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The Lead !


kingy
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hay all....

i am trying to get my 15 week old puppy to be able to walk on a lead....

as soon as i place the lead on he starts pulling in the opposite direction and starts trying to walk backwards.......

i walk foward but it just seems to drag the poor little bugger....

not to mention as soon as the lead goes on he starts attacking it.....

all help would be great..... :p

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Just to start him off by giving him the idea that the lead is ok (remember - restraint is a foreign consept to dogs), what about using some treats to encourage him forward on the lead. This method should only be used just to give your pup the idea. If you don't move away from it you'll soon have the problem of your pup not wanting to walk on lead UNLESS you have food in your hand.

Once he seems to have a bit of an idea, move from having food in the hand, to handing him a treat from (eg) your food treat pouch when he's doing good.

Avoid forcing the lead and making it an issue. Even just click it on and walk with him, just initially. Reward him with a tasty morsel for doing a good job (even though you're the one doing the work to begin with). This helps to build a positive association with the lead.

Have little games with him when the lead is on. You don't even have to be holding the lead .... just let it trail on the ground after him. Do stuff he likes to do (eg. a couple of little "pup pup" recalls followed by a food treat or a little game of ball) and make the experience of having a lead on, fun.

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A mistake we made when first using a lead on Pepper was that it was too heavy for such a little pup... consider the size of the lead (specifically the clasp, which is the heavy part). And we let Pepper look at/ touch the lead before it went on her, then let her run around with it attached for a few mins to get used to the weight.

When we started walking with her on the lead, we held a treat, took the end of the lead and walked backwards calling puppy and making silly voices, really excited when she came to use - and then gave a treat... she certainly didn't pull in the opposite direction when we did that.

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ok so tonight when i got home from work it was a bit of a struggle to get the lead on but after we started to walk towards the door i gave him a treat and presto he went for a full 30 min walk :eek:

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ok so tonight when i got home from work it was a bit of a struggle to get the lead on but after we started to walk towards the door i gave him a treat and presto he went for a full 30 min walk :eek:

Great progress! But Kingy, just be very careful about the amount of exercise you give him. The general rule is five minutes per month of age of the dog (so at three months, no more than 15 minutes, four months twenty minutes etc) - my beagle was well and truly six months before we worked her up to going on 30 minute walks. That much exercise is far too much for little pups who are still growing ;)

Edited by huski
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Yes I have to fully agree with Huski here.

I have pugs and at the moment I have a 13 week old. 30 minutes is way to long for a pup to be walking on lead. 5-10 minutes at a gentle pace . The rest of her excercise comes naturally.

I don't actually start taking my young ones for "long" walks until around 6 months. Then it would only be half the distance of the older pugs. Of course if you walk the little one for 5 minutes and carry him for 10 minutes and then walk ect you could do 1/2 hour walk yourself.

Edited by puglvr
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We had Dante as a pup accept the lead by clipping on a lightweight one and allowing him to drag it around (only under supervision), that way he could get used to the feel of it, would feel the restriction when he stood on it and so forth. By 12 weeks he was a happy chappy on the lead and collar.

5-10 minute walks for pups :grouphug:

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i am still struggling with leads and my puppy (beagle) 5 months

initially we used a harness, but she runs away the minute she sees it, and seems afraid of it

then we started obedience training - they advised to get a check chain collar for walking, but for the entire session and all that followed, she would choke herself to vomiting, we are now having a break from these classes, they said to keep dragging her

we have just started adolescent puppy class, and have been told to use the head walker - but have heard these arent great for beagles

i am just so frustrated with the whole thing, and dont expect that we will ever have nice walks

would also welcome any suggestions

Pam

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PCarr (Pam) .... from the words you have used to describe how you have used or been instructed to use the check chain, either you have not understood the proper use of that training tool (along with the other of the rewarding things to encourage and show your dog the 'right' way) or the instruction you have received is completely beyond poor.

As for the harness - perhaps your introduction of it to your pup has inadvertently given an negative impression to your pup.

To straighten these things out and to work out which training aid is best for your dog and for yourself, I would recommend a private lesson from a reputable trainer - preferably one who is versed with and experienced in the use of numerous training tools.

I expect this would have you quickly and more clearly on the right path to having both yourself and importantly your pup, enjoying your walks together.

Your comment pertaining to "head collars not being great for beagles" .... well, I don't agree with that statement as written. But head collars need to be well understood just as any other training tool needs to be understood, so that it can be introduced and used properly. They aren't up there at the top of my 'favourite' list, but this is not to say that I have not employed the use of a head collar in certain circumstances.

BUT I do encourage you to get some good and right advice and instruction for you and your young dog first so that you can both be set up to win :thumbsup: as it sounds to me like you may have either taken or been given the wrong instruction.

Edited by Erny
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