Corgi Leash Training

Help! I have an incredibly wonderful but STUBBORN corgi. She is almost a year and a half and I still cannot train her to walk properly on a leash.

She pulls constantly, barks and does not listen to us. It ruins the walking experience for everyone involved.

We've tried leashes, harnesses, muzzle-harnesses, and choke collars (NOT with spikes!). We will hold her close to us, tell her bad dog when she pulls, try to reward her when she doesn't pull (which is close to never), we will tell her to sit, but she does not listen.

She is an absolutely wonderful and perfect dog in every other respect, but it's like she loses her mind when we take her on walks. Please help! Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated! THANKS!

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Comment by Jane on April 27, 2012 at 8:14am: I'd highly recommend an obedience class. What I did to teach a heel was basically have some tasty treat in my left hand, and reward the dog for walking next to me. Every time he came back to my side, treat. You can use a clicker to mark the position too if you like using that. The stopping, turning around, etc methods did not work for me.

Comment by Chris, Kadi & Brodie on April 27, 2012 at 6:57am: Obedience class, definitely. The main thing about that is you are training a dog with all kinds of distractions around. That's why it's more effective than training them on your own at home. They will be fine at home, then when you go out in public, they forget everything. But training them in a class, they learn to pay attention to you in spite of all the other things going on.

Comment by Bev Levy on April 27, 2012 at 2:18am: A class would really help. Corgis like to be in charge! If you can't do that turn or stop as soon as she pulls. If you stick with it even if it takes a while, it will be corrected. Also, try encouraging with praise when she does it right.

Comment by Donna and Lilly on April 26, 2012 at 8:21pm: The obedience instructer we go to has me stop and reverse direction when she pulls. Like Stephanie, I worked for quite a while, but it was well worth it!

Comment by Stephanie on April 26, 2012 at 7:43pm: I like the Victoria Stillwell method - the minute she pulls, stop. When she calms, start again - she pulls, stop. It takes about an hour, but it's still the best hour I ever spent...they're smart dogs - they figure it out, they're just stubborn as hell!

Comment by Snickmom on April 26, 2012 at 7:35pm: I am having trouble training my dogs, too. Part of my problem is that I didn't start walking them conssistently when they were pups. I have tried everything, too. The most frequently recommended method is turning around and going the other way (getting dizzy) or just stopping when they pull (getting nowhere). Another method is holding a treat by your side (backache). I have recently decided that I was switching methods too often and needed to be consistent (one of my biggest training faults) Pick a method and stick with it. Funny thing, Snickers walks great if I have her drag her leash, because she knows I'll step on it if she gets too far ahead. LOL. Hey, I just gave myself an idea, I'll put another leash on, so she doesn't know I have that one if she darts away. Good luck