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How to correct freaking out at the end of the lead?

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UMCVB

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello all--I'm a new mom to a 10-week old OEB named Bina. I live on the second floor of an apartment, so a collar and leash is a necessity when taking her out to potty. I've only had her for four days, and the first three days she was actually pretty good on the lead. No real pulling or issues.

Then yesterday night, I took her out for her last potty before bedtime crating, and she just freaked out. She didn't want to be outside (I do live in NW Minnesota, so I didn't really want to be outside either!!) and apparently didn't need to pee, so she was trying to get back to my building's front door. I figured there was no way she didn't have to pee, so I tried to call her to me in order to get off the sidewalk and get to the spot where she likes to pee. Bina wasn't having any of it at all...she pulled away from me to the end of the lead, then started freaking out...jumping, pulling, whining, etc.

I didn't want to move towards her, because I didn't want to reinforce that behavior getting her to move the direction she wanted to go, so I stood firm, gave a loud no, and tried to wait her out. She refused to calm down, and I don't want her to get a bad imprint of her collar/lead...so I gave in and we went back inside.

I decided to wait for about a half hour, then try to potty again. This time, she refused to hold still for the collar and lead, and treats had no effect. She just ran away and tried to hide.

She's so young for leash training...but it's an absolute necessity on my property. Sorry for the long lead up to the question, but I wanted to give a complete explanation of the situation.

My question is this...how should I react when she freaks out? What is the proper correction (if any)? How should I approach the collar/leash thing when she doesn't want to have me put them on? I want to do as much positive reinforcement as possible, but also balance that with being firm and not letting her run the show.

Any advice would be so greatly appreciated. I tried checking out the other threads on walking but didn't find any that addressed my specific question.
 
#2 ·
She's not reacting to be bad or disobedient. She's just scared. I would get down to her level and call to her in a soothing voice. "come on baby, come here, you can do it, it's ok, come to mommy." You get the idea, not firm, be soft, reassuring, you want her to come to you because she'll feel safe with you. Just let her know everything is OK and reward her and tell her how good she is when she comes to you.

Maybe also try letting her wear her collar and drag the leash around inside the house. When she gets used to that practice walking around in there where she already feels safe.

Good luck! Keep us up to date on how she's doing and what works for you.
 
#3 ·
I would allow her to wear her collar and lead around the house. Just let her drag it around. This will help her get used to the sensation and also the pressure from the lead getting snagged.

I also feed my puppies on their walks. This creates motivation (if you don't walk, you don't eat) and you will be able to imprint upon the puppy that it should walk on a loose lead.

When my puppies get to the end of their lead and have a freak out session I honestly just ignore them. The puppy will figure out that to decrease the pressure on their collar that they need to come toward you. When the puppy starts coming to you, praise her. If the puppy is really freaking out for a while then I may crouch down and call to it, but I have found that most puppies can figure it out on their own.

Be careful with corrections on your young puppy. Remember, training should be FUN!
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely try putting the leash on in the house, and feeding while walking sounds like a neat method too. We're already "hand feeding" her anyways, so this isn't a huge step. If you feed while walking, do you continue walking long enough for them to poop, or just make sure to take them out again 20-30 minutes afterwards? I just have to remember to be patient...they aren't puppies forever! :) I'll keep you all posted!
 
#5 ·
You know, when mine were that little, I did not always try to walk them on the
lead. I would put the lead on them and then carry them to the spot I wanted them
to go to. I then would put them down and let them sniff out that area. After they
did their thing, I would pick them up and carry them back inside. Little ones do
become afraid and this seems to help. No need to rush the lead, work up to it.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
Thanks gazar...I actually did that tonight for her last time out to potty, and it worked great. I figured I should take advantage of this time that she's small enough to carry around rather than creating a situation where she fights the lead before I can properly introduce her to it.
 
#7 ·
Carry method

This works good for a short period of time. They get big quick, I agree with forever pit sometimes you have to ignare your puppy when they have a fit. Getting down to thier level to comfort them will actually reinforce that they were right to be scared. When Harley is scared of something I tell her to come on lets go and get over it. Unlike humans if you comfort your dog when they are scare3d it only makes it worse.:rolleyes:
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Just wanted to update...Bina has been doing much better on the lead. On the occasion that she gets stubborn, I will just pick her up and carry her if it's necessary. Normally though, if she doesn't have to potty, she just wants to get back to our door as soon as possible so that she can sit and wait for me to unlock and let us in! Thanks for all of your advice.
 
#10 ·
i agree with the treat trick... i have a 10 week old AB/boxer mix... and yes... cute as heck with looks that turn you to mush!!.... but can be very stubborn!! He did the same reindeer dance and bucking around crap the first time i put his lead on. I just stood there still and looked the other way.... he stopped.... then i said "let's go"... then we stop every so often for the sit command, i give a treat... keeps his attention very well... and then "let's go" again.... I am not really sure how long they are really supposed to be walked at this age, but i usually only have him out walking for about 5 min..... with this type of excersise.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
Thanks Hollieo...that technique works pretty well with Bina too. And outside of walking around to potty we aren't really keeping her outside on the lead that long right now. She's pretty young, and it's freaking cold up here in NW Minnesota!
 
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