Rescue doesn't want to walk on leash: tips?
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Anonymous
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Hi! This is my fourth time fostering and I have raised my own dogs from when they were very young. Wondering if someone can give some tips for this particular problem?
Foster dog is an older pup, definitely under a year, probably 6-8 months. I have had her for a few days only. She was extremely timid at first but is really coming out of her shell and is a gentle, sweet girl. She is doing great with house breaking, is very affectionate with us, and starting to play with my dogs. The one thing I am struggling with is walking on the leash. It is not that she is energetically trying to explore and sniff everything. It is that as soon as she feels a little pressure on the leash she sits down and refuses to budge. If I pull her she tries to dig in and resist and kind of lets me pull her along, but she doesn't snap right into following. None of my previous foster dogs had this particular issue. They either followed my dogs in a pack sort of way or were more rambunctious but learned when I corrected them. I have tried with treats but she it's like she is too focused on resisting to go for the treat. Maybe I'll just keep trying higher value treats?? There is obviously fear hear and lack of familiarity but I am not sure what exactly is going on. The only successful walk we have had is when I walked ahead with my two dogs last night and my son walked behind with foster dog kind of inconsistently following. Maybe I have been lucky in the past but I have always been able to figure this out quickly in the past. Thanks for any tips! |
Anonymous
| bribe with treats |
Anonymous
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Practice at home with no distractions. Training treats are a MUST. If she's not reacting to the treats, get her new ones or do pieces of chicken or hot dog. Do not give up on those. Slowly start a block at a time. New blocks = new smells and new people. Repeat the block with the treats. I found a 1-2-3 with a treat on 3 to work. Do 1, treat, x5. Then 1, 2 treat x5. Then 1 2 3 treats infinity.
Do you have a harness or collar? do not pull. lure with a treat. |
Anonymous
| Keep doing walks with the other dogs - this is actually great socialization for her, and she'll learn quickly from them. Maybe try a waist leash, to keep your hands free for treats and/or reassuring pats as you're walking, and also make sure you build in time for her to sniff/explore...you said yourself she's on the timid side, so let her build confidence by exploring on her terms. |
Anonymous
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Baby steps with a lot of patience.
Our rescue was 6 months old when he came to us. Never been walked on a leash and would freeze whenever we put a leash or a collar around his neck. For the first few days he never left our lawn; he would emphatically smell EVERY spot and shake himself every 1-2 minutes (probably to relieve the stress of being in a new place/on a leash). We then had him on a light-weight short leash (4 ft long) at all times at home so he'd play/get used to it. Then it's building up on the distance and curbing his urge to stop every 5 seconds to smell (using treats). Took him about a month to finally get used to it, and now we have the opposite problem - leashing pulling lol. |
Anonymous
| treats |
Anonymous
Walk her with your other dog/s. She will stay up with the pack. |
Anonymous
| I took my rescue to a leash aggression class and on week 1 was how to get them to walk correctly on a leash so maybe you can find a local class? |
Anonymous
OP is fostering, doubt she wants to pay for that. |
Anonymous
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harness so you don't hurt her neck
practice indoors conduct short sessions with treats |
Anonymous
| Loose-leash walking is a learned skill. Dogs who haven’t been taken on walks before (like all the rescues I fostered) have no idea that “going for a walk” is what is expected. Teaching them how is not complicated, but requires patience. Look up loose-leash training. Lots of resources out there that will help you. Don’t underestimate the power of your other dogs teaching this dog—my second dog, a rescue that knew nothing of being a pet at all, did nothing but shake when I put her on a leash and took her outside. My dog walker was all “Just take dog2 out with dog1.” I said “You don’t understand, she cowers and shakes outside” and the dog walker, knowing what she was about, leashed them both up and walked out the door and off they all miraculously went. When dog1 walked, dog2 followed and imitated. |
Anonymous
| Do you have a long line around 20 feet or so? Have you ever taken them to a field and just let them sniff where ever they want? Perhaps they will start to think of walks as more fun. Also, is there any trainor associated with the rescue? Perhaps they can help. |
Anonymous
| Do you have a long line around 20 feet or so? Have you ever taken them to a field and just let them sniff where ever they want? Perhaps they will start to think of walks as more fun. Also, is there any trainor associated with the rescue? Perhaps they can help. |
Anonymous
sorry for the double post |
Anonymous
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Oh, that's my story now. New foster pup, ~4 month old
Very timid, if I bring her out - she just lays down and tries to hide. Poor baby. She also refuses to go potty outside, she would just sit outside forever without doing anything, but couple min after I bring her home - she makes a new puddle. Afraid of my dog too, so no following the pack (she was running after her littermates, but they got adapted over weekend). Treats don't really work, maybe need to find something more interesting (some people swear by hotdogs) |