Walking on a leash!

[Megan]

Alright..mister Brooks won't walk nice on his leash. He's 3 months old and pulls like a mad man and is constantly stopping, sniffing, and will just sit down when I try to take him on a walk. It's such a bummer because I want to walk him so he can burn off his energy. Any advice?

[Sue & Willy Babe]

Hi Willson use to do the same, so what I did was bring treats along with me, and that seemed to help quite a bit we also started out slow with just a little walk not sure how far you are going. I also brought along one of his favorite squeeky toys which he liked alot. I held my leash in the right hand and the treat in the left. When he pulls and I assume he is pulling ahead of you. My trainer has said you should just stop, call his name and should come to you, then of course lots of praise when he does that.

[Adina P]

Ha! Did you see? You and another member are thinking alike today!

http://doodlekisses.com/group/puppymadness/forum/topics/when-and-ho...

My answer to Sine fits your question too :-) Main key is DO NOT get stuck in thinking you have to walk in a straight line down the sidewalk to get your "walk" in.

Also practicing training can make his brain tired -- so training can use up energy too..not just walks :-)

[Maggie Mae (n Mom, Kay)]

My Maggie (3 1/2 months old) does the same thing. She gets the leash in her mouth and runs as far as it will go. This is after I've just sprayed the leash with McNasty!! There is a field of new construction near my house that has dirt and streets only. I take her there and let her off leash. I always have treats and have worked on stop and stay during those sessions. She does very well but when I put her back on the leash, I guess she knows it's time to go home (and she's never worn out!) so she get the leash in her mouth and tugs, pulls, runs. I'm using a retracting leash because I can't remember where I put my flat leash!?

Am I sabotaging learning to walk with a leash by letting her off leash now? She's still a little timid so she only runs a little way then stops to look back for me, that's why I've been working diligently on come, stop and stay.

[sbis0oszc95r]

Use the click and treat method. Walk, click your clicker and when she looks up at you, you treat her, as long as she is right beside you. Keep this up thru-out the walk and she'll learn that good things happen when she's right beside you.

you can get the clickers at most pet stores.

[Adina P]

I don't think you're sabotaging anything with the off leash as long as you're 100% sure that she won't run into the street or other dangerous places.

I would get rid of that retractable leash right away even if you have to buy a cheap one from Wal-Mart. Retractable leashes are always pulled tight you almost never see a dog with a retractable leash that is not pulled tight. So they really encourage pulling because that's the way they work.

If it were me, I would buy a plain nylon or cotton leash and put it on her in the house so she has to drag it around. That will get her used to the feeling of being leashed and help the novelty to wear off. However, and this is really important, be sure you were watching her closely so that the leash doesn't get caught on furniture or other things and hurt her in the process. I might even cut off the handle to lower the risk of it getting caught. And just let her drag it around as you follow her and distract her with toys and puppy pushups, etc.

You can also do this in the yard and when you want to let her off leash without actually letting her off leash because she will have the leash attached but it will be dragging behind her. You can find extra long leashes at farm Supply Stores or army surplus stores. I have used parachute cord in lengths up to 100 feet when working with Rosco for off leash obedience. They are very handy and because they're thin and light it is not cumbersome at all.

[Donna Griffin]

Jack is 6 months old and I have been using the Gentle Leader collar (the one with the strap over the nose) since puppy kindergarten. He never pulls when he is wearing it because he knows that collar is for walking and working. It took about 4 times for him to get used to wearing it. I followed the directions for training on the video that came with the collar and they worked great. I also use the click and treat method for heeling, sit/stay and recall. Now when I let Jack off the leash, all I have to do is click and he comes running! In the beginning, Jack used to do the sniff and stop thing, but I just gave a quick snap on the leash while saying "no" and then praised him like crazy when he walked properly. It's a joy to go for walks now. In fact... I think I'll take him out this minute! Good Luck with Brooks.

[Gina]

Hi - Ferdy used to be the same way. At 3 mos he would never walk right. We bought the gentle leader harness and now he walks great! I highly recommend it. We take him speed walking and jogging around the park. Definitley try it! - Gigi

[Trish]

every time he pulls stop wait till he gets to your feet give a treat...........stop wait treat.........slow but rewarding process.......no pulling...........let him walk to your distance give a treat......T