# Stubborn puppy won't walk!



## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

I remember those days well and still have issues at 20 months if Tayla wants to go a direction that I don't want to go. I always keep a supply of treats in my pocket for those times. It's something I never counted on when getting a Golden puppy. I thought they would love to walk. Just keep at it. Keep good treats for incentive. They are a frustrating mix of cute and devils.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

When Tess was ten weeks old, I didn't even try walking her, because she would bite the leash, lie down, you name it. I first made sure she was ok with the leash, and then slowly started walking her. The first real walk we had, was when she had had all of her shots, in a local statepark. There the whole experience was so exciting, that the path that would now take us ten minutes, took us over an hour: she had to sniff, explore all the rocks, greet all the people we met, sit and admire the scenery...in the end she understood that there are different kinds of walks, sometimes we just walk and walk, other times I let her do her things, usually we mix it up. Walking should be fun for both...


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## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

My first lab went through this, and the phase passed. Sometimes i just went back and sometimes I carried her so she'd still get exposure to things. Are you using clicker training? 


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## ginab (May 2, 2013)

Thanks for all your input.
She's great with her leash, no biting or tugging. 

I'm not too experienced with the clicker (used it minimally with my last dog). Would I lure her with a treat, click when she takes a few steps and then treat?


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## SMBC (Jul 31, 2012)

Champ went through this, and still does it sometimes, especially when we first leave our house. I am not sure what its about, but our pet sitter suggested to just pull him along (gently) but then our trainer said lure him with a treat and that the pulling will not help. I basically just try to lure him with a treat when he does it, but then when we are walking along nicely I praise him a lot. I think it's just stubbornness and hopefully they will outgrow it at some point! Good luck!


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

Maybe she just wants to sit and watch for a bit? Sometimes Casper will do that. How long are your walks? At that age, I think the recommendation is 20 minutes a day, total for all walks. For Casper, that was barely around the block. Actually at 10 weeks, not even around the block. He was so distracted, that going around the block could take half an hour.


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## CRS250 (Dec 31, 2012)

Typical puppy behavior, freeze some wet dog food on a wooden spoon and lure her around.

Bigger question though:

Why are you taking a puppy without full immunization on a walk? Keep that puppy in your yard until it's fully vaccinated.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

CRS250 said:


> Typical puppy behavior, freeze some wet dog food on a wooden spoon and lure her around.
> 
> Bigger question though:
> 
> Why are you taking a puppy without full immunization on a walk? Keep that puppy in your yard until it's fully vaccinated.


Some of us don't have yards. 

I have been walking Shala around the townhouse complex and up and down my street since she came home at 8 weeks. When we started, it was basically right in front. And we gradually built up how far she'd go. I jolly her along a LOT - I sort of say, Shala! walk-walk! in a sing-songy tone, and it usually gets her attention. When it was very hot and humid, I didn't force her. I carried her from grassy patch to grassy patch to do her business. She is getting better (the cool weather helps), but we still have not gone further than up the street and back (we walk behind the townhouses one way, and back the other). I let her sort of guide it. If she is getting tired, as long as she has peed, if not pood, I carry her back. This morning, she was moving along nicely, so we went a little further. 

I was being very careful about not letting her hold the leash, and she was really good at it. But a few days ago, she started, and I was like, what's the big deal? She is still walking loosely, and it occupies her mouth so she is not picking up things I need to get out of her mouth. She also looks so proud of herself when she walks with it in her mouth.


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## BajaOklahoma (Sep 27, 2009)

ginab said:


> Thanks for all your input.
> She's great with her leash, no biting or tugging.
> 
> I'm not too experienced with the clicker (used it minimally with my last dog). Would I lure her with a treat, click when she takes a few steps and then treat?


 
You've got it. It's behavior, immediately click and reward. We had a week of take a step/click/treat - those were some long walks. lol It does get better.

I don't know where you live, but we have parvo and distemper making the rounds in the wildlife. We live not too far from an exotic cat rescue who is experiencing canine distemper in their large cats - they've lost 4 so far. They attribute it to raccoons climbing over the enclosures. And yes, the big cats have caught canine distemper, it is not typo.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Ten weeks is too young to expect your puppy to go on walks. She is still a baby. I would give her a little more time. We did not even get Max until he was 11 weeks old, and he was not crazy about the leash at first. Be patient, Tilly will get there.


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## sineadleaf (Mar 17, 2013)

We had the same with Loki. It was worse when we were half way through our walk and then he'd sit down and say 'nah I'm over this! Carry me home!' As most have said, 10 weeks is pretty young. Loki didnt start walking properly till about 14weeks. If the other suggestions don't work- We found saying 'steady' in a monotone tone when he got too distracted, stopped, pulled etc and then talking nonsense to him in a jovial happy tone when he was walking well helped. Even now sometimes he'll look at me when he knows he's walking like a big boy as if to say 'why aren't you telling me how good I am?' Then I start talking to him- head, tail and ears go up and he trots along all proud. Pulling helped a little but only when it's followed with a treat if he starts walking normally. This technique ran the risk of teaching them that stopping leads to a treat though... Good luck. 


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## Ksdenton (Mar 17, 2013)

I just posted this comment on another thread. 
Mine hated walks and flat out refused for probably the first 4 or 5 mos. We had to carry him a lot. Yes he had us played. We carried him to and from puppy class, part way on his walks, to the car when traveling and making stops along the way. The trainer said he was a total "princess" because he acted like he couldn't move. You could pull his leash and he'd go completely limp and let his legs drag behind him. He was quite adorable though. We would get embarrassed when in public that people would think we're abusing him trying to drag him along so we just picked him up. Finally he started walking fine and fortunately isn't a puller either. He walks next to you almost naturally. I have to admit, I miss him being that little puppy even though he did go through that lazy phase and for so long. 








My daughter carrying him back to the car from a potty break because he refused to walk. 
Because I didn't want him to totally hate walks forever I stopped taking him but would try every so often. I still would take him on trips around town which he loves and so he stopped running and hiding when we grabbed his leash. I would stop the walks for a little while. Practice walking on a leash in the house or yard. Mine also hates being hot and living in Fl that's pretty much any time of the day. 






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