Teach me how to teach my dog to walk on a leash?

Question

My new Maltese puppy is now 4 months old. He will not walk on a leash. He just sits down. If I pull he lays down.. I don't know what to do next.

Answer 1

Ok, we just got our dog 2 weeks ago and had the same issue. First make sure he is used to his collar. Have him wear it 24 hours a day and don't do anything else until he's ok w/ the collar (not scratching or biting it). Then attach the leash. Have him just hang out around the house w/ it on, dragging it behind him. I'd suggest a short one so that when you finally DO have him walking, it's more controlled. Once he's ok w/ the leash being attached, go outside w/ him and have him play w/ you, dragging the leash behind him. Then he will see that it's not scary. Finally you want to hold the leash. Keep it loose enough where he doesn't feel pulled at all and DO NOT PULL. Try to walk ahead of him a bit, and just keep looking back to call him, so he's following you. It took us only 3 days of this and we got our dog on a leash, no problem!

Here are some sites that helped me:

http://www.greatcanine.com/puppy-train-leash.html

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/puppylrn.html

http://www.loveyourdog.com/heel.html

OH! One more thing: I'd suggest getting a harness. We have a toy dog, too, and the pulling can really injure them, so a harness was better for us if we had to give a GENTLE TUG (not the same as pulling). He was less afraid of the leash, too, when it was farther from his head. We got ours at Petsmart for 10 bucks, you don't need an expensive one.

Also, treats are a great idea. Work on getting the dog to come when you call him so that when you're walking him, he actually listens when you tell him to follow.

Freeze dried liver (yes I know, gross) is a HUGE favorite.

Answer 2

He is still very young so be patient. Hold the leash taught at all times (except of course, when he sits down the leash will go lax, haha). You could coax him GENTLY by tugging as you attempt a procede forward; he'll most likely be behind you at first and not actually move. That is why I stated it like 'attempt a procede, you may not even move a step or two. But don't look back at him--just snug up the leash GENTLY--and persist. I don't mean drag him if he doesn't move, just don't turn around and look pleadingly at him; you may be standing there for a couple of minutes. Stay firm in your INTENT. Don't look back to 'see' if he is getting it. That is like giving him a choice; he doesn't have one. Try it for a while and I believe he will get the message. The key is a lot of patience and gentle firmness. Good luck. Also, don't make him (or her) feel bad if they aren't getting it, they are dogs, not humans, and they actually are the smart ones. We humans have a harder time 'getting what they want us to know' than they do 'getting what we want them to know.' :-) A milk bone is a good treat for rewarding 'when they get it.' :-)

Answer 3

I had this problem with my American Eskimo Spitz. Even though he saw how excited our other dog was to go walking, he would not have any part of a leash. Some neighbors suggested putting the leash on him inside the house and let him drag it around, as was suggested above. I never tried it though. After almost a year, suddenly when I tried to put the leash on him, he let me and now it's walk walk walk, he gets so excited he almost tears the door down. LOL

Answer 4

you should make your puppy sit and stay while hooking up the leash. this shows that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated and the walk will be delayed until he or she sits and calms down. Allow your puppy to smell the ground as your walking him or her this allows them to see what other animals have traveled since the last walk. Dont allow them to walk in front of you, always beside you...this shows that they are not in charge you are...allow them to greet people and other dogs in a calm manner...this teaches social skills...now is the time to get your puppy trained...that way when he or she gets older, you wont have the problems with the adult dog. Good luck.

Answer 5

Get someone to hold him on the leash, then go about ten feet away and offer a treat of some kind - if he wants it, he'll have to walk over there with his leash attached. Once he gets used to it, he should be ok.

Answer 6

You should enroll yourself and your puppy in an obedience class. Get a very thin/light weight 4 foot leash and just let your pup drag it around the house for a few days (supervised only) You can use treats to get him used to it dragging behind him. Make a game of it and he will get use to it

Answer 7

Bribe him with treats or a favourite toy to get him walking. Start so that when you walk 3 feet, you get a treat, then 10 ft, then 30 ft, etc. After he will actually WALK you can start to leash train him to walk nicely :)

Answer 8

keep trying, he will learn