Anyone have problem with pup lunging towards cars, runners or bikes?

[Liese]

We cross the street from our condo to the park and I can't get her to just sit and stay cause she just wants to pull towards each car that drives by. I don't understand why...
I understand why she does it to the runners, cause I guess she wants to go too cause she likes to do that with my husband. But it seems anything quick moving she gets out of focus from the walk. Even people we pass that are just walking, she wants their attention and I just want her to walk with me and pay attention to just that.

[shaynapug]

As you're training her, put her on a short leash.....I learned, in class last night, that you can wrap a lead around your dog (will try to get picks tonight.....but will be hard as I'm alone) This makes your leash shorter and puts it on the dog's back...like a harness.....Dog cannot move...and is close to you! Treat when she ignores it....

Worth a try!

[Wally 'n' Leto]

We do that 'suitcase leash' that Diane mentions with Wally because he wants to pull at other dogs and bikes. Take the leash, run it from the collar down their back, wrap it around their body just in front of the back legs, and through itself so it makes kind of a slip knot. As Diane said, it makes the leash shorter and keeps them closer, but also, if the dog pulls beyond the distance that you hold the leash for, they punish themselves because it tightens around their flanks, where it can't do any damage. So you have control of their lunging without strangling them, which is a great bonus! Scot and I will try to get pics today -- we're both home.

One point to mention, you will need to teach your dog to walk with the leash this way, because some just flop down and refuse to move. At first give lots of treats and/or praise for walking quietly beside you, and when they make a mistake, they are automatically corrected.

Wally has always been a terrible puller, so we first taught him to walk on leash this way. We didn't have to do it for long, like maybe 2 weeks, until he stopped pulling at all. Every now and then (like early spring when all the cyclists and joggers come out) we give him a refresher with it for a couple of weeks, then we're fine again.

Good luck!

[Snifter]

Snifter is a car chaser - he is never allowed off leash anywhere he could get near traffic.

He has got a lot better over the years but can still take you by surprise if you are not careful. Motorbikes, vans and lorries are his biggest hatred.

We dealt with it by me asking him to look at me when I could hear a car coming, and I popped the treat in his mouth as the car came by if he was looking at me. Any lunging would have me say "uh uh". The aim is for him to look at me when he hears a car, expecting a treat. Now he mostly doesn't bother looking at me but he by and large ignores the car too. I reinforce occasionally by asking for the look (especially if I know it is a type of vehicle likely to trigger a lunge), and if I see him looking at me of his own accord he will get his treat.

[Mountain Mom]

Joy lunges for cars too and it's scary as heck just thinking what could happen if she ever got off her leash. I'm having success with 'watch me' and 'leave it' used together mostly but sometimes use just one or the other.

[Wally 'n' Leto]

I've posted photos of the suitcase leash on a different thread in 'pug life'. Also, I should mention that if we see trouble coming, we also ask for a sit and wait until trouble is passed, but that isn't always enough at this time of year.

[Liese]

Thanks for the responses.
I'm going to continue using my harness or collar being as she will walk very well with them. But it's getting frustrating now that I can have a great walk with her along paths but once we get near busier areas, she doesn't listen and she pulls towards and will refuse to even acknowledge me. It makes for an awful walk and I come home not happy.
Being as I live in a condo, right in the downtown of Barrie, I'd like her to become better at this especially with summer coming and the more people being out.
Please tell me it's just cause she's a 7 month old Pug and she'll get better. :)

[evfc]

I am interested to hear what works for you. Buddy is three months and has just started walking on a leash so there is lots we need to work on! There are moments when he walks fine and other times he is distracted by everything. I assume that's a normal puppy thing but I don't want it to become the norm. I notice he is very interested in people that walk by. He insists on following their feet!

[Pugs-R-MandyBait]

Joy lunges for cars too and it's scary as heck just thinking what could happen if she ever got off her leash. I'm having success with 'watch me' and 'leave it' used together mostly but sometimes use just one or the other.

That's the ticket!! With lots of treats and lots of praise. "Watch me!" is super important for the lunging.
Look up Victoria Stilwell for tips and clues.

[sassismom]

That is how Angus came into my life he started as a show Pug not sure about the whole story MS is a long way from the circuit, then she let him go to the daughters when the baby came of course it crawled to the bowl and got into the water and food so knowing how much I wanted a black Pug he came to live with me December 2005!

He has managed to locate the road off our dead end so he no longer gets to "read the paper" in the front yard, I was recently informed by my neighbor that my Mom had let him out and her dog took him across the field 1/4 mile from the house he was seen on the road people drive time 1 mile Away! talk about mad another reason she does not live with me anymore!