# 10 month old lab pulling/jumping at people



## sarahmufc93 (Jun 17, 2012)

Hi all,

I have a 10 month lab called Miles and as much as he has calmed down his general behaviour since his castration a couple of months back no matter what I do I can't get him walking right on a lead on a permanent basis. The most frustrating part about it is when he feels like it he walks perfectly fine (i've been walking him since he had his injections) for example just this morning i took him out and he was superb i use little hotdog sasuages as treats as recommended to me by a trainer however this afternoon he was horrific pulling constantly and wouldn't listen to a word I said. He knows the command "heel" but ingores me most of the time. I've tried every harness under the sun and techniques from several different people and I can't get through to him.

Another problem I have is he tries to jump at people while we're out. I try getting him to sit but when he sees someone there's no stopping him yanking me forward. He's a big dog and I'm not the strongest of people even my Dad struggles to control him so as you can imagine seeing people is a nightmare. When people come into the house we've found a way of getting him to calm down one is timeout putting him in another room for a minute or two and asking my friends if they could tell him to sit/get down when he starts that's worked fine but when I'm out I'm really clueless on ideas to stop this.

A little long I apologize but if anyone can give me any sort of tips to try I'd be forever grateful!

Thanks 

Sarah.


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## ClaireandDaisy (Jul 4, 2010)

I`m afraid it takes a lot of persistence to train a young dog. 
All these behaviours you are rewarding. When he jumps at people he gets attention. The jumping is rewarded. 
When he pulls he gets to where he wants to go faster. Again - he is being rewarded. 
Change the way you train, and reward what you want instead of unwittingly rewarding the behaviour you don`t want.

For jumping up. 
Teach a Sit. Reward the Sit. Teach it till he will do it when your back is turned. Then you know he`s got it. 
Then take him towards someone. Ask for your Sit. Reward. Do that a hundred times. Do it every time you go out. If the person is friendly, explain and ask them to ask for an Sit and reward him.

For the pulling: every time he pulls, change direction. When he is in the right place, reward. 
You might also want to use a headcollar while he is being trained because it will take a long time - he has to un-learn his current behaviour first.

A book I recommend you get is `How the train your dog like a pro` by Jean Donaldson. Make sure everyone who walks the dog reads it!


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## Owned By A Yellow Lab (May 16, 2012)

I had exactly the same issues when I adopted Dex at the age of 14 months.

Quite a lot of Labs seem to pull on the lead and also try to jump at people. I think it's because they are such exuberant dogs, and so interested in everyone and everything  However, they are also very strong, muscular dogs, so it can make walking rather hellish.

I found that a good headcollar really did help. I started with a *Dogmatic,* and it made a huge difference. It doesn't stop the pulling but it does enable you to remain in control and also to *then reward for calmer behaviour.* If you email the team at Dogmatic they will give you sizing advice which is vital with this particular brand.

Then you need to get a double-ended lead. Clip one end of the lead to the headcollar, and clip the lead's other end to your dog's regular collar (a half check collar can be helpful but don't leave it on while your dog is playing off lead or alone at home).

*To stop the jumping up:*

You need to break the habit. My Lab used to quite literally leap up at every single person who walked past. I thought I would never be able to stop him. But once we had the headcollar, I could prevent him *and then reward him* for just looking at the person - or you can train a 'sit' because your dog CANNOT jump and sit at the same time 

If for any reason you don't want a Dogmatic, then a padded Halti is good too.

Remember also that your Lab is still young; they DO calm down. The more training you can do with him, the easier you will find him to manage


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## hayleyth (May 9, 2012)

Labs are known for their pulling on being bad on lead, people seem to under estimate this breed. I had the same problem with my male lab, my dad couldnt hold him on the lead and hes strong! So i went for the gencon, used it for few months and now hes on a slip lead  would highly recomend it. 

The more off lead exercise he gets, the more calm and better behaved he will be on a lead though.


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## Owned By A Yellow Lab (May 16, 2012)

hayleyth said:


> Labs are known for their pulling on being bad on lead, people seem to under estimate this breed. I had the same problem with my male lab, my dad couldnt hold him on the lead and hes strong! So i went for the gencon, used it for few months and now hes on a slip lead  would highly recomend it.
> 
> *The more off lead exercise he gets, the more calm and better behaved he will be on a lead though.*


Yes but at 10 months the dog is not fully grown and so the owner must be careful not to over exercise him, it would be bad for his joints.

Also the Gencon tightens horribly on dogs that really pull...


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## hayleyth (May 9, 2012)

At 10 months a good run off lead is fine. Also the gencon tightens but it works, and is highly recomended from the rspca, rescue shelters, and behaviourists, so cant be that bad. And it works.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/loose_leash_diagramed.doc
http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/letsgoforawalktogether.pdf
http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/strolling_on_lead.doc
http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/walkingyourdogwithheadhalter.pdf

How to Teach Loose-Leash Walking | Karen Pryor Clickertraining

Look under loose leash walking here:

ClickerSolutions Training Articles Contents

Books:

My dog pulls what do I do? By Turid Rugaas
Help, my dog pulls on the lead by Erica Peachey
Can't Pull, Won't Pull Alison Rowbotham


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## Owned By A Yellow Lab (May 16, 2012)

hayleyth said:


> At 10 months a good run off lead is fine. Also the gencon tightens but it works, and is highly recomended from the rspca, rescue shelters, and behaviourists, so cant be that bad*. And it works*.


It works for* some d*ogs.
It didn't work for mine at all, just tightened terribly and produced a horrible strangling sound from my dog.
The Dogmatic is more effective and kinder - it doesn't tighten at all.

I agree a good off lead run is fine, I was just noting that at ten months, the OP's dog is not fully grown so can't take as much exercise as, say, an 18 month old Lab.


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## hayleyth (May 9, 2012)

Owned By A Yellow Lab said:


> It works for* some d*ogs.
> It didn't work for mine at all, just tightened terribly and produced a horrible strangling sound from my dog.
> The Dogmatic is more effective and kinder - it doesn't tighten at all.
> 
> I agree a good off lead run is fine, I was just noting that at ten months, the OP's dog is not fully grown so can't take as much exercise as, say, an 18 month old Lab.


Yes agree, gencons arent for everyone but because they are at the side aswell i have more control and are good for some people. Sorry hope i dont sound blunt, on my phone so cant really type well!


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## Freddie and frank (Mar 26, 2012)

They are strong dogs but it's well worth sticking to any training.

Ive spoilt my youngest one and have just started seeing a one to one trainer.

My older one,Freddie is a bit of a golden boy but is still very strong.
I spent a lot of time with him training and it paid off. 

Mine used to jump up at visitors but I had to ask everyone to ignore the dogs totally and turn around until they had calmed down and this worked.
Ignoring the bad behaviour and rewarding the good.

I have been told that some mental stimulation before you take them out on a walk will get rid of some of the pent up energy so making it easier for them to focus on you......eg, you play hide and seek with them or hide a treat make them wait then let them find it ???


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## Owned By A Yellow Lab (May 16, 2012)

hayleyth said:


> Yes agree, gencons arent for everyone but because they are at the side aswell i have more control and are good for some people. Sorry hope i dont sound blunt, on my phone so cant really type well!



I think the Gencon is great in that it is is very lightweight so easy to carry and take out to the park etc. I also like that the size of the muzzle loop can be adjusted for a comfy fit - a huge plus point!

They do seem to work really well for some very strong dogs, I agree.


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