Keith, I agree with everything You said except the part about the retractable leash. This is something I would personally never use even if the dog was well trained. I would always be afraid there would be that one time something would happen that I could never forgive Myself for. JMHO.

Gary

but lynda- that is NOT going to happen- only the hooman drives in this household. I am merely their chauffer.

Bravo Keith - good training how-tos!

For those who have GH's who love to go so much they bounce as soon as the leash is picked up:
This is where you start demanding calm behavior. As the leader, you set the boundaries. When I work with this behavior (isn't it cute... until...), I have the dog sit if they are sit trained or I turn my back/ignor them until they settle down. I always give a command such as "easy" before I turn/ignor. The leash does NOT get clipped on until they are being calm.

At the door for those who want to leave like out of a gate or are overly excited out the door:
When the dogs start coiling up as I reach for the door, I tell them "hold" (this a different use from "stay"), they may not cross the thershold until they are calm on a relaxed leash and I say they may. When we move off, I say "let's go" (you can choose your command). Periodically at odd intervels during the walk, I do the "hold" and have them stay in place with me until I again say "let's go" and lead off. I also use the "hold" and "let's go" commands whenever we cross a road. This exercise makes them have to stay tuned in to me. In addition, I use this exercise when I need to maintain control, ie walking into PetSmart and one starts getting overly excited. Once this is firmly ingrained you can use the "hold" command if you drop a leash or anything else happens. One day, a cat came into the fenced pool area and my high-prey GH stopped in mid-stride when I said "hold".

The key to any training or retraining is constistancy. ALWAYS use the same commands and signals; ALWAYS be calm and in control yourself; ALWAYS set and enforce the same boundaries (whats forbidden one day can not be ok the next).

Roos and Happy Wags to everyone.

I have three greys that I walk all at the same time. Keith, I believe in a lot of the things Ceasar Milan recommends. When we first start off on the walk...I say.."Wait!" and they just stop and wait for me to get the leashes untangled and I walk them in a certain order, mainly because this is the order they have chosen. I walk with all three on the left side on a short lead. I personally don't like the retractable leads. I have better control with the leather leads. I don't allow for stops to "sniff" since I walk for the exercise. We keep a steady pace and no stops for "potty" breaks...they have a fenced back yard for that. When I greysit, sometimes I get greys that pull and don't have the same "manners"...so I usually walk them in the middle of my pack and if they still pull, I shorten their leash even if I have to hold on to the collar. It's not long before they relax and walk with the rest of the dogs. I never let them walk in front of me. I have walked up to six greys at a time and with that many big dogs, I HAVE to have control....Can you see me stopping and picking up after 6 dogs all going in different directions at once??? If they start to edge a head of me. I stop and said "wait." They stop and I get the leashes organized and when everyone is relaxed...we start walking again.
Like I said earlier....I walk for the exercise. Van Gogh expecially needs
daily walks or he gets cabin fever and just paces and whines. Once he walks ..he is ready for a long nap. I don't jerk on the leashes or scold the dogs. Just try to keep them together and walking at the same pace.
Hope this helps.