Stafford Refuses To Walk On Lead

[flogg]

G'day all

This is my first post on here but I have read lots of great information on here over the past few months :)

Our issue is with out beaut little SBT pup (20 weeks) and his refusal to walk on a lead.

We couldnt' be happier with him as he is quite a placid (for a SBT pup :) and well mannered boy. He is especially gentle with out kids (3 and 6).

When we got him from the breeder we introduced his collar and lead slowly and let him pull it around the yard and the house. However whenever we picked the lead up, he would immediately stop walking and 'dig in his heels'.

We were careful not to pull on his lead or allow the kids to do so and we would encourage him to walk with treats or toys. (For the first months it was much more successful to do simple training with toy/play rewards, rather than food, as he simply wasn't interested. This has changed somewhat now though.)

I tried carrying him for the first little bit when walking out of the yard, which seemed to help, but it would take us a VERY long time to go more than a few houses up the street. Once you let go of the lead, he would happily trot along next to me though. Again I would try to pick up the lead and he would stop.

I assumed it was a bit of a fear thing as he was quite timid as a pup but the behaviour is still here now.

Luckily we live in a small town so walking off leash isn't much of an issue when we go down to the oval for a run. But it is still annoying and something I want to remedy.

He is slowly getting better but now I find myself praising him when he does walk on leash, even though he may be out the front pulling me, which I obviously don't want him to do.

Should I go back a few steps and just try to get him walking in the back yard using praise? And do I praise for simply walking, regardless of how (pulling) and then try to remedy that once he is happy to walk?

I look forward to hearing your responses :)

James

Edited January 6, 2014 by flogg

[flogg]

Here is a pic of the little fellah

This is how our walks normally look :)

I also forgot to mention that we tried a harness that didn't seem to make any difference whatsoever.

[dotdashdot]

I don't have a whole lot of advice, I'm really lucky that my pup is walking really well on lead and always has from when I first clicked the lead on.

I would do as you have already said and go back to basics, walking in the backyard. Find his currency, something that he'll do anything for (maybe a different sort of treat?) and try again. Make it fun! I don't know what others would do, but I wouldn't praise for pulling as that isn't really what you want and training a dog to not pull again can be a challenge, so try save yourself that trouble. Maybe try joining a proper obedience club (my local one runs a "canine college" which is a pre-req to proper obedience classes) so they can see your pup and may see something that we can't through the computer :)

I also personally wouldn't use a harness unless you really need to (i.e flat collar not suitable for some reason), for some dogs that encourages pulling and as you said it hasn't changed his habit.

[Cosmolo]

You need to teach the puppy to give to pressure. I do this much like halter training a horse- some pups are harder than others but it's a principle they should all learn.

At home put the lead on- flat collar only but firm enough that puppy can't slip out of it. Puppy plants feet. Apply gentle but consistent pressure until the pup takes even one step forward. As soon as there is one step release the pressure for a moment then start again, gradually building up the number of steps. This method should yield quick results- if it's not your timing is probably off.

Ignore any tantrums. Be prepared to take your time, be calm, say nothing except praise for the right behaviour. Using high value food rewards when the pup gives to pressure will speed up the process but doesn't have to be every time.

If you're not sure/ confident get a quality trainer to help you. Sounds like a lovely pup in general.

[Simply Grand]

I would do just what Cosmolo says, except I personally would add some excitement and forward momentum as soon as the pup gives to the pressure - excited "yay", a few little bouncy jogging steps, whatever makes pup think that going along with you when you walk seems like a really fun thing to do!

Take it a few steps at a time, and maybe try changing directions so puppy doesn't just think you're taking on a long walk and starts looking to you for what you're going to do next.

And treats as much as possible when he is walking nicely with the lead loose.

Agree also that a flat collar should work fine, but if you do want to use a harness I'd recommend a front attach one rather than one that attaches at the back as the back attach ones tend to give them more strength to resist you so you need to use more pressure.

Let us know how you go :)

Edited January 7, 2014 by Simply Grand

[juice]

When I first got my BT she had been a kennel dog and did the same, had no idea how to walk on a lead, so I did what you are doing I dropped the lead and she followed my other dogs.

Gradually I was able to pick it up, however she then decided when she had had enough she would throw herself onto the ground lay side down and refuse to move!

This would be miles from home and trying to drag a brick along on its side didn't work, so I started to watch when I thought she would do it and gives quick jabs upwarded and keep her moving so she couldn't actually lay down, it worked .

[flogg]

update...

well I youtubed 'halter training' to get an idea of what it should look like and got straight into it. cheers Cosmolo

and amazingly enough... it seems to be working!!

We went on holiday to the beach so he had to spend a lot more time on the lead and I spent a lot of time holding tension on the lead and also turning around whenever he tried to run out in front. It seemed to be a definitive moment where he all of a sudden, got it :)

Also as it was a public area, I would walk him to go to the loo and he very quickly (day or so) picked it up and would trot along next to me.

I also started using a training lead with the slip collar and I think he preferred this and it seemed to give me more control, especially when he would try to head out in front.

We only returned home today so it will be interesting to see how he goes doing the same thing back on his home turf??

Fingers crossed he keeps it up.

If he does, the next step is to get the wife and kids to walk him using the same techniqes, just so he knows who the boss' are :)

Thanks all for your help.

I will let you know how it goes over the next few weeks.

[flogg]

When I first got my BT she had been a kennel dog and did the same, had no idea how to walk on a lead, so I did what you are doing I dropped the lead and she followed my other dogs.

Gradually I was able to pick it up, however she then decided when she had had enough she would throw herself onto the ground lay side down and refuse to move!

This would be miles from home and trying to drag a brick along on its side didn't work, so I started to watch when I thought she would do it and gives quick jabs upwarded and keep her moving so she couldn't actually lay down, it worked .

That sounds hilarious... although I'm sure it was anything but for you at the time :)

I love the bull terrier. I was keen to get one but the wife thought they looked too ugly! how cruel!! :)

[Simply Grand]

Ah, good news! Well done