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Taber, Albertathanks for the info Linda and Beth 
I am having fun with her when she's not nipping and jumping! I've been trying to train her on walks with the leash using the sudden jerk method when she goes ahead of me. I want to go on nice walks with her and have no pulling since she's getting strong already. The method seems to have starting working some already soo... I just hate it though when it sounds like she's choking 
I would hate to damage her wind pipe or vocal cords! If there is any alternative method that helps for walking please let me know!
Dakota is such a sweet puppy 
I just love Bernese Mountain dogs - we have friends that have one and has grown to be a large dog.
I love the tri colours.
Hugs
Carolyn
Posts: 3,540When you do the pop and release method, its just that... a pop and then the chain slips back open. Are you sure you have it on correctly? (I don't mean to make it sound like you haven't a clue, but some people don't know). With the dog sitting facing you, make a loop with the choke chain in the shape of a P, then slip it over her head. This way when you walk with her on your lefthand side, the collar will slip properly, and not get stuck.
Also be sure that the choker is of the correct size to slip. She's young, so she does not need the clunky big links (in fact, I totally dislike those, as it messes up the 'slip' of a real choker). Even though she's a pup and has finer hair, as she gets older, she'll need a strong but finer link in order to snake through that hair properly.
Lastly, she's only young yet. I realize you want to nip this in the bud, though. I HIGHLY recommend puppy classes!! And instead of popping her as she forges ahead of you, do a sharp left turn. I hated this one, but it taught my Irish setter when nothing else would, and stopped a lot of the forging habits she suddenly developed as a teen. They begin to realize they have to watch you (and no talking from you either....when you're training, you give the command ONCE, then carry on. Do as many corrections as you need, but only give the command the once after their name).
And again...she's only young yet. So many things, try to correct her as gently as you can. Place your hand on her chest as you're walking forwards, or again, do the left turns ...she'll catch on. Keep things short and end on a good note I found with my Setter, we sailed through the 'terrible teens' because we were doing so much obedience work and teamwork stuff. We skipped the whole dominance thing because daily I was asking her to do stuff with me and for me, and it was natural that she took me for Alpha. I highly recommend the gentle walks and obedience/puppy socializations. :clap:
Taber, AlbertaThanks for all the info Deb! I'm not even using a choke chain! [I think they should of named this collar something different] I am going to get one of those and I also hear the Martingale? ones are good too. She plays with my daughter's friend's Golden Retreiver and her dog Roxy was so abused before they got her that she lets Dakota bite her and everything! so I take her to play with my nephews dog Brutis and he puts her in her place and they play and play 
It's so easy to forget sometimes that she is so young and her brains aren't as big as her body 
She'll be 4 months on the 12th. She is on another antibiotic for her bladder infection since the first round didn't work but despite that her housebreaking is going extremely well! What would I do without you gals on TT!
Benson BearsYou could try a Halti (spelling?) which goes over the head and muzzle area and corrects the dog by turning their head when you pull it. It's not round the neck so no choking! Ralph ended up really easy to train, as he's such a polite gentleman he'd do anything to please me! Two nights and he had the housetraining sussed!!! 
We use a check (choke) chain with Lily (German Pointer/Shepherd X adopted sister for Ralph, just 16 months old) because she's really unruly and hyper! Talk about the two extremes! She's actually my son's dog but we seem to have ended up with her (funny that). When we first got her she was about 6 months, and was peeing all over the house 
,I thought she'd never get it until I figured she was copying us when we use the toilet! (we're in a very remote area and I decided that if she saw me pee outside then she would too!!! 
It worked a treat!! ) She's learned to walk to heel even with no lead but she still has a mind of her own and if she decides she wants to chase a wallaby or something there's no stopping her and no calling her off, she gets very single minded. I wish I could get it out of her but nothing seems to work, bar keeping her on the lead at all times. But then she wouldn't get the exercise she needs, as we have to walk at Ralph's pace and I throw a ball or stick for her so she's running the whole time we're out, usually an hour and a half. I'm just hoping that when she matures she'll be easier to handle as she's highly intelligent as well as high spirited. Have you see The Dog Whisperer on telly, he's got really good training techniques and seems to perform miracles (though I suppose they're not going to show any failures are they?). Anyway he seems to know alot and points out that it's usually the people he's training NOT the dog
Posts: 3,540:crackup: Good thing no neighbors, eh? But a clever idea
Actually when a dog's in a hunting mode, the brain really does seem to slip out the left ear. You can kiss off calling to it at that point. Science will back me ( discovered this whilst dog grooming for a profession), dogs can turn off their aural nerves. Meaning that 'brainless barking'? really IS brainless barking...and you're hearing it, but the dog's not at all! 
The Halti is a wonderful invention in my books. Babies might be a bit confused (but they are about everything), and Joe Public will want to know why your dog's wearing a 'muzzle', but Halti's work on the same principle as a horse's halter....where the head goes, the rest will follow...and might be easier for her to learn.
One thing I will NOT recommend at this point is some form of harnessing. I know this seems gentler at this stage, but Berners were originally used as drafting dogs. The last thing you want to teach her is to pull against you at this point. She needs to learn be it a slip/choke collar, or the Halti.
Pinch collars can also be used to great affect, but after seeing pics of your girl, I know she's large, but I don't feel you'll get the best result from that collar with her. They are intended for very large, very insensitve to their handler type dogs....and she's nowhere near there yet.
I know its hard, but really, she is only a baby yet. Give her time, forgive her mistakes, reward when it seems she's trying what you'd like...you've so much time together. I know the first year is really hard for everybody, but once she's a well adjusted member of the family, you'll look back and have a hard time remembering it otherwise. She'll really be worth it
Taber, Alberta you gals are right! Going a half a block to get the mail was a struggle and I constantly had to stop, tell her to sit and hold her in a sitting position until she settled down. She makes great eye contact though which I hear is a good sign She's the sweetest baby when she wants to be. I'll get a different collar and try these different techniques and keep you posted
Laurie Lou BearsI use a halti on our Dobermann and it is a lot easier to control him with that than an ordinary collar as he can pull quite hard if he wants to.Like Debbie said it is the same sort of thing as a horses headcollar and if you have control of the head it is easier to keep them in order rather than a choke chain as they can still pull so hard against you with one of those and it will ruin all the fur around her neck.You need to sort it out sooner rather than later as the more they get into bad habits the harder it is to get them out of it.It can take a while for them to get used to it and our dog still trys to rub it off but better to be able to control them than them pull you over!!
Hope this helps
Laurie :hug:
Taber, Albertathanks for that info too Laurie! Actually, the past few days she's been really good walking with just a normal collar but we'll see.....
I highly recommend the Halti or Gentle Leader over a choke chain. Most people really don't know how to use a choke chain properly and they can cause damage to a dog's throat. If a dog is choking and pulling with a choke chain it is not being used properly. As Debbie said you need to pop and RELEASE immediatly. It is that release part that most people have a hard time with. And as she said the collar MUST be on correctly. If it is on backwards it wont release and will only choke. Try putting the collar on your own left arm. If you pull and release and it doesn't loosen immediatly it is on backwards.
On the other hand I do think you should talk to the dog while training. Give the command only once but do talk to the dog with lots of encouragement.
Most dogs hate the Gentle Leader or Halti but eventually get used to it. My Leonberger is 7 and still tries to rub it off but she knows that she has to wear it to go for a walk. My other dog acted like a bucking bronco the first time he wore it. I thought he would never get used to it! But to my surprise the very next day he was perfectly calm and never had any trouble with him wearing it since!
And the dog whisperer is right--it is harder to train the human than the dog. I was a dog trainer in the past and found that to be sooo true. Give a dog to a stranger and he will usually work better for the stranger than the owner. Good Dog training is actually training the owner how to train the dog.
Good luck with Dakota! The best advice is to always be calm, patient and consistent!!
Beth
Back Road BearsBrenda - I use a the Gentle Walker because Tucker firgured out how to hold his head and basically lock his neck in place and would pull with all his might against that gentle leader! The Walker is like a harness but the leash is attached at the chest, not on the back. And it's designed in such a way that it pulls the strap that goes behind their front legs when they start to pull and it's uncomfortable so causes them to stop pulling. It's the only thing that works for us and was shown to us by the top dog trainer here in NH.
Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer) uses a slip collar in most cases. One made of nylon or similar... not chain. The placement of the slip collar is important and makes all the difference in the effectiveness. It needs to be placed right up behind the ears... this gives you more control. And there is a right and a wrong way to put the collar on so that it will release properly.
I have to disagree with Beth on the talking thing.... your dog will tune you out if you are chattering and giving a lot of encouragement. Then when you give a command it'll be ignored. And the exciting praise will only elevate your dogs energy and excitement level and she'll have an even harder time staying calm and doing as told. This is especially true with puppies and dogs who have high energy levels to begin with! A simple, quiet "Good Girl" just once when she obeys a command or correction on the lead is all she needs. Dogs want to please their owners but they can sense your mood and energy without you verbally expressing it. You have to think like a dog in order to be able to train one........ the leader of the pack isn't forever yipping at the other dogs when they are good. He's calm and assertive... always a leader. You can have fun play time when you aren't trying to teach her something... especially leash walking... they've got to be calm and focused for that!
I highly recommend taking a training class, Brenda! Cesar has many DVDs out.... you might consider watching those. And his TV program is on Friday nights on the Nat'l Geographic Channel if you get it. But a real live class with a reputable trainer will really give you the knowledge and proper techniques you need to achieve the behaviors you desire from Dakota.
We've been through 4 trainers in Tucker's 4 and Riley's 3 years of life. It wasn't until I learned about and watched Cesar Millan that I finally found a training technique that made sense and WORKS! I was able to find a trainer locally who trains with similar techniques. And in the end I found I was doing things wrong and needed to be trained - not the dogs! The boy's behaviors changed almost naturally once I got my act together and changed MY ways! It's WORK and takes a lot of concentration on my part to play "leader" all the time but when I do my boys are much better behaved.
Good luck! :hug:
Taber, Albertaokay, now is the Halti? or gentle walker the one that goes above the muzzle and behind the ears? I was looking today and couldn't believe how many they had with different names! and alot of different kinds
Back Road BearsPhotos of the Halti Collar and the Gentle Leader (both are face harnesses and very similar): http://www.doglogic.com/collars.html
Photo of the Easy Walk Harness (by Premier, same company that makes the Gentle Leader - I was calling this the Gentle Walker... sorry... wrong name!): http://www.premier.com/View.aspx?page=d … escription
Photo of the Halti Harness: http://www.petexpertise.com/dog-collars … _rewrite=1
Taber, Albertathanks for that Daphne I think the one I was looking at was the gentle leader one. I'll give that one a try, thanks again!
