[LabbieMama]

Savannah, my rescued shepherd cross, dislikes going for leash walks. She will, however, walk with me off-leash and is totally reliable off-leash. If I wanted to take her for a walk around the neighborhood, she would have to be leashed. She does not like being leash - walked. I can put her leash on with no problems and she gets very excited if we are going in the car to the park to run off-leash.

Do any of you have problems with leash-walking your dogs? I was just wondering. I can't seem to get Savannah interested in going for leash walks with me around the neighborhood.

 

[rannmiller]

What does she do on-leash?

 

[LabbieMama]

Once she realizes we are going down the driveway toward the road, she stops dead in her tracks (or sits) and pulls back. She turns around and walks back toward the house.

 

[LabbieMama]

It's clear that she just doesn't want to go for a walk down the road. So, let it be. One would think how lucky she is to have an owner who is willing to walk her everyday, sometimes more than once, and go for long hikes off-leash, too. Too many dog owners are content to just stick their dog in the yard and leave it there all day. Again, I say, let it be. If she doesn't want to walk, fine.

 

[RawFedDogs]

Do you think it's the leash she doesn't like or the location you are trying to walk her she doesn't like? If you take her to the place you walk her off leash and try to walk her on leash, how does she react?

Has she always been like this? If not, did something happen to make her like this? At what age did she become like this? Are you trying to walk her on leash on a busy highway/road or a subdivision street? Is there a lot of activity in the area you are trying to walk her on leash?

 

[chowder]

I consider leash walking an essential behavior. Sooner or later you will want to walk them to the vets, to a park, around other people, maybe on a trip somewhere....etc and they should know how to walk next to you properly. Rocky was petrified to leave our driveway on a leash when we got him. He was a rescue and he was just a puppy but we started him leash learning the way I would imagine you would with any age....with a clicker and treats. We would go a few feet with on the leash and he would get a click and a treat. We would only go a little bit further past the end of the driveway every day. We would also do training on leash in the backyard so he was used to the leash itself. Eventually we made it to the end of the road and the stop sign and he got a HUGE treat and hugs. It got to where he would run to the stop sign and sit, looking for a treat!
We just kept going a little further and trying out new roads eash time until now he actually goes over and pokes his leash and begs for a walk around the neighborhood. He has a huge backyard filled with woods and animals to roam in but he still likes to walk thru the neighborhood to check out all the different things while on his leash. He does have a 26 foot flexi leash and loves having that freedom so you might eventually consider that once she is used to leash walking.

 

[LabbieMama]

I have had Savannah for a year now. Her previous owners never leash-walked her. But she is actually fine on a leash. She doesn't mind being leashed, she just doesn't like to walk down the road. I live in a semi-rural town on a quiet road. So traffic and noise is not an issue. I can easily leash-walk her just about anywhere except up and down my road.

 

[RawFedDogs]

It appears that she may be afraid of something out there. Of course, I don't have a clue what it is. Have someone drive you and her 1/2 mile in one direction, stop and let you both out. Try walking her back to the house and see what happens. Whether she is good or not, do the same in the other direction from the house. Drive 1/2 mile from the house and walk back. Perhaps this will give you some clue as to what she might be afraid of or help narrow where it is.

Did she start this behavior from first moving in with you? Is it possible to walk her out the back door on leash and out of the yard and around the back of the house and neighbors houses? Again, I'm trying to narrow down exactly what she is afraid of. It may be associated with her previous home.

 

[lorih1770]

Try carrying a bait bag. Encourage her to move forward with food so that she will relate moving forward on the walk with positive/good things.

 

[LabbieMama]

The other day I got her to walk a few feet down the road. Then she found the perfect spot to go pee. After she was done, she turned around and started walking back toward the house.

Gunther, my rescued lab, loves going for daily leash walks around the neighborhood -- it gives him a chance to check out his territory. So when I walk him, I leave Savannah either inside the house or in the fenced yard. The last few times I tried walking them both together, Savannah would always turn around and head home before either Gunther or I was ready to go home.

 

[wags]

Hope things are going better for you and Savannah. I have a couple book suggestions that may help out with leash aggression and just behavior probmatic dogs. You could check them out at your library see if they help!:smile:

Cautious Canine by Patricia B. McConnell

Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash-Aggressive Dog by Patricia B. McConnell

 

[LabbieMama]

Hope things are going better for you and Savannah. I have a couple book suggestions that may help out with leash aggression and just behavior probmatic dogs. You could check them out at your library see if they help!:smile:

Cautious Canine by Patricia B. McConnell

Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash-Aggressive Dog by Patricia B. McConnell

Thank you, wags. I appreciate the book suggestions.

 

[wags]

I hope they help and your very welcome! If you read them from the library and you like them they have them on amazon!