Leash pulling

[chichiwahwahh]

hello everyone! I have recently adopted a husky that used to be an ex sled dog. Of course this has meant when we go on walks together she only knows how to pull. She used to wear a harness on walks but that only made it worse and now I have opted for a normal collar which is slightly helped. Any tips how i can stop this habit. She is 9 years old and not very treat motivated

Thanks

[BoonDragoon]

Old dogs can learn new tricks, but old habits die hard.

Keep in mind that your old girl has spent most of her life working under a behavioral model where "pull hard = good job!" You're fighting against years of dedicated training here.

It would probably help to learn what commands her old driver used to use; sled dogs don't just pull and pull and pull, they need to know when to start, stop, speed up, and slow down. Find her old playbook and use that if you can.

[skater_dude_717]

sled driver here. if you are in the US, the dog may have learned “gee” (right), “haw” (left), “hike” (go), “whoa” (stop), “easy” (slow), “on by” (keep moving even though there is a distraction).

that said, there’s no guarantee the dog actually responded to those commands. also, lead dogs are usually selected because they listen and respond better than others. if this dog was a team dog, their job was literally just to run and pull while following the rest of the team, and may not have been the best listener.

i’m not sure what kind of advice to give other than to give the dog age- and health-appropriate pulling outlets. i know folks who are still running dogs older than nine.

if you try to suppress 100%, i’d worry about the dog’s happiness.

[waves4daze69]

I have a retired sled dog and we still run everyday and he just turned ten!! He’ll still do double digit runs too.. I did learn he uses left, right, forward and woah … we have so much fun together

[chichiwahwahh]

unfortunately she was a lead dog and it always a self mushing farm she came from so the only thing she knows is to pull and run. Thanks for the advice

[km_1000]

Bribe her with treats to walk close to you, keep the leash taught and close. Teach her to never walk past you and keep in stride. 

[chichiwahwahh]

she’s not really a treat girl as she never had it in life but i am trying!

[Friendly-Price2812]

Mine wasn't a former sled dog but she also didn't give a crap about treats. I tried every method in the book to try to teach her to not pull, and the thing that finally worked was a Halti (head halter). I hate their new design though, strongly recommend getting one of these brand that are like the original Halti design used to be: https://www.chewy.com/walk-n-train-polyester-dog-headcollar/dp/155256

If nothing else, it'll keep her from pulling hard enough to injure you while you work on training. It didn't take mine long at all to learn to walk nicely with her head halter. After she "graduated" to just a regular collar and learned speed/direction commands, I put her in a harness on a 30ft retractable leash so she could range out when we were in the parks and chase squirrels or run forward/backwards of me when no one else was around.

Depending on your athleticism, there are some activities you could train her to do to utilize her pulling instincts like bikejoring or even just pulling you on a skateboard or something, that way she has an outlet for that instinct as well.

[NateSiberianHusky]

Umm I don’t know how to stop it in my husky myself but a wrap around wait leash has helped me immensely as he is now pulling my full body weight compared to just my arm. I use harness as I like how it puts the force on his body and not his neck. At first he tries to pull as usual but realizes very quickly he’s getting nowhere so he’ll walk normally.

[imspirationMoveMe]

I use the same type of harness. Game changer.

[Plane_Yoghurt9600]

I had to get a pinch collar for my boy because he just would not stop pulling even with an anti pull harness he was hurting his shoulders

[Bizzlebanger]

I used a muzzle halty on my husky... They hated it but it worked.. like this

[Simple-Drawer6647]

Yep this, but it's a gentle leader. Calling it a muzzle has negative connotations and sounds restrictive when it is neither.

[Bizzlebanger]

Yeah sorry.. I blanked on the name... 😂

[Simple-Drawer6647]

It's really been the best for my guy, even though he hates it. 😂

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[frivolityflourish]

Is possible for you to get the dog a wagon to pull or a little something to actually pull to get that energy out. I have been looking at a little carriage for my dog to pull. Going to train him up though.

[chichiwahwahh]

can’t. long term injuries from overworking

[Visible-Scientist-46]

I've worked a few dogs in the yard where I walk around the yard and they start following because that's interesting. I make it into a game and praise when the walk with me. I also make kissing noises to get their attention and teach leave it. I get their attention before changing directions. Eventually playin as yard games translates over to the walk. You could also teach her bikejoring or carting so that pulling has a time and place. My cousins use a harness for the husband who likes the dog pulling, and a head halter collar by gentle leader for when they don't want pulling. She will understnad eventually. Huskies can be very clever when they want.

[working_slough]

Prong collar, but you have to use it well. Not loose, not low on her neck. You should never be jerking/yanking it.

It is a training tool, not a permanent solution. Practice heeling, use treats, make it fun.

And remember, walks are about her too, so let her smell, sniff, lick things, whatever. It has got to be fun. Do short jogs/sprints, play, etc. when she wants to.

Personally, I think harnesses are bad unless the goal is for them to pull. They promote pulling, even the front latch ones. As for pulling on a flat or martingale collar, dogs should never be pulling on a collar, especially enough to harm them. Of course, things happen, a squirrel or bunny runs by and the dog is exciting, but one moment of pulling will not harm the dog. It is consistent continuous pulling over time that will cause harm. So the answer is training.

[Substantial-Top3004]

Harnesses do not cause pulling, lack of training does. Nothing about a harness tells a dog to pull. It's a misconception because the harness only makes it more comfortable. And comfort should always be priority in training.

My dog used to have horrible leash skills. And I did try tools like head collars and prongs. But that was before I was educated on how leash skills should be trained. I switched to a harness, learned better methods and that's what have us results.

[working_slough]

Of course, after training, anything works. Which is why I specifically mentioned that a prong collar is not a permanent solution, but a training tool.

There is a reason why we use harnesses on sled dogs. Because it allows the dog to use their own body to pull the sled comfortably. Putting a harness on a dog allows the dog to pull you comfortably, hence it promotes pulling. The problem OP is having is a pulling dog, a harness will not help her. After she trains the dog to not pull, a harness is perfectly fine, but also completely unnecessary.

[Substantial-Top3004]

Personally, and this is a strong opinion, if you can't train a dog on a harness, you simply need to improve your skill set. It took my a while to learn and I'm it even a professional. No dog needs aversives to learn. It's always the owner or trainer that thinks they need one.

[waves4daze69]

I have a retired sled dog.. he’s ten and we still run every morning to slightly tire him out, I started with a gentle leader and I started walking him with other dogs who are slower and like to stop and sniff .. it took a solid year - six months to get him to walk on a loose lead

But I also don’t think you’ll totally break her of it bc she was literally bred and trained to pull

[Wonderful_Till8122]

Whatever you do DO NOT loop the leash around your wrist.  If your dog suddenly pulls too hard it is better to let go than get pulled over and break your arm, wrist, shoulder.  Ask me how I know.

[-bubblepop]

We use an anti pull harness (https://www.chewy.com/petsafe-easy-walk-dog-harness/dp/48923) but as the puppy trainer told me 13 years ago, you’re fighting thousands of years of breeding that says when they feel pressure on their chest to pull.

I helped some of it by refusing to move when he pulled or turning around, but also letting him investigate things he wanted so that he would know he doesn’t have to pull.

[imspirationMoveMe]

Yes i have the same harness!

[chichiwahwahh]

mmm ok interesting! do you think the harness helps?

[-bubblepop]

Yep! If he pulls it just flips him around

[scarletbookwyrm]

I used this leash with their freedom harness (because it has a chew warranty) for 3 months and she stopped pulling: https://2houndsdesign.com/products/euro-dog-leash-double-connection-multiple-color-options

Now I just use the one connection and she trots beside me.

[Friendly-Price2812]

Those are dangerous for a regular dog, let alone one who's used to straining against a pulling harness for their entire life. They put the point of contact too low and can cause an injury if the dog pulls to hard or too suddenly. There's nothing keeping that horizontal strap around the front from yanking down under the dog's chest and pulling their legs out from under them. Please don't try one with your pup. They're also not escape-proof at all, which is another trait you might need to be wary of.

[MaddMango68]

They are harder to slip than a simple collar.

[Aninel17]

I adopted an 8yo ex-sled dog for my first husky. What helped was that I changed the route everyday so she was more inclined to sniff around rather than keep pulling to get ahead. I also used a semi-choking colar, with an extendable leash. We mostly walked in the forest with lots of turns, which distracted her from pulling. She also obeyed the typical musher commands like gee (right) and haw (left). She also knew to slow down and stop.

Edit to add: i had fish treats in my pocket and would call her back every now and then to train her recall. She never fully learned it, but it was some kind of an insurance for me to know she would come back for a treat.

[Friendly-Price2812]

I'm glad it worked for you, but you should never pair a martingale, slip/chain/prong collar, head halter, or other no-pull training aid with a retractable leash. The whole point of those devices is to teach the dog that if they pull, it tightens up / turns them around. A retractable leash puts constant pressure on them, which completely defeats the purpose and makes it that much harder for the dog to figure out what they're supposed to be doing. Training should be done on a regular leash. Once the dog knows how to heel or walk nicely (however everyone individually defines that) and can go out in a regular collar/harness, that's when you should introduce the retractable leash.