Leash Training!!!

i have a 7 week old APBT and today i put a leash on him and attempted to walk him.. hes a very outgoing pup, adventurous but he freaked out like someone was trying to kill him... and he wouldnt calm down for anything..... and ideas or pointers?

Ive heard conflicting ideas but is 7 weeks to young to start training?

thanx

 

Has he had a collar on yet or did you do the leash and collar together?
The collar should be on him for at least a week first. He will sit and scratch at the collar for a few days. Then let him drag the leash on and off during the day. After a few days of that pick up the leash and follow your puppy around, make sure you do not pull or drag forward. Instead follow your pup and let him pull you. If he still does not want to walk try food to get him to walk.

7 weeks is not to young to start working on leash but sometime you have to do it slowly. Some pups are fine right away but it sounds like your guy need about a week or so to get going.

Good luck

 

I would figure out what treat the pup goes crazy over,something special like bacon or cheese. Put it to his nose give him a tiny peice. Walk a few feet away hold the treat out in front of him and give him a peice when he comes. Do that many..many times lol. Now try it later with the leash on the ground dragging free. 20 reps no rush here. Later hold the leash with the treats and do the same and give tons of praise. Try each step 20 times or until it works never scold or get upset if the pup associates the leash the the treat ur home free. I am no expert and it looks like the first responder is so good luck .

 

yeah he has had a leash on since i first got him and thanx for the advice

 

Let him drag the leash around for a couple of days then do it around people. Speak lightly and renforce her that she is doing the right thing. She should start walking on the leash within a week.

 

thanx guys and another question... his attention span is so short but im teaching him the SIT command.. i sit him on an elevated platform and raise the treat up and slightly force him to sit and while im doing that i sternly say the word SIT am i doing anything wrong or ne more advice?

 

Always praise them the INSTANT their bum hits the ground. Be sure also that if they dont sit you ask them no more than 2 times and then just make them do it or move on to something else. if you repeat it over and over they will get frustrated and not want to do it anymore.

If you need help training a young puppy the clicker training system has always worked for us. It reinforces what they are doing using a sound AND the treat you are giving. You can buy "Clicker training by Karen Pryor" at Petco and it will come with treats, a clicker, a book and flash cards for cool tricks. It works well for puppies that are treat/praise motivated.

 

One more pointer on the leash, Don't Pull. When you tighten the leash as to pull him along, it's a natural response to resist and pull the other way. Always keep it relaxed.

 

You should only be working with him or about 5 mins, 3 times a day. A 7-10 week old pup can only handle about 5 mins at a time. If you do over kill you’re going to get a pup that gets frustrated. You will get frustrated too!

Resist the urge to push the pups butt into a sit; you can really hurt his growing hips. Instead use the treat to rock him into a sit. The treat should be real close, almost on his nose. You also want to use a really good treat like a hotdog. Don’t raise your voice at him because he has no idea of what you are asking him to do. You want to be fair with the pup and give no corrections until they know 100% what you are asking them. That won’t come for a long time. Behaviors around the house are different, like biting or chewing on something. Make sure you correct for those but not for obedience for a while. (Like months)

Trouble shooting

If you use the treat and he sits but looks like a prairie dog with his front feet off the ground. Then just grab his collar and put his front feet on the ground then give the treat.
If he won’t sit when you try to rock him back, then put your arm under his back knees and gently help him sit.

Give the treat only for the behavior you want, the exact way that you want it. Example, not treating him in a sit till his front paws are on the ground. Treat quickly as soon as he does the action you want.

Don’t say his command for anything more than once. Don’t say sit until you are ready to help him do it if he doesn’t do it on his own. Each extra command is wasted and the constant repeating of the word will just be like background noise. Ever have someone nag at you? That is the same thing. They are like kids in a lot if ways. You want them to react the first time not the 10th time. It’s not like they are born knowing what sit or down means.

Down
Easy, once they know the sit. Put your hand on his butt, put the treat on his nose and bring the treat down in front of his chest and then slide it forward. He should be following the treat with his nose and it makes them go into the down. The hand on the butt is so he doesn’t stand when you do this. After about 3 days you no longer need to put a hand on him.

Good luck with your puppy and remember he is young so don’t go to fast with his training. You should also find an Obedience school to go to puppy class. He will be the best one there with his head start you are giving him!

 

I click and treat good method. If you got another dog who is good with pups walk them together. My pups always follow the bigger dog and bam there walking on the leash.