My puppy wont walk!

Question
Hello, I have an 11 week old jack russel named Toby. He has had all his jabs and can go out for his first walk tomorrow. We have tried to get him used to his lead (he is already reasonably comfortable with his collar) by taking him out to the front garden and letting him walk up and down our driveway. The trouble is, he WILL NOT WALK! All he wants are cuddles and likes lots of human contact. He just sits there on the ground, chewing the grass and when we give little tugs on the lead, he yelps. How do we get him to move? Thank you for your time xx

Answer

Hi Laura,

Before you take Toby out for a leashed walk, get him used to the leash by attaching it to his collar when he is eating or playing inside. As with the collar, don't remove it if he's is making a fuss about it. Remove it at a time he has forgotten it's there. Of course, don't leave the leash on Toby if he is unattended. Distract Toby into play or other interaction with you whenever he seems bothered by the leash or starts to chew it.

Put in some time conditioning Toby to come to you and to move with you, before going outside on a real walk. Treats are ideal for this training. Don't be afraid Toby always needs treats to walk on a leash. Leash walking has its own rewards, but a young puppy doesn't know that yet. The treats will help get things moving in the right direction. Feeding time is a good time to work on this conditioning, when you have the dish in your hand and an eager puppy at your feet. Back away from Toby. Use your body language and call him by his name to attract Toby to follow. Move around a bit with him, making it a fun game, before putting down the dish and thus delivering a great reward.

At other times when Toby is likely to be interested in games and treats, use a bit of food from his next meal to condition him to look at you and move with you. Keep moving away from Toby, encouraging him to follow you. Young puppies naturally do this anyway, so the training is easy and fun. At all times, be prepared to reward Toby with little treats, games and other things he likes, for moving with you, coming to you, and looking at you. Make this a habit, and develop your body language and voice to what works best with your particular puppy (each puppy is different). You can build Toby's desire to interact with you by how you use your praise, treats, petting, and the games you and he play together. All of this factors into your leash training as well as all other training, both in puppyhood and later.

Once Toby used to the presence of the leash attached to his collar and used to moving with you, you're ready to pick up the free end of the leash.  When a puppy freezes up on leash and won't move, obviously you can't get anywhere. So part of the goal is for Toby to relax when wearing a leash. You'll be off to the good start if you take the time to condition Toby to the presence of the leash as I've outlined above. If he still won't take a step when leashed outside, hold a treat  inside your fist or cupped hand so he can smell it but can't grab it from your hand. Make it a "high value" treat which you know he really loves (you don't need a lot!) A bit of cheese or  of a hot dog or sausage cut into tiny pieces work very well. Keep the treat right against his nose and when you go to take a step tell him "let's go" or whatever command you want to use. He'll want the treat so should start walking. As soon as he takes a step, lavishly praise him! Make these training sessions short and happy. Don't make him walk too far.

You should be sure to go through the doorway first, and have him follow behind you. Following you takes the pressure off of him, its an alpha behavior, the leader goes first and makes sure its safe for everyone else. Its sounds so simple but it really does help make nervous dogs feel more secure, and it also establishes leadership to all dogs, nervous or dominant.

If he shows fear or hesitance - do not get suckered by that and coddle him. That actually reinforces not wanting to walk, as he sees it as a reward for not walking!

If you know somebody with an adult dog that's calm and friendly, try walking together. Toby will happily try to keep up with another dog.

Read more about leash training your puppy here:

http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/training-a-puppy-to-walk-on-a-leash...

Best of luck,

Patti