i love how you can come to that conclusion without even knowing the person or their dog...

Come on then BoxerBoy!!! Please do tell how we can achieve this relationship? You've been very vocal about how well trained your dogs are without actually telling us how you've done it. I have a boxer, he's 6 months and full of energy and boy can he pull if he wants to get somewhere, so I'd be most interested to hear your methods!

My pup is four months old now. He is fantastic off lead, well I think as good as you would expect a pup of that age to be. He will get distracted by other dogs but he does come to me when I call and is generally very well behaved. I've not long moved and phoned around to get into a puppy class but found a trainer that offered one to one training and I jumped at the chance.
My main problem is him pulling on lead and I was dissapointed to see that he was very much a Cesear Milan fan. He showed me his technique for about two minutes then told me to practice and over time he would learn. Two days in and I can't bear to use the slip lead or yank him about. I think maybe come on here next time, certainly cheaper and the advice given in this thread will save my pup's windpipe! Lesson learned.

I help out at training classes & lead pulling is probably the most common problem. From my experience, the young puppies generally learn pretty quickly to walk on a loose lead. They are taught using a clicker & it generally goes quite well for most puppies. BUT as the puppy grows older (& bigger!) & reaches adolescence, the drive to get to the park, to go over to other dogs etc gets much stronger. This is when the lead pulling starts in earnest & funnily enough, it seems to the time when everything the owners & dogs have learned in training classes goes out the window

I've put this advice in another thread & as some of you report that your dog can walk nicely to heel off lead, this may help.

First you've got to understand the triggers & the physiological response within your dog, when you start to make moves to go for a walk. It can be something as simple as reaching for your coat, your car keys, or saying something like "right then" (which my 2 dogs have picked up on as sign that something is about to happen!). Especially if you tend to walk at the same time every day, your dog will tuned in to this & watching for these signals that you are about to take it out. As soon as your dog spots these signals, the physiological response is that all the neurotransmitters involved with arousal, excitement etc are activated, adrenalin starts to flow, heart rate increases etc etc. Your dog can't switch these off (anymore than you can control your own physiological response to something exciting) so you need to be prepared for this. I'm not saying there's any quick "cure" for this normal response, in fact there'd be something wrong with your dog if it didn't have this response, but if you understand what's going on inside your dog's body & brain, then you can empathise & understand why they act as they do. At this stage it is not simply a "training" matter, nor is your dog being naughty. It just can't help itself.

Once your dog is in "walkies" mode, then you attach a lead to it's collar & off you go. The dog's automatic reaction is to pull against the lead to get where it wants to go, so you get dragged to the park, stopping & starting every time the dog wants to sniff ~ who's taking who for a walk here?!!

What I recommend is to spend time teaching your dog to walk at your side just round the house & garden without a collar or lead in sight, as these are generally the triggers that start the physiological response. Don't start this training when the dog's excited before going for a walk ~ do it at other times. Use a clicker & treats to reward walking by your side, change directions regularly, use a simple verbal cue consistently (like "this way"). When starting the training, keep it simple, short sessions only, no other distractions around, so you set your dog up to be successful. If your dog learns that by paying attention to you it can gain treats/praise then it's far more likely to be attentive. But you don't want to be in a situation where there is anything else that can overshadow the training, so don't choose times when there aren't any other distractions around.

Once your dog is reliably following you around the house & garden, then you can try it with a short lightweight lead (not your normal lead) attached (even a piece of string or lightweight rope/chord) but leave it trailing. Then after a while pick up the rope & just using very gentle pressure, guide your dog as you change direction.

Once you can successfully do this, then you are ready to try the same thing out on walks. Choose a time when there are no other dogs around, preferably after your dog has had a run around & done normal doggy things, & when there are no other distractions. Make sure you're armed with very high value treats (roast chicken perhaps!). Don't attach a lead but just practice the "this way" command & walking by your side as you change direction in the park or wherever you happen to be. After you can do this, try attaching the normal lead & holding it, then try when there are distractions but at a distance, then with distractions closer to you. If your dog can't do this, then go back a few steps to the point where it can successfully perform.

When your dog can reliably follow you round on a lead, in the park, with other dogs nearby, then you can start practising the same training before you start your walk. Let your dog see you arming yourself with very tasty treats indoors, start doing the training indoors, then attach the lead & start to make your way outdoors ~ hopefully by now your dog should be so used to the "this way" training it's had in lots of different contexts, that its reponse (both physiologically & behaviourally) should be automatic.

It can also help the training if, when you start the "this way" training, you go through the same routine, e.g. use a different treat bag or bumbag, keep the bag in a different place to the lead, go through the same ritual of chopping up sausages/chicken etc before you start the training. These will all become cues to your dog that training is about to start, so over time, the dog's physiological response will be to prepare it's mind & body for training time. Then when you go through this routine before a walk, you should get the "training" physiology, rather than the "walkies" excited physiology.

I hope this puts lead pulling into context. I agree that not all dogs learn at the same rate, or are highly motivated by food rewards, & some are more excited by the prospect of a walk than others. So you need to fit the training to your individual dog's needs ~ perhaps some will need more time in the earlier stages, or before you attach the lead & others may need longer before you try it at the start of the walk.

There are many devices, harnesses, haltis, choke chains etc out there supposedly designed to stop a dog pulling but if they do, why do so many people report that their dog still pulls? And what harm in the way of physical injury & mental frustration do these devices do to your dog? There is no quick fix ~ it takes time, patience & effort to get the results that you want in a kind & gentle manner.

Sorry this post is so long but I couldn't think of a way to make it shorter without leaving out vital steps.