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Comment by Erin & Faye on August 1, 2009 at 9:41am

Hey! our pups are right around the same age. Walks get a little frustrating for us because we NEED to walk her (we have no yard)... on top of all of it Faye wants to eat every little pebble, leaf, puddle, etc on the sidewalk. We need to be very careful about this because she isn't done with all her vaccines and we don't want to get her sick. Some walks are great, and others are nightmares. But, when she digs her heals in and doesn't want to walk any more I can usually get her to take a couple more steps by reaching into my bag (the magical place treats come from) then i scoop her up and give her lots of love and a treat.

I'm also nervous about other dogs. She can't play with them yet because of the vaccines but i don't want to scoop her up and give her a complex where she thinks other dogs are scary and bad.... Oh the stresses of being a puppy momma. Good luck with Nellie!

Comment by Patricia A Columbo on August 1, 2009 at 9:27am

Same thing with Tootsie, I carry a long stick which I shake in front of her and she chases it...

Comment by Patricia A Columbo on August 1, 2009 at 9:27am

Same thing with Tootsie, I carry a long stick which I shake in front of her and she chases it...

Comment by Beth on July 31, 2009 at 11:39pm

First, I would make sure she is wearing a very light collar of flexible material. Her fur is still soft and her skin is still delicate, and you want a collar that won't pinch or rub.

Walking a puppy is tough. If you are in an area, like I am, where it is not safe to leave pup off leash, you're in a bit of a bind. Jack would grab the leash in his teeth and shake it, and it was very hard to break him of that habit.

I recommend NOT tugging on the collar at this stage. One thing you can do is let her drag the leash around the house (only under supervision, of course, so she doesn't choke herself). This can get her used to the feel of it.

When she is out on the leash, if she sits and won't move try crouching down and clapping your hands to see if she'll run towards you. Or you can try bribing her along with treats. If she is walking forward, tell her how good she is.

Remember too that puppy's pads get sore very easily, so if she has walked in the last day or two on pavement or stones her feet might be sore. Try keeping her on softer ground at least part of the time.

Be happy with small improvements at this tender age. Don't worry yet about her walking nicely beside you; let her romp if she wants and follow her. You may be reduced to carrying her for parts of the walk and then putting her down and letting her go part way. We kept our walks very short at that age, and gradually increased them.

I would also only leave the collar on for short periods for her to get used to it. Don't worry; once she associates the leash with going fun places, and once her little body develops a bit more, she'll love it. Just watch for bad habits, though. Corgis can be funny on a leash. To this day, Jack will walk ok if I have him on heel, but if I don't he sometimes thinks every turn is negotiable. He'll plant his feet and not want to move. He'll sometimes flip over on his back with his legs in the air. So try to keep it short and fun for her, but don't let her get the idea that if she plops down she gets to decide when walk is over. I would do anything to bribe her into moving forward, then tell her how good she is and scoop her up and take her back home.