Leash walking

[jimnmoe]

Rescued 18mo. old mini-schnauzer. Will not walk down the street. OK in backyard. However, out front just drops to the ground will not move unless back to the house. Any ideas to get past this?

[Deuce]

Sounds like a fearful fellow. That's always sad to see, but the good news is that this 18 month old has a new leader and will be back on track someday.

If the notion of the walk is overwhelming, then the task needs to be broken down into smaller steps. Dogs think (and remember) largely in associations (not unlike humans!). So it seems likely that walking has been a thing in the past, or that she was punished for trying to escape, or just spent too much time cooped up and now suffers from doggie agoraphobia.

Do you have access to any other dogs that are walkers? I'd be interested to see if the presence of another dog helps to get the walk going. If not, then the thing to do is to work with counter conditioning techniques - see how far out she can go before she hits the ground. Then go a little less far than that and reward her while she is still up. Take her back in.

Then do it again. Try to get her to go a little further out, while rewarding her when she's calm (not lying down or trembling).

Another thing to try out is working on obedience training. My guess is that she already does what she's told (being a fearful type), but starting a program with set rules for her and expanding her range of behaviors might give her more confidence in herself and in you as being in control of the world.

[samaria]

Leash training for puppies: (Always work in a fenced in area)

• Start by attaching a light-weight leash to your puppy's collar.

• Drop the leash and let the puppy drag it around.

• Call your puppy, tell her "good girl", hug her,
and pet her...whatever feels good to both of you.

• Leave the leash on for only a few minutes and
never leave it on her when you are not with her.

• Do this several times over a few days and pretty soon
your pup won't even notice the leash.

Walking on a leash:

* First, you need a 4 foot leash and a collar that won't slip off.
* Start by having your dog sit on your left side facing front just like you.
* As you say "Let's go", take a step starting with your left foot. Using your left foot all of the time will signal your dog that you are about to walk.
* Walk at your normal walking pace and talk to your dog while you walk. Tell her what a good girl she is. You want her to be happy walking with you. Keep talking to her. Make it fun.
* Go a few feet, then stop. You can praise her now. Or you can have her sit and then praise her...as long as she stays with you.
* Practice for 5-10 minutes several times a day. Keep it fun!