Hi everyone,
after reading the last post( train pulling) thought i would ask another question. Jed is now 15 months and after bucket loads of training to walk on the lead.....he finally cracked it. However for the last couple of months he seems to have gone backwards, despite continuing with the training periodically.He has started to pull worse than ever ( could be just me thinking this after having it good for a while). SO i bought a gencon......fantastic, walks like a dream. BUT......
Now when i let him off the lead for his daily bull in a china shop run, he hates it being put back on and now has resorted to standing at least a foot away from me, but as soon as i try to put it on he runs round me so i cant catch him... I refuse to go to him as i know if i do it once, ive had it. I know it may sound hilarious, but today i was stood in the rain for about an hour, refusing to go to him. If some one had been watching they would have thought i was a right numpty. It must of looked like i was trying to lasso my dog. LOL but i guess it must have looked comical.When he finally came to heel, i did the GOOD BOY routine and loads of fuss, but underneath i was thinking YOU LITTLE ******. Took him out again tonight and yes 2 hours walking, 45 mins to get dog back on lead. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciaited.

Umm..tricky one. Do you catch him and pop it on occasionally through the walk? Maybe that would help. Charlie has a gencon, wouldn't be without it. His recall is good throughout a walk, and I can get him close to put it on quite easily, but when we get to the top of the fields, where he knows it's the end, his selective deafness kicks in. I try not to call him lots (in the 'don't give a command if it's going to be ignored' way), if he's really tricky, I start to walk back down the field. I always know he's given in when he has his last wee, a sign to me that he'll come straight away. A stupid high pitched voice and a tennis ball has helped me - what must folks think of me
But maybe trying when he doesn't think it's the end of the walk might help you feel a bit more in control? Do you, like us, have to finish the walk in the same place, or can you try a different exit?
Good luck, I'll be watching for other people's answers, cos I'd like some help too

Like Vic I would definitely vary how and where you finish the walk but also have another suggestion.

I would try to walk him back from his walk on a standard collar as opposed to the gencon, if he has burnt off energy it is an ideal time to practise some good loose lead walking. That way you are clipping him onto a normal lead arrangement which you can do for a little bit during the walk/play session too. If he is a little b***** pulling once you try and walk home at least you already have him attached already and so slipping on the gencon should be easier (in theory anyway ).

With Freddy who had a very poor recall I would spend much of his walk calling him in, rewarding him then either popping him on lead for a few mins or letting him run straight back to his play/hunting. That way his lead never definitely meant "end of fun".

Hi...ive got max a 11mth old train puller (lol)...i've had the same probem with my gencon before we even get out the door he tries to hide so i cant get it on him....but i dont give in because thats the worst time for his pulling....once he has had a good blast i put him onto his normal collar and lead i only use the gencon when he pulls so he gets that one when he pulls and when he doesnt he gets his collar this is working well for me as he has worked out he gets the one he doesnt like when he pulls and when he doesnt his gets a nice relaxed lead walk...maybe try this way.
hope it helps

Karen

Though this is a pain in the backside for you (understandbly), it is quite important to get this cracked as if there is an emergency you need to be able to get him back on the lead at anytime (easier said than done, i know).

Don't put your lead/gencon away when you have taken if off, always keep it in your hand - that way he wont think "oh o, she got the lead out to take me home".

Do you use a whistle?
How is his recall (on the whole?), you could try calling him back at the very beginning of the walk, reward him, then send him off again. Hopefully he will stop associating coming back to you as oh we got to go home
You could also try starting your walk in a diff direction and not letting him off in the normal place.

If all else fails - when he is just in front of you, try and slowly turn your back on him and sit/lie down on the grass - they normally cant resist jumping all over you!

i had the same problem with sam, so what i did was the following! i'm not sure if you use a clicker or do shaping exercises with jed, but what i did with sam was put the gencon on the floor. every time he went to over to it, he got clicked and treated. i did this a few times a day, so eventually when the gencon was brought out, he was dying to touch it! i then starting putting it on him, everytime he stood still and let me, he got clicked and treated, or we had a play. so now everytime he sees it there is a positive association, and not just oh we're going home! hope whatever you try works for you and your dog!

thanks for all your comments. Just to answer a few questions asked.... Jeds recall is pretty good and throughout walk/run i do call him back pretty frequently and have been giving him loads of praise by rubbing the gencon all over him and telling him what a good boy he is, whichhe is fine with.
Yes i do stop at different points and places to put gencon back on and yes it is held in my hand the entire time so he can see it.
Its just like he knows... which may sound crazy but it only happens at the end.
Although i will try clipping lead to collar on way back from now and also try using a clicker, as i have not used one yet.heard that they are good if you do it right. So off to pet shop this afternoon. although he is not particularly stomach led, but i know that he cant resist sausages. Do you think it is just him trying to get one over me (adolescent age), or perhaps im giving off some kind of vibe that he tunes into. It is becoming a pain but im willing to put all the effort in, but want to know that im not going to make it worse by doing the wrong thing..... thanks

Sorry, I know you are looking for answers to your query which I can't assist with as Jasper isn't allowed out yet. I just had to thank you for giving me a giggle! I know how frustrating it is, they can be little ****'s when they want to be!

I caught myself before falling too far in to this trap! I noticed that at the end of one of the walks we do, Vinnie would stand a certain distance from me, but not always come when called to put his harness on. He would see me unclip the lead from around my shoulder, and obviously knew what was coming!

I do a few different things. Sometimes I call him to me a little way before the end and stick his harness on then. Other times, I give a 'stop' command, walk up to him, click, treat, harness on (having already got hold of his collar - I'm not that stupid!) And finally, I always take a toy with me on walks - one that is specifically reserved for walking, he doesn't get access to it at any other time. So I bribe him - I take the toy out, crouch down and call him to me. Again, click, treat, harness - or I have developed the knack of holding the toy and harness in such a way that as he takes the toy his head goes through the harness

I do call him up to me during walks, but not too often. He is still a baby, so I don't want to nag him too much.

Thats my dottie you are talking about
Well the dottie when she was 15 month old and never wanted the walk to end and used to give me the run around

She comes back so easily at 2 and a half years now

Prob my fault I used to chase her and she thought it was a game lets play chase mum lol

A n older guy YES even older than me who had kept dogs all of his life told me one day that I was a big softie and she knew this and he had her back on the lead within seconds.

Dont call her or acknowledge her just walk away obv you have to be in a safe place to do this.
You are the boss and if she doesn't follow you then she is out on her own.
Not easy but essential .
Dont keep calling his her name they know where you are so for them thats fine
walk away ,ignore if its safe .. when they do come to you praise and never shout
If you are strong she will follow you and know where her bread is buttered lol

well folks, i have taken on board all the advice given, even went and bought a clicker yesterday and started training on same day. But a miracle happened this afternoon
I called Jed and at the same time produce a ball from my pocket. He instantly came to heel, I immediately clicked and gave him his ball to carry all the way home then clipped lead to his collar, I thought it may have been a fluke so tried it again this evening and hey presto, he came to heel first time. I felt so proud i could of cried. But im not deluding myself as i know it may not last for long, but hey it is something that i can work with. SOOOOOOOOO a massive thank you to all who gave ideas, i guess im mixing a bit of everything that everyone suggested. But i guess that what its all about the more ideas in the pot the more options you get..

Well done Claurette, a lot of the time its just working out what makes your dog tick, and as you know him best, with just a few suggestions you will normally find your own solution

Angel isn't really a foodie dog, but she loves her toys, I have two "special" ones that are MY toys - we only play with them when we are out and only when i decide we can play with them - Angel will do anything to get the toys, so you may find it usefule to keep a toy or 2 seperate from his house toys.