Zephyr, my sheltie, refuses to walk with me

[AlterEgo]

Whenever I take Zephyr, my 10 week old sheltie out for a walk, she lays down and refuses to come. I call her name, use a stern voice, use a high voice, whistle, snap my fingers, give a gentle tug on the leash, but nothing works. She will then proceed to cry and try and take me back to the stairs to get into our apartment.
Am I doing something wrong? I thought shelties loved to play outside, but she doesn't seem to like it at all. She'll play inside, though there is less room. She's already been to the vet, and she's perfectly healthy, so I don't think it's a health issue.

Zephyr is my first sheltie, and the first puppy I am raising on my own, so I'm a bit nervous. Any tips to help in her walking?

 

[corbinam]

Welcome to the forum--and I love your pup's name!

It sounds like Zephyr doesn't know quite yet what to make of a leash. I remember when I first started trying to take my puppy (12 weeks) on a walk, she was less than thrilled. She wanted to go her way, or not at all.

I took a lot of treats outside with me, and took leash walking in very small increments. For a few weeks we didn't leave the yard! If she started pulling or sat down, we just stopped. If she moved with me, she got a treat. It took a week or so, and we were walking to the end of the driveway and back.

Some people also recommend using a big wooden spoon and putting peanut butter on it. You can place it by your side and the pup will walk up towards it to lick it. Let her have a lick, and start walking. Bring the spoon down as often as you need to to reward the walking.

 

[Sheri]

Maggie is now 5 months and when she was younger she wasn't thrilled about walks either. Getting the puppy used to the leash is huge step, try it in your living room. Also, I noticed if I acted like going on a walk was no big deal, Maggie was much more ok with it.

I used the peanut butter/spoon thing too - although the first few tries I spent more time getting peanut butter off the floor than walking.

 

[Emmasmom]

With Noah and again with Emma, I walked on the leash up and down the hall for the first few times until they got used to what was wanted. It worked well. The first few times down the street, they were hesitant. With Emma, if she balked, I walked the opposite way until she was walking well and then turned around to go the other way.

 

[corbinam]

Oh yes, something else you can do is put a light leash on Zephyr in the house. Just let her drag it around so that the leash becomes "no big deal".

 

[Lightplum]

ahhh the thrills of leash training a puppy! One of my least fav jobs!!!!! Ive found there are 2 classes that they will fall into...1. I love the leash lets go and 2. Im going to lie down and not move an inch as I dissolve into the earth below my feet and you cant make me...

It takes alot of training and patience...start with a harness, some dont like the feeling of pulling on their necks and will scream bloody murder, when in fact there is nothing wrong...its just not done their way. With a harness it moves their whole body and not just tugging on their neck.

Try working in the house or in smaller areas so its not soo overwhelming to them. Sometimes I will work outside with them on a 20foot leash. they get the idea of it but there is still room for them to explore on their own and at a less pressure atmosphere than hurry up were heading down the block. Some try flexi leads but Ive heard mixed reviews on leash training with them and ive never used them to leash train.

Now with that being said...I had one who took forever to decide that the leash was ok and was going to walk on it without throwing himself on the road!

 

[Herd4fun]

I was a bit harsher than most of the people here. I took Nickle to a pet store with those really highly waxed floors and dragged him along(on harness) until he got the hint, then gave him lots of petting and attention when he walked. Didn't take long, only a few runs before he got the idea.

 

[Caro]

And try baby steps at first. Walk outside then go back in for a couple of days without walking, maybe even having a little play on the spot before you go back inside, try adding a step or two then another. With Tully I actually carried her on our route the first couple of times and told her all about the sights in a happy voice, so when we went out she was ready to set foot on the ground and the sites werent so scary. With Deska I took a squeaky toy with me and we stopped and played every few metres.

 

[chantel1401]

I was a bit harsher than most of the people here. I took Nickle to a pet store with those really highly waxed floors and dragged him along(on harness) until he got the hint, then gave him lots of petting and attention when he walked. Didn't take long, only a few runs before he got the idea.

Lol, don't feel bad because I did the same thing, I would drag my sheltie Sig around till he gave up being stubborn and would start walking. He got a treat when he would walk and It didn't take too long before he got the idea. Now he is one of the best heeling dogs I have ever seen.

 

[Chris]

I used the methods form The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Mons of New Skete. Use jingling keys as a lure.