"What do I need to do to train my 8 year old, recently rehabilitated Basset Hound to walk on a leash and collar properly? I would like a good method or a link to a website that will guide me through this in a positive way. Even a book."
Personally I do not think you will find success in a book or a web site. You will be much better off investing that time and money in a class or with a private instructor. So much miscommunication and misinterprtation goes on through the spoken word especial in dog training. See and watching how someone else does it is much more efficient.
Just some caveats observe a class first before putting any hard cash. See how the instructs and interacts with the dogs and humans. What methods are used. Are you comfortable with the instructors style and methods?, if not move on. There are as many ways to train a dog as there are instructors. A good instructor will tell you they have to adjust their methodology to each individual dog also, There is no one right way or wrong way.
Unfortunately when you ask for advice you often get conflicting answers which only serves to confuse. It is also likely that either of the conflicting answers would work equally as well but if you try and take a bit from one and mix it with a bit from another it begins to fall apart.
I can not over emphysis IMHO the importance of having a hands on instructor to guide you especial for first time training. and even for us old hacks having an observer willing to make comment on technique keeps us from falling back to unproductive habits.
As an example I will give you links to a Clicker training site with advice on the subject. You will see even though the same tools are used they are used slightly differently by different individuals. Does not make one method better than the other. Some work better for some human and dog combinations than others.
In the end, I find it is more about commitment than methodology. If you don't commit to a method and dillengently practice it, no result with occur. If you do commit regardless of the methodology result usually follow. Commitment, consistence, and patience are key.
Targeting and Loose Leash Walking
Loose Leash Walking
Advice for Loose Leash Walking
An "AHA" Moment in Loose Leash Walking
"My Dog is Pulling My Arm Off!!"
Loose Leash Walking: The Total Picture
The Musher's Cure for Pulling
Walking on a Loose Leash
"Be a Tree" Explained
Tips for Better Loose Leash Walking
You Get What You Reinforce, Not What You (Necessarily) Want
"If the dog is doing lots of things in a complex environment, then why should a loose leash be so salient, as compared to, maybe, stepping over a crack in the pavement, or another dog appearing ahead, or the fact that the dog happened to turn its head to the right just at the time of the click. If the clicker happened repeatedly when the dog was in the process of speeding up the pace, yet the leash was still loose, why should the dog not think that it was speeding up that gained the click rather than the loose leash? Because the leash has a certain length, it could be that the dog could really build up some speed before the leash was drawn tight, thus non-reinforced. I know, I know, the dog should figure this out, and, eventually, the dog will. However, the more intense the distractions, the more complex the behaviors, and the less perceptive the trainer, the longer it will take for the dog to associate the clicker with what you want rather than something else that was at least as probable.
Now, clicking a loose leash is not that complex, but, under the wrong circumstances, that is, in an environment full of distractions, the job could be made MUCH more complicated than it should. I must admit that I have never had to train a dog that has had a prolonged (years) and severe leash (lunging) problem, but I have trained a fair number of dogs to maintain a loose leash. I maximized my success by restricting the training environment and the options of the dog. I would not leave the restricted environment (say a barn first, then the company grounds, and then a meadow, etc.) until the behavior was very good. I would expand the environment and increase the behavioral criteria only when the dog's behavior said it was time."
Insights Into Puppy Mouthing
"Something else this makes me think of. I must say I have a different take on the notion of negative punishments. To begin with I don't call them that and think the semantics of them is a problem because of the attitude it creates. I do not want to take anything away from the dog as a punishment so that they will decrease the chance of the behavior happening. I Reward the dog. Just not with the Reward they would prefer
If for example the dog is jumping and nipping for attention I reward the Behavior. BUT I reward it with something like me going away. "Yippie, you win! I bet I know what you would like! Your Reward is my disappearance." I know that it is semantics on one level but on another level it is really a completely different methodology.
I don't do "penalty yards" (TM pending, Lana Horton). "You pull on the leash... Yippie! We get to walk backwards or stop." If the dog thinks I am an idiot... Great!
"Bob, you fool. I am not trying to get you to walk backwards. Hmmmm... what do I need to do to get this idiot to stop going the wrong direction???"
If my attitude remains that I am having a great time and even better if I am acting like I think that the Undesired Reward is what the dog wants I am not setting up a conflict. But I am motivating the dog to reexamine its choices. I am encouraging the dog to try and educate me as to the best thing to do."
if you take time to read all slightly different takes.
Personnal I find teaching loose leash walking one of the hardest thing you can do. As a matter of fact I find it just about impossible. The criteria of what is expect of the dog is to vague for me to reinforce properly. I find it much easier to train a formal heel where the dogs position is much more tightly controled.
In the above examples most "clicker trainer's" abhor the use of pain as a physical punishment for training which rules out things like choke collars and the sporn harness. Personnally again I find that tools like these can be useful because they give the dog feedback when the owner/trainer forgets to. Take the sporn for instance, dog pulls the cords under the armpit thighten and pinch dog. Dog stops pain end. Dog learn pulling hurts while wearing a sporn will pull less while wearing one. If however you do not take the time to teach or train the dog and rely solely on the device on those occasion the dog is on leash but not on the device it will pull and often pull like a maniac because he can.