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We have recently started umbilical training our 6 month old puppy. She has been going on walks ever since we got her, but on a regular leash and collar. Always pulling and yanking on leash though. When we got her the ussle-up collar, I had thought that the pulling and yanking would improve as she is basically choking herself. Unfortunately, this has had absolutely no affect on her. She still pulls and yanks and even giving a correction with the leash doesn't do anything to change her mind. And using the leash to make her sit only works half the time. I don't want to be choking her but I also don't want her to be controlling the walks either. Any thoughts?

I am only three weeks into Brad's training but I was having the same issues as you on umbilical.

I re-read the chapter. Here is what I have taken away so far that might help but I am not a trainer just a fellow soul trying to get better at this.

The book says that umbilical should be hands free but on the show I have seen Brad instruct a correction while on umbilical. I try to go hands free. I don't slow down if she is lagging behind. I keep going and she gets the point and catches up. If she moves ahead instead of a correction I physically cut her off. I just put one leg in front of her.

See if this help at all....

D

Unfortunately, there isn' a chance to cut her off really. She is small and very fast, before I know what has happened she is ahead of me and the only way to keep her beside me is to have the leash as short as possible and then she is still constantly pulling to get ahead. Won't she choke herself? She is wheezing when she does this and doesn't seem to care. I'm lost because leash corrections don't seem to bother her. A quick yank like Brad shows and she just turns her head in the direction of the correction and then continues on as if nothing happened. I hope this gets easier. Maybe I walk too slow for the dog?

If the dog is ahead of you turn around and go the other way. until the dog starts walking better keep turning a LOT. The aim is to make the dog pay attention to where YOU are going. Turn into your dog, that is, if the dogs on your right side, turn right. Don't wait for the dog to move, walk right through him. Constant zig zagging and going around lamp posts, trees etc. will change your dog very quickly. Don't be afraid of stepping on him, he'll get the message quite fast and learn to stay out of the way, constantly watching where your feet are going.
If the dog goes right, you go left. if the dogs ahead, turn around.
In the house, do you walk around your dog? Don't. He'll learn to stay out of the way. Just push him with your legs or feet. You won't hurt him. It sounds rude, but it's quite effective. Another way to make him pay attention to where your feet are going.
As for the sitting, pull up on the leash ONCE, and hold it. He'll have no choice but to sit. Don't keep pulling up repeatedly.
Good Luck.

Make sure your collar is sized properly. You want the two rings the chain is attached to, to have a thumb space between them when you pull up on the chain. If the rings touch, it's too loose and will have no effect on your dog. If they're too close, it can pinch your dog.

Also, don't be afraid to give the leash a snap and correct it. You need to get your dog's attention. Duke's Dad is right, you need to be changing directions, speeding up, slowing down, weaving around trees and poles, going over benches, zig zagging, etc.

If you weave around a tree and your dog gets caught up on the other side, keep the leash taught but don't come around to your dog. Just hold still and let the dog use it's brain and come around to you.

Hi don't give up. Dukesdad is right.
I had so much trouble and direction changes did i me a little dizzy.So I along with that I sometimes just would not move-then i would turn and go other way. He knows "go around" cause I don't go his way around a pole // he has become good at coming back the same way. He knows "wait" and "stay". He doesn't always let me in the door first-but most times he waits. Excellent in the car now-and that was lots of work. He has a seatbelt now cause someone said that there is nothing holding him back if I made a sudden stop-he could have hit windshield- all safe now and he is good about getting in and only gets out when asked to.
But Kobe has learned to stay to the left if I hiss. And if he still runs across my path -i shuffle my feet on the ground-he gets over quick. He has tripped me a couple times and had his toes stepped on so he knows to watch. He is a small dog but quite strong-I know what u mean bout trying to get ahead of them --he is fast too.

Thank you guys for all the advice. We did try the direction changes tonight a lot and the last half of the walk was a little better than normal. We walk along the sidewalk for most of our walk so I just turned around and went the other way when she started to pull. We actually did pretty good until we got close to home and she just wanted to go, no listening to anything at that point. I will use more of your advice over the next few walks and stick with it. Hopefully it will continue to get better. As for car rides, she never does ride in the car without being in her crate, which is secured to the car. Gotta keep her safe!! Sometimes safer than I am. Thanks again and I will let you all know how things progress.

Everyone gave you GREAT advice.
It sounds like you're experiencing EVERYTHING I did, with our dog Keymo.
The only difference is you are starting your training earlier than we did (Keymo was 10months old when we started training with Brad's methods).
You're ahead of the game.

Oh, I can tell you I had peole looking through their house windows this past winter. There we were, Keymo & I, stopping, starting, changing directions, going back and forth infront of the same houses over & over again. Me standing calm and cool while he threw hissy fits, biting his leash, pulling on it and jumping biting my mittens.
After learning what I did on Brad's seminar, I just stood there, kept calm, laughed a little and kept using all the techniques I had learned.
I'd say to Keymo "I KNOW what you're doing. Have your hissy and when you're done, we'll move on. You are NOT going to win today bucko, I AM. You're the crazy one they're staring at. I look normal !"

We did look nuts but it got his attention and our walks were better.
Just start all these techniques as soon as you hit the street!
If you get to the end of your lane way and he pulls to the right, guess what ? You're going left!
Oh- and once our walk had been going pretty good until Keymo decided he REALLY wanted to get to my husband (who was snow blowing the driveway).
It took us (I am NOT kidding) 20 minutes to go one house length.
EVERY time Keymo started pulling ahead, I'd karate chop his leash and go back 10 paces. Make him sit until he was calm then we'd try it again.
Pulled? Back 10 paces. etc etc etc.
PATIENCE and CONSISTENCY and 2 very important words to say over & over in your head.

Vltrudel, I'm having the exact same issues with my puppy, who is almost the same age as yours (just shy of 6 months old). She refuses to walk beside me despite all the umbilical, correction, etc we have been doing. The martingale collar does absolutely nothing to slow her down, and in fact makes her even more rebellious on walks. Question I have for the others in this forum...what is the difference between holding the leash with your hands vs putting it around your waist and going hands free? I can still do quick direction changes and such if I'm holding the leash, plus I have more control. I understand that if you tie the leash around your waist and just keep going that the dog learns to keep an eye on you and keep out of your way, but I can achieve the same thing with holding the leash if I keep it in the same position, can't I? Just curious

Oh Prairiedog - you have SO much more control when the leash is around your waist!

My dog now is 67lbs and all it takes is one good yank in another direction by my dog when I'm HOLDING the leash, to practically snap my arm!
When Keymo is on umbilical, all I do is plant my feet and move my hips, jump slightly to my side, or backwards etc. and there is NO pain on my part.

Please, everyone note - IT makes a WORLD of difference when the collar is PROPERLY sized and adjusted to the dog!
If I slack off, and don't take the time to adjust Keymo's collar properly, I may as well be a kite !

If your dog is more rebellious while on a martingale collar, I'd suggest 2 things:
1- make sure it is adjusted properly (Pami described how)
2- if it IS in the right adjustment, maybe your dog is simply rebelling about the fact that he/she ISN'T the one in control any longer?

No matter WHAT kind of collar, leash etc. your dog is on, when they want to throw a supreme hissy fit - they will !
You just have to calmy wait until it's over and correct the bad behaviour, or start correcting before it escalates to "hissy" level !

Even WAY before we stsrted using Brad's methods, the first REAL collar we got our pup was a Martingale collar. As he grew out of it, we couldn't find them anywhere and BOY did we notice a difference. As soon as we became Brad believers, we were thrilled to find his Martingale collars !
Keymo has 2 !
He chewed through (our fault) his 1st Brad collar, and we were desperate to get another to keep "just in case".
It's great to have 2 of them ! One he wears while the other one is being washed & dried, etc.