I need some help or advice if possible. I have a 5 year old GSP who has been reactive since we picked him up as an 8 week old puppy. We were naive at the time but it was indeed an issue of bad breeding and all of the pups in his litter had noticeable dog reactivity issues. We put a lot of time and effort into training while he was a puppy and beyond to reduce his reactivity and give him as fulfilling of a life as possible. Once he was old enough, we started training him on an e-collar, which gave him a lot of off leash freedom. We worked with a fantastic trainer that specialized in working dog breeds and reactive/aggressive behaviour to do so. She also trained us and our dog in using a prong collar, which was a fantastic way to reduce his pulling during walking and communicate with him to minimize reactions. At that point, we really relied on the e-collar for off leash time and the prong for everyday walking. We made huge strides and it was great, but incidents with off leash dogs rushing us still created some setbacks here and there.
A couple of years ago, we moved somewhere where e-collars are banned so we relied on walking using only the prong. This was a big change for us but we still managed well and found ways to give him some safe off leash freedom and longline exploring.
In a few weeks, we will be moving to a place where e-collars, prong collars, vibrating collars, etc. are all banned and face very high fines for use. We know of course that training is the foundation of tackling pulling and reactive behaviours, but there is also a balance of being able to walk him outside safely while we are still working on training in a new location. As I'm sure many of you know, GSPs can be quite strong pullers and this is difficult to deal with in combination with his reactivity.
With that, I am asking for any and all suggestions for new tools for walking. We have tried the Easy Lead (standing stone kennels) in the past and introduced it very slowly with treats and training but he really hates anything on top of his snout and will constantly try to rub his face against your leg while walking. We've also worked with slip leads before but haven't had as much success as with a prong collar. I am thinking some harnesses could be an option for us to try. Anyways, I am asking for any suggestions, especially from those who deal with GSPs who are pullers and/or reactive.
Thank you in advance!!!