loose-leash walking is not a strict heel - LLW is just "don't pull".
here are some videos illustrating how to teach it, and how the dog learns:
YouTube - How to train your dog not to pull- Loose Leash Walking

or
YouTube - Loose Leash walking with eye contact
YouTube - Loose Leash Walking with toy distractions

or
YouTube - CIA Casefile: 'Murphy' Heeling

or
YouTube - How to teach your dog to STOP pulling! (part 1)
YouTube - How to teach your dog to CALMLY walk on a LOOSE LEASH (part II)

Ian Dunbar's version:
YouTube - Dog Training - Reward Training


using a Mekuti harness
Balance Dog Harness - stop your dog pulling on the lead - 30 day money back guarantee.

tongue-in-cheek film with the Mekuti
YouTube - Dog Myth Nr. 2 .. Harnesses encourage pulling

do U have any favorite videos of pain-free LLW-teaching? please share...

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

Hi, I've been trying Kikopup's method for loose-leash walking with my 5-month-old puppy - treating him when he's walking alongside me and the leash is slack, calling him back/changing direction when he goes to rush ahead.

I've stopped taking him on the walk we used to go on (down along the beach where he'd pull constantly), we now just walk up and down up and down the alley behind my house. We do this for 15 minutes, twice a day. We've been doing it for maybe 2 weeks now and I'm not seeing much of a change in him, he's still wanting to pull. I obviously don't expect him to be walking perfectly on a loose leash so soon, but when can I expect to see him start to get it?

Ooh ill have a proper gander at these tomorrow thanks x

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hey, piney! :-)
30-mins walking, probably not at a brisk pace, is not really 'exercise' for a 5-MO pup - most 8-WO pups could do this.
does he get other aerobic exercise, with real running at speed, or full-body swimming, or other work?

i'd be walking him briskly with a front-clip harness for management + exercise, before spending 1/4 to 1/2
of that time in training - IOW if i walked him for a brisk point-to-point 30-mins, i'd spend 10 to 15-mins training for LLW, but not contiguously; training is frustrating, hard work,
and breaking it up helps: 5-mins training, 5-mins fetch or tug, etc.

does that make sense? the walk with some HALTS [on Ur terms] to sniff and poke about, will get the ants out
of his pants, and the cobwebs from his mind - then he should train more mindfully, and with less distraction.

if this makes no sense, LOL, let me know - it's been a long day, i'm off to bed.
happy training,
- terry

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

Hey Terry, thanks for the reply!

That was what I thought, and I used to take him on longer walks (though he'd pull), but then the dog trainer who runs the class we take him to said to everybody that puppies do not need exercise at this age, they need experiences, so sitting outside the supermarket or in busy places with him would mean he has a lot of experience with the world, which she says is more beneficial to him.

I've got a halti harness for him, could I just ask in your experience is it necessary to use a lead with two clips, and clip one to the front of the harness and one to the part that rests between the shoulders? This is what the halti manual recommends (as in this video YouTube - HALTI Harness - Stops Pulling), but I'd rather just use one clip like you say. With two, things tend to get tangled and it's awkward trying to use both hands.


Thank you, great advice! I think though I agree with my trainer in what she says regarding puppies needing experience over exercise, I think at the same time it's important for him to learn about the whole routine of walking, and being outside combined with training, otherwise it's left until later and will surely be harder to teach? I think I'll talk to her about it some more and see.

ooh, dear i hate to disagree with a fellow trainer, and it's possible that Ur interpretation is not exact - if this were a CHOICE
of either-or and i only had 30-mins each day, every day of the week, to train my puppy [which IMO means i should not
have chosen a pup, but a young-adult with some manners, but we'll skip that...] would i CHOOSE 'expose + experience'
or 'active exercise'? - i think i would choose both: 20-mins of giving the dog real aerobic exercise, so that the pup
CAN sit or lie-down for 10-mins consecutively at the grocery-store. passively sitting + observing is not
what dogs and pups excel at, unless they get their ya-yas out first. then they can relax and observe, IME.

i would not want him getting practice pulling, so management to prevent pulling during walks for exercise, plus time
to train teaching LLW As an exercise, are both important.
i could just as easily walk him round the parking-lot at the grocers for 10-mins, meeting friendly people, THEN
sit for 5-mins, walk about for 10-mins, sit for 5-mins, and go home - he's had both active and passive experiences,
we had some nice socialization opportunities, he heard the carts rattle and bang and squeak, car-doors slamming -
it's all food for thought and valuable experience, the more the merrier.

besides, he's 5-MO - a month away from full-blown puberty, how many 10-YO boys do U know who like to sit?!
and observe - hah! not bloody likely, unless they've let their energy out elsewhere; then, yes - not before.
he should get off-leash exercise and if possible, play with other dogs; if his recall is iffy, leave a drag on his harness.
[remember not to call him during active-play: go get him; and now + then, call him, reward, + TURN HIM LOOSE again.]

if there are no leash-free places for dogs that are safe, find a fenced place and have playdates with other pups; ask Ur vet
if there are other pups near his age and size, find a tennis-court to borrow for 30-mins of madness [take water along].
find pup-tolerant adult dogs of both genders who would love a 15-minute romp with a puppy, who will interrupt him
if he's rude and teach him manners without quashing him or hurting him.
i have never used a Halti-harness, i have used ordinary H-harnesses with a front-ring to clip the leash onto, and the Premier
Pet-Products 'E-Z Walker' which has a small loop like a martingale spanning the chest; if the dog or handler pull on the leash,
the loop closes more or less, putting some pressure across the chest.
so if the Halti has some specific design that needs both ends secured, then i think it would be important to use both;
otherwise if it is too clumsy and awkward, i'd skip it and clip the leash at the chest and not worry about the 2nd clip.
maybe the instructor can show U a better way to manage the leash?
can it be worn bandolier-style for better control, with one hand for guiding the dog?
definitely - getting the pup used to anything they need to know thoroughly, as early as possible, is IMO best - the longer
it is delayed, the more challenging it is to teach, as in the meantime, casual habits are forming that must be removed
before new learning can be absorbed + become habitual, as a new routine.
good idea - and ask her if there is a way to prevent the tangling, or handle the leash in a better way.
happy training,
- terry

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

Thanks again for all the advice, lots to think about! :-)