need help with my staffie of 8 yrs old to stop pulling on the lead

hi i am a new member and have had Molly for 7 yrs,she is a rescue dog,the only problem with her is that when we go off for a walk i feel liike she is taking me,her pulling at the begining,i get that as she is excited to be going out but it comes to a point when she sounds as if she is vicious,also certain dogs she see's you can tell by the way she reacts that she does not like them,is she a bully in doggy world or maybe these other dogs are female so she thinks she is thretened,a leisurley stroll through the park is defo not the word,plus it is beginning to be a chore instead of enjoying the walk,i have asked a vet about her and he said it was down to her behaviour problams,but how do i get these things sorted out. :-<

Hi & welcome to the forum.

Can you tell me what you do now to correct her pulling on the lead, and how you react when you know she doesn't like a dog?

Also, do you use a collar, half check or harness?

well done for adopting a staffie, top marks. The best thing to do for her is instead of just walking her for an hour, spend that time to work on her weaknesses. Dogs get just as tired if not more when they have to think and work things out.

If you never had to do it before, get treats so you can encourage good walking and just refuse to walk if she pulls, just walk the other way, be warned it could take a while, so keep your cool and expect to take a while as she is an adult.

let us know how you get on


Catalin

Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

Well done for rescuing. Have you thought about using a Canny Collar or something similar, there is a link below to one at Amazon. This is what I got for Rocky when I first had him and he did stop pulling on the lead. I do use a harness on him now though:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CANNY-COLLAR-TRAINING-PULL-BLACK/dp/B007T735CM/ref=sr_1_6?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1344713035&sr=1-6

Take a look at this link for a dogs body language to see how your dog reacts to others and why.

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/dogbodylanguage.html

My bitch pulls, mainly from excitement or anxiety...,

A fast but gentle tug on the leash with a vocal
Correction will snap her out of it, other times I stop, turn around or turn he'd around. After a few mins she's sorted x

Im thankful my pup 20wks is perfect on the lead so acts as a good role model when they are attached on the double lead.

X

Hi and welcome from us and Suki.

My theory is that the dog does not realize they are pulling.

I put the loop of the lead through my left hand and hold the middle or thereabouts of the lead.

I try and hold my dog as close as I can to my left side as when teaching to heel.

When he pulls, I let his go for about 10 seconds and let go of the lead. The loop of the lead is still around my wrist, so the dog is not going anywhere.

The sudden relaxation of the lead along with the forward force of the dog, causes his momentum to suddenly shift. He then falls forward wondering what's happened.

Anyway, with my dog after this he walks OK for a while, until I need to go through the same process again

However, he is learning not to pull and that's the main thing.