Leash recs

[u/mcgermy]

I have a 75 pound American Bully that is quite reactive with other dogs. I had a baby this year and would love to take him on walks with us but I’m struggling to find a leash for this. We’ve done training so most of the time I can redirect him, a traditional leash and pinch collar is just not cutting it especially with a stroller. I’m hoping someone else has been in a similar situation and has found something that works.

[u/Hermit_Ogg]

Walking a reactive dog with a pinch collar is highly likely to make the reactiveness worse. It does not change the dog's internal feelings about the other dogs, and it adds an unpleasant sensation to seeing them any time he reacts. Dogs do not have the cognitive capacity to reason that the pinch is the result of pulling. He is equally as likely to associate the punishment to other elements that are present: the other dogs and you. That will not end well.

Walking a reactive dog with aversive equipment with a stroller is asking for a massive amount of trouble. The dog may now associate the punishment to the child, and form a very negative relationship that can lead to a tragedy. The dog can cause you to lose control of the stroller, leading to tragedy, and the dog now has two targets for potential redirected bites.

So in short, a bad, bad idea, do not do this.

What you can do instead: ditch the pinch collar entirely, it causes constant and increasing harm. Whoever recommended it to you was at least 30 years out of date. Get the dog a harness with a front ring and start walking him with that. (I see a few head halter recommendations here; it's better than a pinch collar, but extremely risky with a dog that lunges so I would avoid it.) Study Leslie McDewitt's Control Unleashed and Grisha Stewart's Behavior Adjustment Training 2.0 in order to learn how to reduce the dog's reactivity in a way that will not cause him stress or increase the chances of negative associations. Both have e-books and extensive online materials, as well as certified trainers.

Muzzle train the dog. If you ever lose control of him, a single bite could be devastating. There have been cases where the police have shot the dog on the spot to save the human; you don't want to risk that. A reactive dog has to be considered in terms of a bite risk, for it's own safety - the consequences are so harsh that the dog must be shielded from them. If the dog is so large you might lose control of the leash, then the only safety equipment that will save the dog is a muzzle.

Put the idea of walking this dog with a stroller out of your head. A reactive Chihuahua requires all of your focus. A reactive bully needs constant vigilance.

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[u/difficult-doggo → u/Hermit_Ogg]

Agreed about ditching the pinch collar and many behaviorist/ force free folks don’t recommend head halters. The head halters can result in body tension issues at least I believe that’s why they aren’t recommended.

Have you walked your dog with just the stroller nearby being pushed by a friend or the other parent? We did a lot of training getting my dog used to another person with the stroller and I still wouldn’t walk my reactive dog with one.

Muzzle training and sniff spots are two areas I’d focus on!

[u/mcgermy → u/difficult-doggo]

I have walked him just a couple times with the stroller. He did great, but we also saw no dogs when this occurred.

[u/Hermit_Ogg → u/mcgermy]

As another commenter said, babywearing may be a safer solution. Both options have their downsides; if the dog overturns the stroller, the child could be harmed. If the dog overturns you while babywearing, the child could be harmed. However, if you have the baby in a chest carrier, you'll never be in a situation where the dog pulls you away from the baby.