hears the clicker.

As for treats, many dogs will work for their kibble but others want something more, yummier. Looks like your girl belongs to the second category.

You only overuse a command when you say it and your dog does not respond to it. If she does respond to "let's go" then you're okay. If she doesn't...you have two choices. Either stick to the command and re-inforce it by teaching her she absolutely has to obey it every single time by doing successful repetitions or start new with a new command that has the same principle, you start teaching it and teaching her that she has to obey, not ignore the command. It's just like training a puppy. Be consistent and do not let her ignore the command (easy to say, tough to do, I know).

It's true, she'll make baby steps. Some dogs are quick to catch on and others need their time and pace to understand what they're supposed to do. Good job! Stay positive and I'm sure Couscous will appreciate it and you'll have excellent results.

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How do u suggest I use the clicker then? To get her attention when she is completely distracted or for good behavior? Should I just wave food in front of her nose for stopping and waiting for people and use clicker when she walks well? What about when she just stops on a corner just to observe the world? How do I correct that? As u can tell we have so many diff issues for our walks. Lucky me :)

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Marlen

I'd suggest an exercice. I'd recommend a whistle instead of a clicker, but a clicker works too.

Click or blow the whistle and get her to follow. If yiu know for sure that she follows you when she hears the clicker, tell her you chosen command for exemple "let's go" while clicking. That way, she'll start associating the sound with the command, and hopefully she'll follow you when she hears the command and she'll eventually won't need the clicker. If she follows you once she hears the clicker, give her a treat. Don't use it as a lure, because she'll walk only when you hold something in your hand, and you can't do that for the rest of your lives. Since you're not clicker training her, use it as a distraction. You have nothing to lose.

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When you use the clicker you should give a treat, i.e. when she started moving after you gave the command, click then treat. To get her attention when she stops, you can tug or you can lure with a treat. Say your command only once. You don't want to get into the habit of repeating commands to get the desired action. Say it once then tug.

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When she has fully stopped on a corner, she does not move on a tug trust me. I have tried it, it does not make her budge at all. She at times will pull back from a tug and resist. There are times where I have physically picked her up and moved her and then said let's go and she does but I don't want to have to do that as it's not the right way.

She was so funny last night well not really but I have to laugh now otherwise I will just cry. She stopped to wait on people and so I put liver in front of her nose and she immediately reacted to it and then after she ate it, within a second she went right back to looking back and stopping. I should just buy 5 pounds of liver, tie it to a stick and carry it with me on our walks :)

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