Should your dog wear a head-halter?

Head halters are quite useful tools.  It helps with dogs that are large and strong that pull on leash. But most importantly head-halters are a must for those dogs that for whatever reason lunge and pull towards other dogs or people.

I am amazed to see how, when used correctly, head-halters can become the difference between being able to walk a dog that is too strong and with big displays of aggression and not being able to walk the dog at all.

The way this piece of equipment works is similarly to how a horse halter works on a horse.  Wherever the head of the dog goes, the rest follows.

Case in point:
I am working with a client who has a large dog that at times can lunge at people should a person approach them. This happened while we were working together. I saw my very keen client stop the dog in its tracks and literally prevent him from lunging towards the person- instead the dog sat!

Later that afternoon, I am working with a couple with their dog who has similar displays as the one in the morning. This particular dog was new to the head-halter and part of the training was teaching the dog that wearing it means he gets to go for a fun walk.   During this same session, I see how my clients can readily redirect their dog effortlessly.  They are amazed at the difference in influencing where the dog is looking and even walking.

There is a bit of a learning curve for people working with their dog and a head-halter.  Because the leash is attached to the piece of equipment that rides high behind the dog’s head it is absolutely crucial that people are gentle and avoid jerking the dog around. It is also important to avoid putting pressure on the front of the halter.  This can be easily achieved by being mindful that the clip of the leash should hang below the dog’s chin instead of pulling on the dog with the clip parallel to the ground.

If you are struggling with your dog pulling on the leash, teaching your dog to wear a head-halter can be very helpful. Do keep in mind that your dog will not learn not to pull, but it will make it a lot easier for you to walk him by how you can influence the direction the dog is walking. If your dog engages in lunging and hard pulling as a result of being afraid, the head-halter is frankly the only way I would recommend walking the dog.

Below is a simple training plan that can help your dog become comfortable with the head-halter.  In addition, make sure to follow the instructions for fitting the halter.  There are quite a few brands out there and each one of them fits a bit differently.  A correct fit is indispensable to ensure your dog is comfortable with the halter and that it works as it should.

Introducing the head-halter:
To make your dog associate the halter with good things, get out the yummiest treats you can think of, and follow the steps below. The steps can be done in one session or over several, depending on your dog’s comfort level.

Step 1. Reach through and treat.
• Hold the halter up by the nose loop with one hand so your dog notices it.
• Reach through the nose loop with your other hand to give your dog a treat.
• Repeat until your dog is asking for the treat by sticking his nose through the nose loop.
• From now on, every time your dog sees the halter, treat him. When the halter goes away, stop treating.

Step 2. Nose loop on and treat.
• Again, put the nose loop on, then treat, and remove the halter. But now begin to leave the nose loop on for a few seconds longer each time before you present the treat.
• When your dog is eagerly pushing his nose through the loop as soon as you present it, leave the loop on while you feed him several treats in quick succession.
• Slowly build the duration until your dog happily wears the loop for 5-10 seconds.

Step 3. Nose loop on, buckle and treat.
• Ask your dog to put his nose through the loop. Then hold one neck strap behind his neck so he feels a light pressure. Treat. Take off the halter, stop treating.
• Repeat this until your dog gets only one or two treats and is still comfortable. (Over please)

• Now add the second strap. Don’t close the buckle yet, just hold the two straps. Apply light pressure and treat. Remove the halter and stop treating.
• Repeat this until your dog gets only one or two treats and is still comfortable.
• Close the buckle and immediately offer a small avalanche of treats. Praise lavishly. Keep it short—after a few seconds remove the halter and stop treating.
• Repeat until your dog can comfortably wear the halter for 10 seconds.

Step 4: Wearing the head-halter and treat.
• Put the head halter on your dog and immediately feed him his dinner. (Have his dinner ready beforehand.)
• When he is done, clip on the leash and immediately go for a lovely walk. Take some treats and treat him throughout the walk. (Have your shoes on and be ready to go.)

Teaching your dog to walk on a loose leash using this simple technique

I don’t know about you, but I really do not like to walk dogs that pull on leash.  I find that when this happens the walk just lost its relaxing quality. Perhaps other people do not feel the same about their dogs walking on a loose leash. Dogs pulling on a leash is so ubiquitous that I joke with myself that I will pay every person that I see walking with a dog on a loose leash.  “I can do this,” I tell myself, because I will not be making a big investment…

So why exactly do dogs pull on leash?

There are several factors that contribute to this behavior.  I am listing them here and not necessarily in order of importance.

1. Not pulling on leash is not part of dog’s natural (read genetic) make-up.  There is no reason in their natural state not to pull, because they are no leashes stopping them
2. Restrain of any kind is aversive for animals in most circumstances. This goes back to having an opportunity to flee should they feel threatened.
3. Their center of gravity is just behind their front legs - so they are kind of already propelled forward.
4. Naturally they think that running or walking fast will get them where they want to go - who can blame them, right? See all the points above!
5. Okay, here is where you come in: NOBODY has taught them that walking on a loose leash pays big time, pulling stops the fun and it will take longer to get “there”.  Another reason on the same vein as not being taught what to do is that someone (perhaps even one person) allows them to pull some of the time when on leash.  Yep, even one person allowing some pulling will do the trick to teach your pup that pulling is a-okay.  (sigh!)

Are you panicking already?  Now, the truth is that while it is actually LOTS of work in the form of consistency and many, many repetitions of the dog walking without pulling, you can teach dogs not to pull.

If you are ready to take the plunge because you are motivated, tired of being jerked around, recovering from a dislocated shoulder, courtesy of your exuberant pup’s pulling habits I must congratulate you.  Follow the training plan (I even made a video - link bellow, for you to watch the steps) below for this very easy technique to teach Fido to walk politely. If you really practice with consistency AND you make sure no one else is allowing him to pull, you will reach success.

NOTE:
When NOT working on the technique below you should walk your dog (clip the leash) to a FRONT clip harness. There are quite a few brands out there.  The thing about a harness like this is that while it does not teach your dog not to pull, it will give you some relief by its mere design - which kind of turns the dog around when they pull.

The second reason I want you to have this tool, is because realistically speaking people do not take their precious pulling pup for a walk and are willing to work on anti-pulling exercises for the length of the walk.  Of course, this is what professional trainers like myself do and why you must pay us the big bucks. LOL… Now back to the training plan:

The way you will use the collar and the front clip harness is as follows:
You will clip your dog’s leash to the FRONT clip harness when walking him.  You will ONLY clip the leash to your dog’s flat collar - not a prong collar or a choke chain, when and only when you will be working on the training plan below. So yes, there will be some back and forth changing the leash so make sure you hold to your dog tight when unclipping.

If you are consistent in working with your dog on every walk even for a few minutes, eventually you will be able to spend more time training during the walks because you are being successful.  Slowly you will see your dog is getting better and now the whole walk can be done on a loose leash.

Your choice at this point as to how you will walk your dog- on a harness or the flat collar.  I repeat: no choke-chain collars or prong.  Your dog deserves be-tt-errr.

Follow the steps below:
With a hungry pup and a flat collar…
Begin your training ideally in a non-distracting environment. Yes, this could be your living room, backyard etc.  If beginning here, you can skip the harness for now since you will be working for short periods on this.  Once you go outside for the real walk put on the front-clip harness and follow the directions above for when to clip to the harness and when to clip to the collar.

Your dog will do what he has done for a while now, reach the end of the leash making it taut.
As he does:
1. STOP MOVING FORWARD!!
2. Either call your dog to you by name, a fun sound or patting your leg
3. When your dog is moving towards you, begin taking a few steps backwards.  Three is enough.
4. Once your dog has cought up with you, he is now next to you or at least the leash is not taut anymore
5. WAIT for at least 3 seconds (count in our head: Mississippi ONE…)  since we want to avoid having your dog taking turns by pulling and not pulling, instead we just want him NOT pull. Or better said: to walk on a loose leash at all times…
6. Give your dog a treat
7. Continue moving forward.
8. Rinse and repeat for the length of time you will be training your pup to walk politely on a loose leash.


I cannot stress enough the benefit of practicing in a non-distracting environment so that you get the sequence correct and the mechanics.  If you choose to take it on the road, do the training almost at the end of the walk instead of the beginning when your pup would have had the opportunity of some sniffing and reliving itself.  As you both improve, you can begin to train earlier on your walk.  Distractions are part of life and what makes the walk interesting for your dog, but they are what makes training much harder to implement. So, do not be too anxious in reaching your goals around distractions.

For those of you living in Santa Fe, NM area, you are in luck!  I am teaching a 1 hr. hands on workshop on Saturday July 29th 8am-9am on loose leash where we will practice the technique show in this video: https://youtu.be/FazJbAq2wyE   in addition to some other fun games to teach proper manners.

You can find the details/sign up for this workshop here: http://www.chacodognewsevents.com/calendar/   You might have to scroll down the calendar to find it.

Happy Training!

Still Learning

I am working with some clients and their dog in teaching the dog not to pull on leash. They had come to me after a frustrating full-time pulling outing with their dog.

I take the dog’s leash from my client’s hand and we take off walking, the dog was barely pulling and very interested in what I have to offer him.

My clients who are standing nearby can’t believe their powerful dog is not interested in pulling and jokingly (and probably happy to see their dog can learn) tell me that they are not making stuff up… that the dog was really pulling! I tell them that I know they are not “lying” and that I believe that their dog was pulling because most dogs will pull if they have not been taught otherwise.

As I describe to them what I am doing and why the dog is now not pulling, one of my client’s offers that she thinks her dog is walking nicely without pulling because I am assertive. I tell her that it is not so much that I am assertive (which I am but not the main reason for my nice walking on leash “success”) but that the main reasons are:

1. I know what I want the dog to do. In other words I have a clear picture in my head of what walking nicely on leash is. So I can aim for this goal with less work and more rapidly. Similarly to having good directions when not familiar with a destination.
2. I am paying the dog handsomely for tiny success of him remaining semi-close to me or at least walking in front of me with a loose leash - the opposite of a taut one.

I turn to her and I tell her… the “trick is to recognized that Rover is still learning how to walk nicely on a leash." He is in effect in the first of four stages of learning; the Acquisition stage.

When a dog is in this first stage of learning the dog must learn what we want him to do. What exactly will produce a reinforcer. In order for our learner to move into the next stage we must provide ample feedback (read: treats, smiles, praise etc.- any good stuff that will make the dog want to continue learning and working with you).

Fluency is the next stage. In essence the dog becomes capable (or fluent) in his ability to perform the trained behavior as if on “auto-pilot”. At this stage we are seeing more and more correct responses and as the responses go up in number also the number of times the dog is reinforced for “good answers” and because reinforcement increases the behavior that has been reinforced… the number of correct behaviors continues to increase.

Now we can begin stage 3: Generalization. At this stage the dog learns that the new learning has many relevant applications (or context in which it needs to be performed). In our example of walking nicely on leash the dog is now able to walk without pulling not only in a semi-distracting environment. Say, when being walked in front of his home, a familiar location, but in addition, the dog learns that walking on a loose leash when seeing a familiar dog, getting a scent of an interesting smell etc. is the way to go. I know, it sounds almost impossible but it happens all the time!

The final stage is that of Maintenance. At this last stage our learner is consistent in offering the correct behavior in all sorts of instances or environments.

Now, I just described to you what the learner is learning and the process of learning, but what is the role of the “teacher/coach/ trainer/owner" as we teach our dog to engage in desirable behaviors?

There are so many important skills and knowledge base that is needed in order to teach anyone with efficacy and empathy- dog training is no different! And that is in part what makes it so interesting to some of us and such a big challenge to most people.

The one skill I want to focus on is that one of providing feedback to the dog.

One of the biggest misconceptions in training dogs is that the dog learns by the use of a verbal cue (command). In reality dogs learn in two main ways and one of them is by consequences - good and bad.

What I mean by feedback is the use of a reward (reinforcer) as a form of “payment” to the dog but most importantly as a motivator – something the dog wants or would work for, for doing what I want him to do!

There, the big secret is out!

So what I was doing with my leash-pulling friend was reinforcing him for very small successes that kept him wanting to not only pay attention to what was earning him the reinforcer, but also able to continue to work for me for a longer period of time - so learning was taking place. Trainers often hear the following question: How long will I have to continue feeding my dog? The answer is that is depends.

It all depends on the stage of learning your dog is at for that specific behavior. Yes. It is more complex (and fun) than the description above but in essence that is correct. As the dog becomes successful in what we are aiming to teach him we can scale down on reinforcers.

Curiously enough, this in itself will maintain the behavior going strong - under learned circumstances. Once again, the science of animal learning is much more complex than saying “pay lots at the beginning and then pay less.” The devil is in the details and in the understanding of a few principles that will enable our learner to learn and for everyone involved in the process to enjoy it.

Stop & Go

I am taking any opportunity I have to walk Rio and Deuce separately. In truth it makes the walks much more enjoyable for me.

Unfortunately for me, both Deuce and Rio were adopted when they were beginning adolescence and have not previously been taught to walk nicely on leash. For me a dog that pulls when walked is a real drag. It really pushes my buttons.

However, all is not lost, but believe me teaching an adult (or adolescent) dog not to pull requires LOTS of consistency and repetition and did I forget to mentioned tremendous amounts of
patience?

I have used many different techniques to teach these guys and my client’s dogs not to pull. By not pulling I mean walking on a slack leash either in front or to a side - either side. I do not want my dogs on a heel position when we are walking. I don’t find this to be necessary; after all aren’t we going to walks to have fun and relaxation?

Each dog is different in how they learn and what motivates them at a given moment. For example: Deuce as a herding dog would love to be able to chase cars, all cars while Rio (a beagle/cattle-dog mix) ignores them - so far at least. But try to get that Beagle to mind you when in the presence of a smell! You get the idea.

My training & leash walks with Deuce are peppered with behaviors that we use when sheepherding - the ultra-plus activity for a Border collie!

I have incorporated some of the cues I use when sheepherding to teach Deuce to walk nicely on a leash. One of the cues I use is the “Stop” cue which means just that: stop moving.

We begin with him on a loose leash and before he makes the leash taut (this is the critical part) I ask him for a stop.

Because of the way I have used the stop while sheepherding for Deuce it also means lay down on the spot. In between these two behaviors we walk and make turns as needed to keep that leash loose. This requires given Deuce constant feedback (stop, walk, good boy, etc.)

After just a couple of sessions I have seen Deuce walk for longer distances on a loose leash.

Now, trying to teach two dogs to stop pulling at the same time is one of the craziest things you can do. In essence the dog must first learn to individually walk on a loose leash without distractions say in a “boring” environment such as a living room. If the dog cannot walk nicely on a leash here, the chances of you being successful in the big outdoors are probably nil.

It is unfortunate that we live in a world that is enamored with effortless and fast results - no matter what the task might be. In addition, some quasi-dog training TV programs makes things looks oh
so easy.

Viewers who drink the cool-aid think that if someone can train a dog to do pretty much anything in a ½ an hour show the same should apply to their “smart” dog! Ah, what a trap this is. To prove my point I think of how freaking difficult it is for me to make changes in my own behavior… you know where I am heading, no?

So in between teaching my fab’ dogs not to pull, I try on double the session so that I can learn to breathe deeply and remind myself that quick and effortlessly does not exist! At least not in the world of dog training.

About Husbands (Or Wives) and Going Back to Kindergarten

Once in a while I get a “day-off” from walking Laika and Deuce. This is great because my morning routine slows down. I can concentrate on doing some yoga or jumping full swing into emails or writing a post for my blogs.

A couple of days ago I got my “day off”.  John, my husband, along with the dogs in tow went out the door. With this arrangement, there is also another ritual that I perform: As John is walking in the door with happy dogs and in search for their water bowl, I ask: How did it go? It did not take long to condition John to respond with exactly the information I am looking for.

This morning his response was: back to kindergarten with Deuce. While I am not 100% surprised by his response, he now has my full attention (even in downward facing dog) and I ask that he elaborates. He replies, Deuce is getting in the habit of not listening and just darting towards the neighbor’s house so I am putting him on a leash now.

Mmmm, too bad I think, because as they were leaving that AM, I asked John to work with Deuce-who was being walked on an empty stomach – with his recall (called when call) using roasted chicken. I asked John if he had been able to practice any of this and his answer was: yes, I called him to me while he remained on the leash clicked and rewarded him for coming.

Ahh brilliant! I thought… this is what 12 years of marriage can do to your husband! What I mean is that John is NOT in the behavioral sciences (even though he has a very high emotional IQ :)) he is in the solar industry… way far from having to treats dogs for performing a requested behavior or understanding in depth-learning theory.

Okay, I get it. You might be more interested in why John is willing to work so hard with Deuce when that is what I do. And in addition he came up with such an appropriate way of teaching him what he must learn at this stage. The answer… to John and his willingness to adhere to MY program, deserves its own post so for now, I am going back to Deuce.

Back to Kindergarten (BTK) is a concept that I learned when I was getting my chops as a trainer at the San Francisco Academy for Dog Training. In essence, if the dog that you are training (or the precious border collie that is now YOUR dog) :) is in the acquisition stage of learning a new behavior and fails i.e.: has yet not fully learned what you want him to learn, you make things easier for him… you find a baby step that the dog can perform with accuracy so that you can reward that.

From that BTK step you begin to build once again a continuation of baby steps that will ensure that your dog will not only learn better, BUT it also it removes a lot of the stress and frustration the dog might experience if one is not careful and asks repetitively for behaviors that dog cannot perform consistently.

Since Deuce is an adolescent (and the clown of the family) he chooses to explore the wide-world in front of him instead of coming to John or myself when on our daily walks, it is important that we request his attention and that we set it up so that he can give it to us. For now his recall is from the length of the leash and off leash in only certain areas. We also pay big time attention to eye contact or waiting defined by: do not move forward from where you are.

Every day is a new opportunity for learning,  we must learn to be flexible with our dogs and acknowledge that today for this behavior I need to be smart, to be flexible and go back to kindergarten. Doing so takes know-how, understanding that tiny-steps will solidify a final behavior and LOTS of patience! Not bad for one day of learning!