Gun Dog Forum

Hey everyone,

I'm curious if you guys have tips on roading a dog that won't pull (well barely). My Aussie mix is very conscientious, kinda timid, and super wanting-to-be-obedient, so she will usually give to the slightest pull on the leash. I wouldn't normally need to road her since she gets plenty of exercise at home, but she had an femoral head ostectomy last year and doesn't use her leg as much as she should be. She needs more therapy.

I started hiking with her now, but she has such a hard time pulling. Is there anything I can do to encourage her to pull harder, or do I just wait it out and keep praising her every time she pulls?

Sometimes pairing them with a dog that pulls well gets them pulling as well.
Check how the harness fits, that the front strap doesn't slip up too far.

Bird dog people “How do I keep my dog from pulling on a leash?”

Herding dog people “What is a leash?”

We have had a lot of herding breeds through the years, they all trot next to the bike while the bird dogs pull. Or if running from a quad or truck, they rarely get out front.

Can and does the dog like to swim? They have to use their legs in the water.

Garrison

It's not the harness, Shags. I just started roading Rainey so don't have one right now. I think I read to start them on a collar and switch them to a harness once they get the hang of it.

Great joke, Garrison.Yes, she can swim, but no, she doesn't like it. I was taking her to the reservoir during the summer and she'd only swim a little to please me and that was all. She doesn't really hate the water, but the big bodies of water probably scare her. She swims a little in the creek on her own, mostly just to get to the other side. Rainey isn't trained to heel either.

More than a month and almost 50 miles later, Rainey is learning to pull. Usually not terribly hard and not as well as my setter, but good for her personality and being a herding dog. I'm not 100% sure if I notice a difference with her right rear leg, but sometimes after a hike it gets sore and she holds it up in the air a bit. So it's definitely stretching some muscles, which is good. We usually do around 2.5 miles when we go out but the other Saturday we did around 6 miles and the dogs were still pulling when we were almost back to the truck. My nearly 81-year-old grandma was pretty energetic, too. I'm proud of her.

She's a good natured dog.

Enjoyed the pics. Thanks.

Looks like the Iditarod is in their future.

fishvik wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 26, 2022 9:25 am

Looks like the Iditarod is in their future.

Uh, not sure about that! lol