6 month old puppy and our walking troubles

[russki1313]

I just got my 6 month old baby boy, Blacky about 1 week ago.
I have noticed that on walks he is constantly sniffing around and doesn't let anything get passes him.
I am wondering if this is normal because its still new to him and he is curious. He has however have his two spots, one to pee and one to poop.
Should i be trying to correct this or let him be for the time being?
Also what do you guys think of these collars, Starmark???

 

[Mally's Mom]

I just got my 6 month old baby boy, Blacky about 1 week ago.
I have noticed that on walks he is constantly sniffing around and doesn't let anything get passes him.
I am wondering if this is normal because its still new to him and he is curious. He has however have his two spots, one to pee and one to poop.
Should i be trying to correct this or let him be for the time being?
Also what do you guys think of these collars, Starmark???

Congratulations on getting Blacky. I am happy for you.

Boy dogs are like that, sniffing on walks, Mally is still that way and he is 6 yrs.old. That is a good thing he has his 2 spots, one to pee and one to poo.
I would not change that. He will probably add other spots to these in time.
I would not correct him on this, these are his "special" spots. Also, I do not correct Mally on the sniffing. (unless he is sniffing something he should not be). I have heard that dog's sense of smell is very keen. They can not help that.

Collars, I can not help you there. Some of the other forum members might be able to.

Have fun with your puppy, I know you will!

 

[Jan244]

Also what do you guys think of these collars, Starmark???

First of all, congratulations on adding Blacky to your family.
Shelties are a sensitive breed and their training needs to take that into account. I'm sure others will post with suggestions on training your Blacky to loose leash walk. If you go to “Search” and input “pinch collar”, you'll find many discussions about the types of collars that are appropriate for Shelties. I'm concerned you may be considering the StarMark Training collar which is a type of pinch collar and if so, this is what the Starmark web site has to say about it:
'Question: What is the difference between the StarMark Collar and a metal pinch collar?
Answer: Made of metal, the traditional pinch collar has a much more menacing look than the StarMark Collar.* The metal can rust, which can stain the hair on a light colored dog, or can rub the hair off the neck area.* The links can also bend, causing the collar to off your dog at an inappropriate time.* The StarMark Collar was designed not to bend out of shape and is made of a high strength polymer with links that fit together similarly to a watchband.* The StarMark Collar will not stain the coat, and offers a gentler correction than the metal version.'
Although not made of metal, they are describing a pinch collar.

 

[Betania]

I don´t think StarMark is a good idea. Shelties are very sensitive and can get easily traumatized if not handled properly. StarMark seens very agressive for a sheltie, I don´t think it will be necessary. I like to work with round nylon regular collars, Gentle Leader (only if necessary) and Easy Walk harness.

 

[Caro]

Sniffing is very important to dogs and is very intellectually stimulating for them. In beginners classes I recommend owners let their pup's sniff as this will tire them out far more than a straight walk, and they learn what is going on in their neighbourhood.

When a dog sniffs they are analysing things, 'a male desexed schnauzer that had meaty bites for breaky walked past 15min ago, that cute little poodle went by an hour ago, and wow, the lab down the road had roast chicken for dinner'. The thought that goes into analysing a smell will tire a dog out as much, if not more, than a straight walk (unless you are perhaps jogging).

My suggestion is when you want to move on from a sniff offer your dog an interesting alternative. Get his attention and do something fun, jog a few metres, squeak a toy, play with him.