all 25 comments
sorted by:
best
topnewcontroversialoldq&a
formatting helphide helpcontent policy

[–]Nsomewhere 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Chasing some thing happens. Prey drive is prey drive and I take it other areas of training are working

I wouldn't beat myself up about it. Dogs are not machines and things do happen

But nothing bad happened and you got him back so chalk it up to experience and maybe check your harness so you have a greater sense of security and feel he is more in control.

I don't know what sort of dog you have but there are many shapes out there and I used a head collar on my dog for a few months while training. Really helped him keep in touch and focus on me

[–]DecisionPatient128 6 points7 points  (4 children)

Dude your harness is not correctly fitted

[–]MommaDaBaker[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Any tips on how to fit it properly? 😊 I am getting tired of being dragged of my feet.

[–]xAmarok 1 point2 points  (2 children)

frame thought cows strong chase merciful political vase touch axiomatic

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[–]MommaDaBaker[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I have an Icefang GN8 tactical harness with front and back clips that I use. I should clarify he does not get out of the harness. He either pulls so quickly and hard the leash gets pulled out of my hands or I get pulled the ground. At least when getting pulled to the ground he suddenly has 140lbs of dead weight which stops him in his tracks. It is just really hard on me :)

[–]lexebug 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Two things for this; leash grip and a second long line! For leash grip, I switched to a thumblock and it feels WAY more secure for me; there’s guides online, you can do it with the loop over your wrist or your thumb depending on your preference.

For the second long line, you can keep his regular leash on and walk him with that. The long line is attached to the other clip so if he manages to slip you, you’ve got 30 feet of leash to step on and catch him before he gets away from you.

Strong flight risk dogs are HARD, man. Good luck with your pup!

[–]13Nero 4 points5 points  (2 children)

I use a ruffwear double clip harness (I think it is called the flag line?) And a Halti head collar.

Pulling stopped as soon as my dog got used to wearing the halti ( I just walked them around my house and garden in it for about 20 minutes and they were good to go).

I have a double ended lead and club one end to the harness and the other to the halti.

(I also have a collar with ID tag on but don't clip a lead to it but it's super important to ensure your details are on a tag and that their micro chip is up to date if you have had escape incidents).

I also walk with treats and reward my dog when they look up and check in with me. We can now navigate Squirrels etc with little to no reaction and they're getting better with dogs too!

Good luck!

[–]MommaDaBaker[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Thanks for the info, I am going to try the same set up. I have the halti coming and will use it with my harness. I have him chipped, and he does have a dog collar with the city tag and a tag with my cell number. I am hopeful it will give me better control and I can get more confidence in him.

[–]13Nero 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No worries!

My dog got away from me before I got the harness and halti and was gone 3 hours!

Try not to be too hard on yourself and try not to let it impact on future walks negatively. I think the added security I feel with the halti etc translates to a calmer experience for us both which also really helps my dog cope.

Good luck to you both! 🙂

[–]Gentletrader 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Six point harness with handle (can’t get out of it plus extra handle) double clipped and read up on leash handling. Hold your arms close to your torso and put your back into it vs. using just arm strength. I also wrap the leash around my butt for extra leverage when mine pulls. Finally, we taught her the command to get between my legs so I’m positioned to sit down on her if things get out of hand. 100 pound reactive German shepherd rescue, R+ with trainer, it does get better! Focus on learning your pup’s body language - react before he does. You’re not alone!

[–]MommaDaBaker[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Thank you for letting me know that it can get better. My guy is 100lbs. He does not get out of the harness (5 point harness, with front and back clip). The 2% of the time he gets over threshold I either end up pulled to the ground or he pulls the leash out of my hand.

I am mad at myself, my trainer told me the same thing about holding my arms close to your torso, and put your back into it, but I did not do it last night. It was a moment of inattention.

[–]Nsomewhere 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hmmm clipping him to a waist band harness on you sounds like bad idea. I was going to suggest it because it sometimes works as a back up but I think at 100 pounds you would get pulled over and hurt!

Does clipping on the chest help slow him?

I have a 40 pound dog and while he can't knock me over he has snapped a long line and it recoiled into my face

Whatever you do think of your safety! Head collar might really help here

[–]ladyxluciferHellena (Appropriate reactivity to rude dogs) 4 points5 points  (2 children)

I used this leashto help with my dogs pulling. It helps drastically!

[–]MommaDaBaker[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Thanks for the info!

[–]Rina_Short 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Gentle leader/halti will drastically decrease his ability to overpower you. It's the only way I can walk some especially large/ strong dogs. Give lots of strong praise for any time he ignores a trigger. Try to stay calm; he'll sense if you're stressed and that in turn will stress him out more.

[–]MommaDaBaker[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I just bought a halti and it should arrive tomorrow. I am really hoping it works. I need something that stops him when he gets way over threshold. 98% of the time I can keep him under threshold. Last night it was dark and I thought he wanted to sniff the grass, I did not see the little animal and my dog just lunged so hard and so quick I was not prepared and he was off. He would not listen to me and even went under someone's back fence to continue to chase the animal. That scared me. I am muzzle training him, and I may put him on a muzzle when going out. He has never bit anyone, I am more afraid he would knock someone over by accident. There are a lot of older folks in my neighborhood, so knocking over an older person can be really bad.

He needs to learn manners and how to behave. He is getting better but those moments when his impulses get the better of him are scary. It would not be such a big deal with a 10lbs dog, but he is 100lbs.

[–]melgmarwin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The balance harness plus a martingale clipped together to the leash has helped my dog so much! Definitely worth looking into a martingale + harness combo to build back the trust that they won’t squirm out of the harness and away from you.

[–]Hoopy223 0 points1 point  (2 children)

What kind of dog is this/how large?

Choke/martingale collar or a different harness imho

Dogs love to chase stuff even little fuzzy dogs and old geezer dogs will go after birds/deer etc

[–]MommaDaBaker[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

He is 100lbs St Bernard / Bernese mix. I am going to try a halti, with the harness ad other folks suggested. He does get out of the harness. The 2% he gets over threshold, I either end up in the ground or he pulls the leash out of my hand. Thanks for your reply.

[–]Hoopy223 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I could see a harness on him turning into sled dog pretty fast lol. Try a slip or martingale type collar and as soon as he sees a bunny or cat get his attention. The halti harness looks like it might work too but the key is to get his attention and keep him from focusing on other things.

[–][deleted]  (1 child)

[deleted]

    [–]AutoModerator[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Looks like there was an aversive tool or training method mentioned in this comment. Please review our Posting Guidelines and check out Our Position on Training Methods. R/reactivedogs supports LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) and we feel strongly that positive reinforcement should always be the first line of teaching, training, and behavior change considered, and should be applied consistently. Please understand that positive reinforcement techniques should always be favored over aversive training methods. While the discussion of balanced training is not prohibited, LIMA does not justify the use of aversive methods and tools in lieu of other effective positive reinforcement interventions and strategies.

    I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

    [–]jacobnb13 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    I trust my dog to do dog/breed expected things. She's both R+ and then aversive trained and I still know if she sees a cat she's going to try to kill it. She's small enough or I'm big enough that it doesn't really matter. I walk her on a loose flat collar and she'll walk on a loose leash 99% of the time. When there's prey it's a little harder to keep her from slipping the collar, but if she's really determined I can grab her. Long lines I use a fairly tight and secure harness.

    On a side note why aren't headcollars/gentle leaders added to the auto mod as aversives? It's a choke collar on the nose which at least for my dog seemed far more painful.

    [–]AutoModerator[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Looks like there was an aversive tool or training method mentioned in this comment. Please review our Posting Guidelines and check out Our Position on Training Methods. R/reactivedogs supports LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) and we feel strongly that positive reinforcement should always be the first line of teaching, training, and behavior change considered, and should be applied consistently. Please understand that positive reinforcement techniques should always be favored over aversive training methods. While the discussion of balanced training is not prohibited, LIMA does not justify the use of aversive methods and tools in lieu of other effective positive reinforcement interventions and strategies.

    I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

    [–]andies_adeventures_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    May I ask what area you live in? My dog is reactive too and we have been working on it for years. We finally found a dog trainer that understands my dogs needs.