winter walking.....bit of a nightmare!!!

morning all,

well, after being dragged over by sam 3 times this morning on the dark, muddy wet field i've had enough!!! he's great in class (just passed another test at training club), but outside on the field he's just a nightmare. hes just not interested in treats or toys when he's out. i have him on his long line attached to a harness, but he just pulls me over all the time! i'm just worried that one day he's gonna pull me over and i'm gonna leave go of the lead, and off he goes.

i've tried loose lead walking and continually doing recalls in and around the garden and on the green in front of my house which he does superbly, but as soon as we hit the field he just goes deaf and is a completely different dog. so my question is.....do i give up all field walking until i can get him to walk nicely without pulling me over? just concentrate on walking him on the green in front of my house, and doing more road work with him? i do lots of play and clicker work with him to keep him mentally stimulated. but i also have to consider my other dog aswell. i have been walking them separately but since the dark mornings and nights have hit us i've starting walking them together. do you think i should separate their walks again? (damn i'll have to get up earlier now )!

ideas please anybody!!!!!!??????

Hi Springer Girl it is natural for gun dogs to want to run off and follow their nose, it really isn't natural for them to walk quietly on a lead although it is what we humans expect There must be so many interesting smells in the field for Sam to follow.

I appreciate how difficult it must be having to walk the dogs separately but if that gave you control over Sam that is what I would continue to do for the moment.

You have made such good progress, I would hate to see you lose that. If you were to continue with the stoping when Sam pulls he would eventually get the message but it does take time.

thanks very much mini for your reply.

i dont expect him to walk to heel everywhere i go cos he's a springer and they just dont do that!! all i want is for him to walk on a loosish lead next to me, and when we get to the field for him to not drag or pull me over! he is alot better when we go out on our own cos i can give him more one-to-one. i cant wait for his recall to be 100% then he can have a good run off-lead, but until then i will have to persevere with him.

as you said hes better when you go out on your own i would go back to doing that for a while one on one til he gets a bit better then maybe try again

i think i will defo try the walking separately again as i cant watch both of them at the same time and its unfair just concentrating on one of them as i dont want the other to feel left out. just a pain when its dark all the time .

was thinking of using a remote collar (NOT a shock collar), anybody used one? did it work? what are the pros and cons of it? i know a couple of people that have used them and have only heard positive results but i dont want to spoil the training i've done with him so far, and for him to be frightened of me.

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