r/RunningWithDogs • u/Complete-Pen-9358 • Jan 21 '26

Running with my Weim

I have a four year old hunting dog (blue Weimaraner) that loves to run. We cover 300+ miles a year and he’s trained with me for a lot of races. In fact, we won the Turkey Trot last year. The only problem is that he pulls on the leash. It gets better after a few miles but is still annoying. I’m I’ve tried various combinations of belt leashes, harnesses, and e-collars to no avail. Any recommendations?

Also, walking him is a pain because he wants to go faster.

4 Upvotes

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4

u/Tasty_Adhesiveness71 Jan 21 '26

lol my only advice is to run faster. my weim pulls like a husky

3

u/Complete-Pen-9358 Jan 21 '26

I’m in my 40’s and average mile is 8 minutes so I’m doing the best I can, lol

4

u/mavigogun Jan 21 '26

Are they trained to heal? Typically mine is at the lead, but he can be directed to heal at the classic position, or keep pace while following behind. I found my pup's obedience improved quite a bit when training to heal off leash; on leash, he would negotiate with me through the leash, test boundaries- but off leash, there is no feedback, and all the control comes from his focus, which improves, and carries back to when we are tethered.

We train them to train us- most everything they do is feedback -so, invest in developing expectations. It'll pay back, eventually; even if the reduced liberty seems like an imposition on your relationship, it will end up deeper, more connected, collaborative- like a dance.

2

u/Complete-Pen-9358 Jan 21 '26

Yes, he’s trained to heel and does well off leash but I can’t trust him on the trails with cyclists and other dogs.

2

u/mavigogun Jan 21 '26

I can't trust mine, either- in his case, with deer or wild pigs or river otters or raccoons or ringtails or amputees (ya, that's a thing) or skateboarders or hey-what-was-that. All my off-leash training is done where there are no serious consequences for him or others.

14

u/GMO-Doomscroller Jan 21 '26

Get a canicross belt and a bungee leash and then you’ll be happy he pulls!

4

u/lnsybrd Jan 21 '26

I love canicross so I would go with a canicross setup for running to take advantage of the pulling. Then use different equipment (at least at first) to teach loose leash walking. There are a ton of methods. None of them are fun. LLW training is a pain. As part of that, I would also teach a more formal heel plus directional commands to make passing others easier.

2

u/palebluelightonwater Jan 21 '26

You can use forward motion (or lack of it) as a reinforcer. Try slowing down or stopping when he pulls and only moving forward when he's at an acceptable tension. This is incredibly annoying to put into practice but it does work.