My 4 mo. old pulls on the leash when we walk her, to the point where she is choking and gagging. We learned at puppy kindergarten to just stop walking and look up at the sky, ignoring her. Sometimes I've changed direction, in an effort to keep Sadie behind me (to teach her I'm the leader, she's the follower.)

Usually either of these tactics result in her biting the leash and attempting to "walk herself" in the direction she wants to go, or in her transforming into a flailing little beast who basically goes bonkers on me (on the sidewalks in front of people's houses as they watch me try to correct my dog...*lovely*) I've sprayed the leash with bitter apple, but I think she must like the flavor.

How do I get this girl to walk nicely on the leash? Help! Nothing I'm doing seems to be working! She seems to want to run (and in the direction she chooses.)

Welcome to the terror of puppyhood.
These are determined dogs and I have found that tactic to not work.
Have you tried a thin choker? Turning away from her when she is about to forge ahead, or turning into her and forcing her to make a left circle? If the dog believes she has to watch you all the time in order not to get stepped on or bumped into she will keep an eye out, which means she will have to stay in heel position. This method requires you pay close attention to her and the slightest movement foward is the signal for you to make your move. It is tiresome and takes a long time to accomplish a decent heel and is the lesson that ,I believe, takes the longest to teach.
You can also try swinging the handle end of the leash in front of her and when she steps foward she will get hit by it and this will keep her back.
What I have been doing with my 5 1/2 month old puppy is teach him to stop (whoa) when I stop. Or to sit when I stop. These are long (1 minute +) sits and whoa. I also throw in a down. This calms them and they don't know when you are going to stop so they need to pay attention, along with teaching them new commands.
Hang in there, one day they all move out....oh wait, that's kids. Sorry.

Just be persistent in preventing the pulling.  They will continue to test you.  If you are walking, just abruptly turn and go the other way and give a yank.  They soon start paying attention.  Also, don't forget to praise them when they are walking where you want them to walk.  Another thing, loosen up on the leash.  Don't start with the leash tight.  You will be surprised that when you start with that resistance they will pull even harder.  That was a hard lessen for me to learn because it was counter intuitive to me.  It does work.  So start out with the loose leash. When they start pulling just turn and go a different direction.  When they are in the right position praise them.  Also, remember you are working with a puppy who will be distracted easily, so be patient.  You can also keep yummy special treats with you as a reminder to them and a reward.  Practice without distractions until you get good results and then add distractions.

If you want to go on a walk before all the training has taken hold, I would suggest a pinch collar.  If you use it right, they quickly learn not to pull (they don't like that slight pinch they get when they do), and it is actually safer than a dog that is pulling to the point of choking as they do not risk injuring their throat.  The only thing you have to watch with a pinch collar is you don't want to give them a jerk while they are wearing it. You can also train with a pinch collar, but I prefer to train with the collar they will eventually wear as I want them to walk nicely in all collars.

Thanks, Hogan. I will try this. We do use the half-hitch (as taught in puppy kindergarten) but the hitch is up close to her collar, not by her back legs.) And even with the half hitch, she still pulls, chokes and gags. Maybe putting the half hitch closer to her back legs will do the trick.

I just saw something like it on the web this morning. Tessa and I are not exactly making progress right now...good points pixie bee...I agree...but I am desperate for some progress right now.

www.cabelas.com/link-12/product/0006463617314a.shtml

I think I can finagle it with our German Jaegerleine...

My 4 month old is a puller...if I have a piece of hot dog she will give me attention, if not, pull pull pull.

I hold the hot dog near my face and she gives me good eye contact but I would like this attention without the food.

At what age is a strong lead correction acceptable? i am thinking at 6 months old they should be able to withstand a strong correction.

Also, she is on a flat buckle collar which I find useless, she needs something up near her ears so it has a litle more impact on her.

Do you feel that a choke chain is acceptable still these days?

First, I think choke chains and pinch collars both have there purpose.  I put a choke collar on when I am training and I use it as early as 12 weeks.  The correct way to use a choke is with pops ( small and just enough to get the right response).  You should not need strong correction if you are consistent. Also, when you get the right response don't forget to praise.  When you start off make sure you have slack in the leash.  If you have a tight leash it will only encourage pulling.  So you have your dog sitting and a loose leash. Start off on your left foot and say heel.  When your dog is walking nicely by you praise.  If she starts pulling turn and go the opposite direction giving little pops if she doesn't turn automatically.  As she starts moving the direction you want, lots of praise.  This does two things: 1) it keeps the leash loose and 2) keeps your dogs attention on you as she will never know when you are going to go a different direction.  You may do allot of turning at first, but she will catch on. Remember you are in charge and she does not get to pull.  Sometimes just stopping will also work as she will come back to you and then you start moving again.  She learns she only gets to go forward if she is not pulling.  I don't like the stop as well though as it seems to take longer and does not as readily promote keeping the dogs attention on you.

The other option is a pinch, but my guess is you won't need it if you are consistent with a choke.  Also, when you are through with training you should take the chain off you dog.  It is only for training.

Good luck and post the results or any other questions.

Update on Tessa: she is starting to responds well to conditioning. I tried the marker method on her, with "yes" being the "clicker" cue...so when she is just about to pull the leash taut I say "no" and stop, when she comes my way or walks nicely I say "yes" and treat. I use "nice" to reenforce good behaviour without a treat. Done it for a few days and she is actually making a lot of progress. Now she only pulls when we get close to the two fields where we stop to play fetch. That is still a bit of a struggle.

Here is a good article on the science of marker/clicker training:

leerburg.com/markers.htm

Took her to a festival this weekend, and my friends were impressed with how nicely she walked on the leash. Yes, there was some pulling now and then, and picking up stuff fromt he street but no lunging out of control.

I am a big believer in the pinch collar, and will use it when she is older, if needed. My experience is that somewhere between 6-12 months, it usually IS needed. And it usually only takes very few well-timed and strong enough corrections to stop unwanted behavior.

I used a clicker for training everything with my youngest pup.  I figured I'd use her has my guinea pig and do ALL positive reinforcement with her and no aversives (esp. no leash "corrections" for behaviors she doesn't even know).  At 11 months she walks on a completely loose lead regardless of where we are and I find it is very easy to generalize behaviors in other distracting enviroments.

Leerburg has got to be the WORST website ever to find out more about clicker training -- try clickerlessons.com if you are interested in learning more about it.  Clickertraining.com is also good and rich in information.

I'll check 'em out but I found the article quite helpful and clear and so far it works for me...I would love to know which parts you feel are lacking, compared to the other clicker methods.

I knew I had this somewhere in my favorites.This site is infomative,go to the training articles, and is excellent for training pet dogs.

http://www.clickersolutions.com/index.html

An update on yesterday's post. Bregon can now be called back into heel,instead of me pulling him into position,with the come command and will sit in the correct postion at heel and wait for the command to move foward. The end of the walk is much better then the begining. He is learning that I control the situation. I think.

Enjoy the site I posted.

Francine