So I have been going on longer walks with Okami than usual.

She has (or had) pretty good leash manners for the most part.

I guess the best way for me to explain what I need help with would be to tell you what I have noticed happening as of today.

We usually go specific routes, and she does pretty well heeling. But whenever we go to different routes she pulls me so hard and won't listen to me no matter what. And I am mostly concerned, because any different routes that I can take that she isn't used to, are really close by a busy road with no sidewalk. I REALLY need her to heel and not fight me/ignore me because it is dangerous and I don't want her zipping out at the wrong time.

So, as far as walking down my road... it is a dead end Privet drive, so there are little to no cars that go down, usually just the few residents around here or their guests... I live in a Lake house area.
She does just fine... there are some usual spurts where she will get distracted, there are a lot of geese and ducks or woodland creatures like squirrels or rabbits and she has a really high prey drive. For the most part she will heel if I ask her to unless if there is a living thing.

Or there is my back yard which is really large and woodsy. At first she goes ape shit I won't lie, but after we get going and she is in the zone, there is no tugging and she listens and heels well.

What I am asking... is how do I get her to be more in tune with me? How can I get her to ignore distractions and listen to me? I need her to be able to do this to keep her safe.

Also, when we went for this walk tonight down the busy road with no sidewalks (there is a dirt/ rocky side, but cars zip through so fast, and it irritates me that there are no real side walks around here for miles.)
We were walking to the party store up that road. When we get into the store she always tries to jump up on the counter which I immediately have to correct. She won't sit or listen to me in the store at all what so ever (it is amazing they still let me bring her in there)

Also we went to take a break at the bench near the bar just so my kid who was also with me could catch her breath, and there were people coming from the parking lot to the bar. Okami was sitting perfectly fine, until she sees those people, then flips out. Doing circles, ears back, pulling hard... What I would describe as running in place, because her feet drag on the ground but she doesn't go anywhere do to me not going anywhere.

Sigh. How to I help her manners? Where did I go wrong?
She KNOWS these commands, and she has proven to me she knows what I want... she just ignores me.
I know it is a husky thing... but what can I do to lighten her level of prey drive, excitement... and get her to at least have some manners when we are walking in new areas and around new people?

Thanks. I will be happy to answer any questions if there are any holes...

Lucy,

what do you walk her with?

when you say you correct her, how so?

I walk her with an assortment of things. But mostly a regular collar and a 6ft leash or my 3 foot leash if we are going close to that busy road. I also use my retractable leash from time to time.
I also walk her witb the ruff wear web harness if we are going on rougher terrain in case I need to lift her over a fallen tree or something.

And when I correct her to heel, I just say "stay with me" and if she ignores me I stop walking until she sits, or at least shows she is paying attention again.

Or other times I will stop and do a little turn around spin. But all of these things never last long before I lose her again.

If it were me, and it will be me in the next few days, as Ami's "out in public manners" have deteriorated a bit over the winter, I would put a prong on him, and actively practise, both at home and in stimulating environments. I will also be bringing out my educator mini ecollar, will start from scratch in the yard. But not both simultaneously. Sort of a refresher, or as Jen once referred to it, boot camp.

I have been thinking prong may be the way I am going to have to go... however I have no experience with using one, and I fear I might do something wrong. I completely agree prong collars are useful, and I have no beef with them, unless they are used improperly. Anyone have a good tutorial or something I could study up on?

I do have an e-collar but it is a crummy one and it shorts out easily, so it can't be trusted to stay working properly.

Lucy - Jeff has posted some things about using a prong. Especially the fitting. I find that for the most part, the prong collar is self correcting. I never yank on the thing, just a little flick of the wrist. Sort of like using the reins when horseback riding - a slight, gentle tug and release combined with the command. I use a leash that has a traffic handle so when I am in situations where I want him close and heeling, I have a short leash. Usually after a few seconds of going "close-hauled" and using the heel command, Ami realizes there has been a game changer and complies with heel. Also, when in traffic situations, I actively seek out road crossings and making him sit before crossing and while waiting for traffic, helps to set the mood, so to speak.

For long leash walking in rural settings, if he's full of energy and wants to go "steam roller" dead ahead, no holds bars than we do a few repititions of me stopping, not saying a word, waiting until he circles back to me (in resignation and somewhat resentfully, I will say ) than resuming our walk when he is still. Two or three repeats and he gets the message not to pull so hard, keeps his leash just taught enough to not drag on the ground but not so much I become a sled.

Use the ecollar (maybe time for a new one?) for training attention to you - though, if Loki is really treat responsive you can use something high value (cheese, dried liver?) to practise watching you be keeping him close and changing direction frequently. (Ami no longer is so intent on food now that he knows a meal is reliably coming every single day so the ecollar works better for me now.)

I was hoping someone else would chime in here since training is not my forte.

I hope he comes back around and maybe link some of the stuff he has said about prongs then or gives me a run down

This was the most recent conversation

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t14270-prong-collar-solid-k9-training#220991

I fully agree with Amy. If you're going to change bratty or impulsive behavior there's going to have to be a consequence for those behaviors and a new incentive for prioritizing you .

A prong is the gentlest, most efficient, and least invasive way to do this besides and e collar.

Thanks Jeff, I watched your youtube videos.

I guess my only concern about prongs... can they be easily slipped out of on any given circumstance? Or are they pretty secure with anti escape?

Property fit a prong collar will absolutely not be able to slip over a dogs head. Many people keep them closed and slip them on and off over the head, and this is an incorrect and ineffective way to use one.

A properly fit collar should allow you to get a finger tip between a prong and the neck. That said, no way it's gonna slip off.

It has happened on occasion that one becomes unlinked while on a dog, but this usually happens due to it being improperly connected on the dog. A sure fire way to protect against this is hook a carabiner from the round dead ring on the chain that sits on the dogs neck to the tag collar, like so

https://www.google.com/search?q=carabiner+prong+collar&client=ms-android-hms-tmobile-us&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5LBCVYOdEsK6ogTq_4CABg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=360&bih=640#imgrc=SwBp5NQTT-i4HM%253A%3B7e4eS-WLczZkGM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fstatic1.squarespace.com%252Fstatic%252F5119a821e4b0343281b935f8%252Ft%252F52c833fbe4b02c7007cb711f%252F1388852230620%252F%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fgoodkarmatraining.com%252Fmy-dog-training-method%252F%3B400%3B400

Step by step sizing and fitting

https://youtu.be/h3xxSBxVikc