# How do I start walking my puppy?



## karlyj0 (Jun 25, 2013)

Hi everyone, 
I am having a really hard time getting my 8 week old puppy, Willow, to walk. I have taught her to come, sit, shake a paw, lay down and stay but the leash training is hard. She just wants to lay down. Willow would rather let me drag her (Edit: Which I don't- saying this just to illustrate how little she moves). I have also watched a lot of Cesar's videos and I try to train her in that way but I am stuck on this one. I tried to pull up on her collar with the leash and pull her and she'd eventually start walking but I noticed the skin on her feet wearing down from the friction caused by her resistance. Also, I feel like there should be absolutely no leash tension like Cesar says, it should be loose. I have a 4 year old german shepherd mix who, I think, is the best role model ever but she doesn't seem to imitate how well my other dog walks on the leash. Additionally, she is not very food motivated from what I can tell.
Any other ideas? 

All the best,
Karly


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## GoldenTucker (Jun 27, 2012)

8 weeks is very young. please do not drag your puppy. shes a baby. let her run around as she wants to at this point. 8 weeks is too young to go for "real" walks with a 4 year old full grown german shepherd. your baby needs patience and reward, not cesar milan training methods. try just attaching the collar and leash and letting her drag it around the house, getting used to it where she's most comfortable before setting out on walks in the outside world


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## karlyj0 (Jun 25, 2013)

She is definitely not too young to walk up and down my driveway or yard. I am just trying to get her get used to the leash. It's never too early to start training. I never said I dragged her I said she would rather me drag her as she's so hellbent on not moving. My other dog never had this problem as a pup. She was more of a puller at first. Willow doesn't budge unless I pull up on her collar. I consistently praise her when she does walk with me when I do that... I just don't like doing that (pulling up on her collar). Leaving the leash on her is a good idea except I don't want her chewing it. Is there a way to incorporate me holding the leash as I don't want her presuming that it's a toy?


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

karlyj0 said:


> ...She just wants to lay down. Willow would rather let me drag her. .... I tried to pull up on her collar with the leash and pull her and she'd eventually start walking but I noticed the skin on her feet wearing down from the friction caused by her resistance...



You are sounding a little defensive. Please understand that the way you have worded your original question absolutely gives us the impression that you have been dragging this puppy. And if you tell us that the skin on her feet is irritated from friction of resistance then we don't know what else to think. Clearly it's hurting the puppy and not giving her a positive attitude about the leash. She will associate the leash with pain and panic if you keep this up.

When you say that she is not too young to walk up and down your driveway, you are correct in theory. However, you are expecting an 8 week old puppy (who I'm assuming you haven't had more than a few days) to understand the concept of leash walking when you haven't spent more than a few minutes of training the behavior. She doesn't get it. She needs time and repetitions.

Cesar videos may not be the best way to work with an 8 week old puppy. How long have you had her? Something else to keep in mind is that a Golden puppy is going to have a very different temperament and attitude about pleasing you than a German Shepherd mix. Starting with positive methods will probably get the best possible results from a Golden. They are some of the most people-pleasing dogs you will ever run across. Notice I didn't mention intelligence. It's their extreme desire to please their people.

You have a bit of handicap if she is not very food motivated. Have you tried changing to a treat that is more attractive, stinky meat like liverwurst or hot dog bits can help. Leftovers from your plate also. Make sure she is hungry. Be a pez dispenser and lure her along, rewarding for focus on you and forward movement, every single step at first. It shouldn't take long if you are patient and consistent. If food absolutely isn't working, you can try luring her with a favorite toy and rewarding with play.

Please check out some of the recommended videos and books on our training section of the forum. Also try googling "kiko pup" on you tube for excellent training videos. Her methods are much more positive and will get better results than the cesar videos.


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## Golden999 (Jun 29, 2010)

I had my dog taking short daily walks around the block at 8-9 weeks old (Probably closer to 9 weeks after some false starts). The original poster is correct that it is not in any absolute sense too early to be walking a dog. My golden took to it fairly readily and tailed very closely behind me (He did that at home, too- the fact that he liked to follow around inches behind my feet when I walked around the apartment or the yard anyway helped him grasp the "walk" concept, he just kept doing what he always did. It was later when he got more bold and less dependent that we had some trouble with walks for a while). He'd occasionally decide it was play time and bite the leash and jump around, or try to dig a hole and hang out under a bush or something, but he'd walk and look forward to it. It's actually good for their socialization to get them out among people and stuff early in their lives.

Having said that, a few things to watch out for:

1. The first couple times I tried to walk my then-puppy, the pavement on the sidewalk was too hot for him. You may want to look at the time of day you're walking him and not only the air temperature, but the sidewalk temperature- just lay your hand down on it and see. Hot enough to fry an egg is bad. Remember, dogs don't wear shoes- and I get the feeling puppy paws may be a little more sensitive than older dog paws. I solved this issue by waiting to walk him until close to sundown. Once the heat issue was gone, he loved it.

You can also use dog treats and praise to try to coax him into learning how to take walks.

2. You probably want to try to get the "8 week" vaccine shots in him if you haven't already. There are a series of three inoculations you do monthly for the first three months you have him to get the full effect, so he won't be fully protected immediately, but the first shots do help some and they're due anyway, so that partial protection helps. You may also want to avoid puddles in shady areas and dogs with unknown vaccination histories at first, because they are the source of many of the things you are vaccinating against. But I agree that you want to get him out there some. Poorly socialized dogs who have to be put down are the number one cause of dog deaths in the US- and socialization is easiest to begin when puppies are very young. Some vets will say wait until 16 weeks when all the shots are done to walk the dog, but others strongly disagree- it's a controversy in the veterinary community, and I side with the "get your dog out into the world" side, within reason (No dog parks or anything- be smart about it).

3. Keep walks short to begin with so the dog doesn't get tired or frustrated, and doesn't damage it's growing bone structure and the like. A puppy can't be drug around on pavement for an hour in most instances, it's not good for it's health. But it can be walked around for 10-15 minutes, most of the time.

4. I am not saying the people who are saying your dog might not be ready for walks are wrong. Many dogs are ready for short walks at eight weeks. Some may not be. Dogs are individuals. I just disagree with the idea that eight week old puppies can't be taken for walks. I've seen it done. I've done it. My dog had fun on them and grew up to be healthy and happy and love walks.


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## karlyj0 (Jun 25, 2013)

Oh, I've had her since June 25th. Thank-you for the tips. I bet if I do it in the morning before I feed her would help a lot actually! I just didn't think of trying training at 5:30am lol. 
Yes, I was defensive, sorry. I was trying to correct whatever horrible image I conveyed by saying this dog would rather me drag her than move. I would never do that. I only tried to pull up on her collar to make her want to move. And I don't think any adult with a soul would just drag their puppy around. The pads are worn but it's from her being stubborn because she's walking with her front paws but trying to push back with her back paws (where they are worn)


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Something else I thought of, right now your puppy is not wanting to venture too far from you. Now is a great time to start working on her recall. If you begin now consistently, 100% of the time rewarding her for returning to your side when you call or click, she will end up being a champ with recall. 

Amazon.com: Total Recall: Perfect Response Training for Puppies and Adult Dogs (9781846891496): Pippa Mattinson: Books this is an excellent book for the concept. This trainer also says that while you should do some leash training to get her accustomed to it, now is really the time to be teaching recall so that you are taking advantage of her instinct to be close to you. It's an excellent book.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

karlyj0 said:


> Hi everyone,
> I am having a really hard time getting my 8 week old puppy, Willow, to walk. I have taught her to come, sit, shake a paw, lay down and stay but the leash training is hard. She just wants to lay down.....y


I am confused... you say you got her June 25th, that's today. She is a brand new baby who has only been alive for 56 days and she has just left the only home she's ever known with siblings and come to a strange place. She needs a couple days to adjust and start bonding with you before you really start worrying about leash walking. NO it is never too soon to train but she is a brand new baby. Enjoy her.


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## karlyj0 (Jun 25, 2013)

Thank-you Golden999! I never thought of the pavement temperature. I will have to keep that in mind. Also, I couldn't agree more, I've known many pups to walk this young or younger... but just super short walks. I mean, if I don't believe the pup can do things and coddle her, she wouldn't be climbing up and down my stairs and would be expecting me to carry her or even fear stairs. She is a very confident and competent pup. Just refuses to move once I put the leash on. I will try walking her early when the pavement is still cold and she hasn't been given breakfast yet.


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## karlyj0 (Jun 25, 2013)

I am so bad at typing. June 15th, last Saturday. She was a day short of 7 weeks old.


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

Learning to walk on a leash is a process. You are trying to start with the end result instead of actually teaching her how to walk on a leash. 

Start with a check cord that she wears in the house most of the time. That will desensitize her to the feel of the leash. Next move out to the yard and just stand rhere and hold the leash. I like a lightweight 12 foot leash for this. Go to the area of the yard she uses to go potty so she is comfortable there. If she is walking you can move around too. Go slow and just wander the yard the first few times. If she hits the end of the leash that is good - let her experience that nothing bad happens while the leash is on. If she does the "crappie flop" when she feels pressure from the leash, just stand there and wait until she is done. Do not rush to her side or pick her up. She will stop and decide that temper tantrum did not work and move on. Then you can praise her for getting over it. 

This process takes about a week. 

Good luck.


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## Abby girl (May 26, 2013)

Our pup, Abby, is almost 14 weeks and it's taken the past 4-5 weeks to slowly work her up to walks longer then the driveway and 3-4 house lengths on our cul de sac. We started her off dragging the leash inside and then outside, as well as walking with her the length of the yard - we found that worked quite well. Abby would also fall over and lay there or flail about when she got excited but at least it was on the grass - we just tried to be patient and let her get it out of her system or pick her up and bring her in (as she wasn't interested in treats at that point). To stop the chewing of the leash we attached a length of chain (just bought a choke chain - but not to use as one) and attached it to the lead then used a snap link to connect it to her collar. She would still carry the chain but wouldn't chew and eventually has gotten to the point where she rarely carries it. We are up to 3 short (15 min.) walks a day and although she can still get pretty excited, especially when we meet people, she walks most of it with the occasional sit in the grass for a rest. She usually starts off wanting to carry her lead but then drops it when other things become more interesting. I'd say patience is the key - we had a 14.5 year old GR and it's easy to compare and get frustrated. Sophie was my first dog and GR and I wondered how much of a difference there would be with a new one. I don't think I expected to see such a difference in personality - Abby is much bolder and more stubborn then Sophie was which has been driving us a bit squirrelly :bowl: but we just keep telling ourselves this will pass. Hang in there!


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## LilBitBit (Jan 15, 2012)

Before even walking with a leash, I just let Buddy run around with the leash attached as a puppy. Remember, this entire "being a pet" thing is new to her! Leashes and collars are unfamiliar and weird and heavy, she doesn't understand them just yet. By letting her drag/play with the leash, she's getting used to it. Part of the reason she's resisting is because it IS so new to her, and she doesn't understand why there's this weird pull around her neck and doesn't like it.

Then I'd start picking it up - not necessarily walking her yet, but just pick it up and call her to you, happy. Have treats ready or a toy. Teach her to want to come to you, regardless of the leash.

THEN you should, in theory, be able to start walking her on the leash. Word of warning, though, from someone who's been there: puppies really can't walk that far. They get tired easy. Keep your walks short or you'll end up carrying a very tired puppy back home! For the first couple of walks I could only walk Buddy maybe four blocks.

It looks like you've basically gotten the same advice from other people, just reinforcing it. You won't be able to walk her say tomorrow, but when you are able to walk her, she won't be resisting as much.


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