Training a springer spaniel

I have two Springer Spaniels and I love them so much! They are great dogs! Dogs should definitely be trained with treats. They need the positive reinforcement to know they did a good thing. Dogs brains are reward-oriented. You won't have to use treats forever, but when you are trying to teach a new behavior it is the best way. There is an animal behaviorist at the Veterinary Hospital where I am an Assistant and he does everything with small treats. Immediate reward is important! Also, for the pulling problem, you should look into something called a Gentle Leader collar. Again, something that the behaviorist starts all the puppies in his weekly training classes with but I used one on my first Springer Spaniel as well, and she was a horrible puller. It is a device that teaches them through "discomfort" and reward, not to pull on the leash and it's a very well-accepted and humane training aid. Things like choke chains and prong collars are not, and most dogs eventually get used to them and learn to ignore them. Also, it is never too late to teach a dog to walk with a Gentle Leader. Whatever you do, though - if you buy one and at first he acts like "OMG MOM YOU ARE KILLING ME!" with how he behaves, if he rubs his face or tries to lay down, if he tries to get it off, don't let him and just KEEP AT IT! It may take you a few weeks, but eventually he will give in. Dogs who are very objective to the Leader are trying to be dominant and are unwilling to submit to the training device so they have to learn that there is no other choice but to behave! Here is a link to a video about the Gentle Leader and you can see how it works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6XMb2XRVVs&feature=related Good luck!

I found that a harness helped with my puller.. basically because you can just yank them back from their chest (with out choking them- not they they seem to care) And I would even hold her up with her front feet of the ground then i would sometimes walk with her holding the top of the harness (on her back) like the handle of a suitcase. and if she started to step in front of me - she got pulled back.. Eventually she lessened her pulling - just a little but I was still able to control her a lot better with a harness.

I have found that dogs pull because they want to hurry you on to the next treasure! They love to follow scents. I've always had a problem with that. What I do is is say "no pull!" in a firm voice and then I stop in my tracks. I make him sit and we stay there for about a minute then I say "let's go, good boy!" The next time he pulls I repeat that. As smart as your dog seems to be, it probably won't take more than a couple days. I had one very stubborn dog that insisted on pulling even with that method, he pulled as soon as we were out the door! So I said "no pull!" and took him right back inside for a minute. After a few minutes he caught on and stopped. See, you are rewarding him with an activity and not a treat. He sees that his behavior is being rewarded with something he likes to do. That's a great motivator!

Hello moondance61. You are one of the few people who don't want a dog, but they finally fall in love with the dog they own. Toby is such a lucky dog! It's great that, as a first time dog owner, you managed to teach him how to come, sit, stay and fetch. Dont' dispair with walking on leash, you will eventually succeed in this, too. I don't beleive in the alpha theory who says that dogs pull because they want to show you they are in charge. I think they just want to get to the source of the scent they small faster. Dogs are good at tracing smells from the air, and hunting dogs like your spaniel excell in that. I used the same method to teach my dog to stop pulling, as dragon54u described above. When Binne pulls, I tell her "mergi frumos" (which means "walk slowly" in Romanian) and I stop right there. She has nothing to do than stop. Then she looks back at me with that innocent face "what happened, mom?" and I make her come to her place, which is right next to me. I make her sit and give her some treats, then, after a minute or so, we start walking again. I want her to know that's all I want from her: to be next to me. Every time she pulls, I do the same. Remember, "consistency" is the key. Binne learned to stop pulling in just one day, and I hope your Toby will do the same. It doesn't mean that he will never pull on leash, because there are so many attractions out there, but the moment he pulls, you give her the command and he will walk slowly.