[fw2006]

Hi;
My sister has a puppy about 7 months old which she adopted from the North Shore Animal Shelter on L.I. NY.
The dog is a mix of Shepard and Collie, and probably a lot more. She is very sweet, but we are having trouble walking her.

When taking her around the block (or further) she is constantly stopping and refusing to move for no reason at all. No one or no thing obvious to us.
We are able to get her to start walking again by tugging at the leash and/or gently pushing her from behind. Sometimes she will begin to walk again if I run ahead.

It seems to us that the dog is afraid of something. She often stops at shadows or objects in the road or sidewalk. She is also afraid of most people, and oddly enough that is when she really wants to run! Then we have to hold her back!

She is fine once we get her home again of course <g>

Any ideas?

Thanks

FW

[Cheetah]

She is mostly likely going through a fear stage. They have one at 8 week, another around 6-7 months, and then again after a year of age. During this time, try not to expose her to things that could scare her. Bring treats out with you and coax her to walk (the stinkier the better!). Also, don't coddle her or go "Ohhh it's okaaaaayyyyy," etc. It will only reinforce her fearful behavior. Just remain cheerful. This stage will pass and then you'll be able to socialize her to things more. >^^;<

[babydolwv]

my 11wk old pup is like that, but i dont take her for walks yet as vet said no go until shots r complete... she does it when i take her out to potty, but with her i do say its ok saddie come on (i do it in excitedly)and tug on the leash to show her it is ok or i find some way of distracting her...weither it be i tell her to go potty or whatever...just something to take her attention away from the noise or whatever seems to be scaring her, which most of the time is the neighbor dogs barking...

[Keno's Mom]

First, thank you for adopting

Second, have you checked out a basic obedience course? Look for some basic training in your area and sign her up for it. You might also ask the teacher for some advice on the fear/walking problem. But I think some formal training will help you a lot

[ilovemywestie]

I got a non-pull harness ......might want to wait untill shes older though.

[drfong]

Cheetah is right about bringing some treats to lure her along. The more you dog learns the correct way to walk, paying attention to you, the less fearful she will be. A dog that sees you as pack leader will also be more at ease when around you. There are lots of threads here about loose leash walking and proper walking technics, so I won't repeat them. Just know as your dogs learns to trust you and follow your lead, they will be more calm, less fearful and she won't refuse to walk because she 'knows' she is not incharge as you are her leader.
Good luck

[fw2006]

Thanks for all your advice / suggestions.
I have forwarded a link to this thread to my sister who owns the dog we are discussing.
Hopefully she will sign in and post herself, but if not I will try to keep up with the thread.

It is good to know that dogs go through these things and get past them, just as kids go through their 'stages'.
So far my sister has taken the puppy to a class at PetSmart, but I suggested that she may want to look into a more formal class (which of course will be more expensive <g>).

But you have given us some good suggestions here.

Thanks

FW

[drfong]

Petsmart maybe good and maybe not. It varies from store to store.

[Dulce]

PetSmart "trainers" are not qualified to deal with your particular situation.

Take your dog to a REAL obedience class, and maybe even a puppy socialization class.