Leash Walking Advice: Lagging
Anyone have any tips for a lagger?
When we walk, like most dogs Maddie likes to go ahead. She doesn't pull, so we regularly let her walk in front and she will heel nicely or slow down when asked, with just voice requests or a mild leash "reminder." Off-leash, her preferred position (again, like most dogs) is forging ahead, peeking back over her shoulder now and then to make sure we are coming.
But Jack, of course, has to be different. *sigh* Most of what I've read of laggers is shy or timid dogs who are reluctant to move out. That is NOT Jack. Jack likes to stop and smell the flowers. And the leaves, the grass, the sidewalk. His natural walking speed is glacial. Don't get me wrong, he has a very proper Corgi trot and can really cover the ground. He's a high-energy dog (which makes it even more maddening; he's not lazy). When he was younger he would sometimes lag, but usually he had so much pent-up energy that it didn't make itself apparent. Now that he's nearing 5, I get tired of hauling him around and the arm position (pulling with him behind and his center of gravity away-down-there) is enough to give me shoulder/arm fatigue in no time. When we walk off-leash, his preferred position is somewhere 50 feet behind us, sniffing something, then he runs periodically to catch up.
He WILL heel nicely if he's in "training" mode. He almost never pulls forward. He has a great verbal "wait" command on the rare occasion he's forging ahead (usually when he knows we are headed to an off-leash trail).
However, when we are just out on a casual walk, he's always two steps behind trying to get his nose down. Problem is, the behavior is terribly self-rewarding because he will sometimes find food; he (and Maddie) loves to eat bark, which is plentiful in the park setting where we normally walk; he knows every dog in the area and can find where they peed, etc etc etc. Keeping him on a short enough leash to prevent this is tough on a dog whose natural head carriage (level with his shoulders) leaves his nose all of 4 inches off the ground; I need to practically choke him to keep the leash short enough to prevent his dropping his head further and even then he can still get a good smell of what's on the ground.
And this is a dog who has no qualms with half-choking himself til he snorts and coughs, so it's not much of a correction anyway.
We've passed TDI where we need to do a loose-leash walk past food on the ground. He knows the commands, the problem is keeping him from lagging on a relaxed walk.
Suggestions? Ideas? Pullers are so much easier because you can teach them that the minute they pull, you stop or go the opposite way. But laggers...well, stopping is counter-productive and the opposite way is where they want to go anyway! I've had some success with rewarding him by letting him have a good long sniff in favorite spots in exchange for moving out nicely for a period of time, but the success has been limited. And he'll also start walking fine about two-thirds of the way into the walk; it's like he gets it out of his system and is happy to continue.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
-
I wonder if in his situation a head collar would be more appropriate? That way you have control of his head/nose without having to choke him to pull his nose up? I am not one that usually cares much for any of those training gadgets because I feel like proper foundation to begin with makes all of them (harness, choke chains, head collars, etc) unnecessary, but in Jack's case it seems like it may be a good way to try to get his attention or at least pull his head up easier than a standard collar. Think how much easier it is to lead a horse with a halter and pull its head up from eating grass, than it is with a rope around its neck.
-
Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
-
Prong collar?
The wisdom of the traditional "heel" position became apparent to me after I'd allowed Al puppy to get comfortable with leash-walking behind me. The only way he can tell me he wants to stop & sniff or pee is by digging in his paws and jerking the leash taught. Annoying. And I can't watch him back there.
So, with a new puppy, do not neglect "Heel".
Ours are imperfectly trained, but do seem to comprehend the commands "Closer!" and "Let's Go!". Might be useful here.
On narrow trail hiking, the dog(s) are right at my heel -- enforced single-file -- but the rules change at dusk (predators), when I want them in front. Changing the rules based on daylight is asking a lot, but they eventually got it (sort of). By using "Closer!", I've even gotten Al to remain inside my headlamp radius.
-
Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
-
I would try a harness instead of a collar, harnesses encourage pulling and your point of control is at the shoulders, rather than at the neck, bringing him in a more forward position. I would do short sessions with him alone where I kind of made a game of it, with frequent change of pace ( slow, normal, fast, mixing it up ) tailoring things to his response, so he likes it, plus an occasional treat. You can incorporate a toy, try singing a catchy gingle, etc. Experiment and see what he seems to respond best to. Give him a verbal cue, a special word, before you speed up, you can later use this cue when he lags on walks, but I would not make an issue of the walks until at least a couple of weeks of the above. Any pulling creates resistance, so becomes frustrating and counterproductive. Allow him some "slow down and smell the flowers" time as well, and use a verbal cue here also. With lagging correction does not work well, try to keep a playful attitude. but you can correct for sniffing and most certainly for picking up anything in his mouth.
-
Permalink Reply by Jess and Milo on
-
You've described Milo!
This might have been a fluke, but I think things got a bit better when I adjusted how I hold the leash. I started walking with Milo on my left and the leash in my right hand so any slack is in front of my body at about mid-thigh (sounds like a tripping hazard, but it hasn't been an issue). Now every time I take a step my left leg gives the leash a gradual, but firm, pull forward. I have no idea if that would help in Jake's case, but the consistent forward motion seems to be working for Milo.
Of course, now he's changed tactics. If he has any slack on the leash he'll run forward as far as he can get and THEN stops to sniff/eat until I catch up a second later. I'm not sure if it's an improvement :)
-
Permalink Reply by Teresa on
-
Thanks Jess and Milo!
Baron has been getting worse with the lagging behind to the point that he would just lay down and refuse to budge. I bought a 4 foot leash and started using your techinique. I am happy to report that it seems to be working. I also stopped giving treats as we walk and give a special snack when we're done instead. He now knows to look for his "good dog" snack.
Teresa and Baron
-
Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
-
I just walk with Sparty trotting along beside me or a little ahead, Misty pulling as much as I allow and Izzy lagging as far back as the long leash will go. I tried everything to get her to keep up but she would rather be dragged. So I have just resigned myself to looking funny while walking three very different dogs. I guess I am just sympathizing with you! No real advice :)
-
Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
-
The prong collar made a world of diffenence with Sage. I never thought I would use one but then our AKC instructor suggested it because she said the dog has to do the "correcting". I used it with 2 sets of classes and now have a great walking dog:) No longer use the collar...don't have to.
-
Permalink Reply by Roger/Laurie on
-
I never thought of my Chepstow as a lagger. But I guess he is. He loves to smell the flowers, sniff the air, wade in the stream and just enjoy the world around him. When he gets about 10' behind he runs 15' ahead of us and smells, pees and relaxes. We waits for us to get 10'-15' ahead and it starts over again. This happens for the entire 2 miles every morning. I have always said that Chepstow reminds me of the Ferdinand the Bull story.
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
Yes, that is Jack! If we could walk off-leash every day he'd be fine. He is very concerned with keeping track of us. But alas, there are cars. I sort of feel bad because the poor guy is just trying to enjoy the world.
-
Permalink Reply by Ludi on
-
Jess and Milo's post is the method I tend to use on walks where I really do not want Ace to linger around behind me - it does work, every time. I had to employ it today as I decided we'd walk along the centre avenue in town, and as there's a lot of foot traffic, I didn't want him to get in anyone's way. He stayed at my side the entire time, even forging ahead a little to get out of tight spots.
Have you already tried this? I don't always use it as sometimes I want to indulge Ace, but when I do, it works.
-
Permalink Reply by Di, Pazu, and Mochi the Bunny on
-
I don't have any experience with this so I'm just throwing an idea out there. Jack obviously likes to enjoy the world and he thinks that staying behind allows him better treats and better things to explore and he seems to really like his nose.
My thought is somehow creating a world near your feet that is somehow "better" to explore than where he is. One thought would be like stepping in those areas of favorite spots so that the smell lingers with you? Or having a wide variety of smells attached to the bottom of your shoe before you start your walk? Or putting a few treats on a little thread at the end of your shoe?
-
-
I like the idea of making me more interesting than the environment. I think it would work with a lot of dogs. Jack, unfortunately for me, is one of those dogs who actually evaluates the situation and decides accordingly; if he's loose and smells something nasty in the woods, for instance, he'll come back if he knows I have cheese but not if he suspects I just have Charlee Bears, for instance. So I think it would work IF I did it all the time, until he found something better than what I had walked through/attached etc. For Maddie, on the other hand, it would work (not that she needs it). She responds more in the way classical and operant conditioning would predict. Jack can be conditioned one way, and if the conditions change minutely he evaluates and changes his response accordingly.
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
