Leash Training

Where are you when he is on a leash? Are you outside taking him for a walk or is this around the house or yard?

Can I also suggest putting his leash on while he is eating, and let him wear it around the house a bit so he gets used to the feel. Even just put the lead on and walk him to his food bowl, or when you are about to play.

If you are out on a walk just go a few metres and then turn back, next walk go another metre and come back, increase the walking distance every time. You could also try coming home, having a bit of a play and attempting to walk the distance again just to reinforce the safety.

If you dont care what people think you can also have a bit of crazy fun with walking. I actually went silly when I walked my pups - jumping around, playing chasey, cheering and walking in a squat (so they could see my face not just my legs). I always took a squeaky toy as well (usually a squeaky ball) its amazing how good that squeak noise is at distracting a young dog.
 
Usually I am inside, which is probably not the best. I have a fenced yard in back, but have had him on the leash out front a couple of times to potty when I had sprinklers on in the back. He actually did okay. I think walking up and down the driveway would be a good start. I also will let him wear it during a mealtime, which he loves to eat!

I have not attempted it walking down the street any distance from my house yet. However, once he has his next puppy series of shots, I do want to be able to let him walk when I take him out instead of carrying him, so I need to get busy.

Thanks for all the ideas. It has been a great help.
 
I might have missed it, but did you say how old he is?

I agree that a martingale is a must-have with Shelties. Their tiny heads but thicker ruffs are a recipe for "escape".

The martingale, however, is not a "fix" to get him to walk nicely. It's a safety precaution.

Treats are what worked for me. The wooden spoon technique is great because you don't have to hunch over - they taught us this at puppy school. But I found that just slow acclimatization and socialization was all Bacca really needed. Let's face it, cars driving by are scary to a pup. My breeder spent the final week with her pups on her front lawn getting them used to cars driving by.

The first few times I walked Bacca, I considered it success if I got him to the end of the laneway. Then when he crossed the street with me, big treats and praise. I always kept a treat in my hand and offered it up everytime he trotted along nicely beside me. It really only took a couple of days for him to get the idea. Also whenever a car was coming, I put him into a sit, look at me, and treated him - just to distract him.
 
He is just 3 months. I am starting to take him out front more in the driveway and he is doing much better.

Thanks for all the suggestions - I can see a difference already!
 
When Buffy was little we used to take a squeaky toy with us on walks. It took a lot of patience but eventually she got it! A lot of it is just practice and reps.

The way I learned it is also the way it's taught in many how-to books. Do a very short "let's go" and say yes if puppy gets it. Then do a sit when you stop and yes/reward. (We would sometimes reward with a toy instead of a treat because Buffy's pretty toy motivated.) You can also throw in a wait. As soon as puppy goes too fast, stop and wait till he looks at you. If he goes too slow urge him on with a happy voice. We just repeated sit, let's go again and again. If puppy's having trouble, try doing it inside first and then switch to outside with distractions. Remember to be patient. If you don't get the behavior right away then lure him into it. Eventually start giving rewards only for quick responses.

Good luck!
 
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