Won't walk on the leash - HELP!

Davey is now 11 weeks old and lives in NYC. He's not scared by loud noises, other dogs or people but he REFUSES to walk more than 3 feet before sitting down. What we end up doing is a very unpleasant "drag-walk". We have tried treats, squeaky toys and abundant praise to encourage him to walk without success. I'm worried that he isn't able to fully expend his puppy energy and get sufficient exercise - not to mention it's extremely frustrating for me.

Any tips, suggestions or anecdotal advice are GREATLY appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Allison Musick on May 2, 2009 at 4:23pm

My Heidi did that a lot in the beginning, and I think she was just testing to make sure I was secure in my position as "alpha dog." I did drag her more than once, but I didn't make a big deal of it, I just walked confidently as though I didn't notice or care whether she got left behind (which I think made her believe she'd be missing out big time if she didn't follow me). :)

...It kind of ended up like that situation where you see a child and their mom, and the mom is telling the child to come on but the child won't, but once the mom acts like she's leaving the child, all the sudden the kid comes running to catch up...LOL. They just want to know if you really mean it or not.

I don't know if that will help you or not, but that's how it was with me and Heidi. She went through a phase where she tested me for awhile - not just on walking on a leash, but on everything! LOL - but then she got through it and now she's great. Hang in there! Here's a pic for your amusement... :)

In my puppy scrapbook, this page is titled "Learning to Walk On a Leash."