[closdubois]

Hello,
First time pet owner (I'm 28!). I just got my dog Tooey from the shelter last week. He's 3 years old. He's really well behaved for the most part, but I'm having some trouble while walking him. The problem is not that he pulls ahead, but rather he stops to sniff around really often. Generally he'll come when I pull on the leash but I feel like its getting worse. Is there a better way to train him to walk more? Or is that just the way it goes? I figure he's scoping out where he will pee/poop, but even after he has done both, he still stops a lot to sniff around.

Also, he stops to pee a good four or five times during every walk. Is that normal during a walk? He also does this when I just take him in the backyard to relieve himself.

This is Tooey:

 

[skitty56]

Hello,
First time pet owner (I'm 28!). I just got my dog Tooey from the shelter last week. He's 3 years old. He's really well behaved for the most part, but I'm having some trouble while walking him. The problem is not that he pulls ahead, but rather he stops to sniff around really often. Generally he'll come when I pull on the leash but I feel like its getting worse. Is there a better way to train him to walk more? Or is that just the way it goes? I figure he's scoping out where he will pee/poop, but even after he has done both, he still stops a lot to sniff around.

Also, he stops to pee a good four or five times during every walk. Is that normal during a walk? He also does this when I just take him in the backyard to relieve himself.

This is Tooey:

Beautiful dog. The sniffing thing is normal, if you don't like it just keep walking, or put it on command as a reward for walking well. I just let mine sniff, they enjoy it. As for the peeing, every male dog I've had peed multiple times on walks and outside, its just a guy thing

 

[Curbside Prophet]

He's answering his pee-mail, very normal. But I guess it should be asked, who's the walk for? If it's for the dog, don't discount the enrichment from sniffing around. If it's for you, well, you'll have to be better prepared and teach some attention cues. He looks cute enough to learn.

 

[closdubois]

He's answering his pee-mail, very normal. But I guess it should be asked, who's the walk for? If it's for the dog, don't discount the enrichment from sniffing around. If it's for you, well, you'll have to be better prepared and teach some attention cues. He looks cute enough to learn.

Ideally i want the walk to be for the dog, but I feel if i get too lax on maintaining some movement, he'll get used to spending all the time he wants at every spot he wants. Usually the morning walk I try to keep btw 20/25mn so that walk is more for him to use the restroom and get some movement in before I leave for work. In the day time I can take longer walks, but I still don't want to lose all control.

What do you mean by attention cues? I keep treats with me, and from time to time I make him sit, or I'll wave it by my side to try to get him to walk with me. But he's usually way more interested in sniffing around than in getting a treat.

 

[skitty56]

Start in the house with no distractions, hold a treat up to your face and when the dog looks at you, say good or yes or whatever affirmation word you use, or use a clicker, then give him the treat, eventually add a cue like watch me, look at me, or even use a noise, eventually he will look at you on cue. It may take a bit to get his attention when he's really distracted, so slowly add in distractions like moving to the backyard, then the front, then walks in familiar areas etc.

 

[dagwall]

Tooley is adorable.

Really stopping to sniff/mark 4-5 times in a 20-25 minute walk isn't that much and I wouldn't worry about it myself. My boy isn't too bad about it usually and I like to let him sniff round on walks as it is enriching for him. Right now I also have a male foster dog who does like to stop and sniff and mark a lot on top of being out of sync with my own dog in when he wants to stop. I've gotten into the habit now of letting each of them stop and sniff/mark a few times early in the walk and then only some of the times they WANT to stop do we actually stop for more than a second or two. The foster who really likes to mark a lot of things has gotten pretty good about marking on the fly, he just needs a few seconds to lift and squirt and he's walking again before there is ever more than a slight tension in the leash. They both get plenty of chances to sniff and mark on our walks but if I let them both stop as often as they wanted for as long as they wanted it would likely double the length of our walks and remove the entire potential for aerobic exercise from the walk. I try and strike a happy medium. They get a "let's go" and a light tug on the leash and we're off walking again.

 

[timluc0428]

My solution is for about 15 minutes I don't stop for anything. If he tries to pee he gets pulled (and he comes with a slight tug). after about 15 minutes I say "go sniff" and he knows he can do what he wants for about 10 minutes. Sometimes he comes back and just stares at me like "why aren't we doing the walking thing" which makes me feel like he is getting it!!! If he does come back we go back to walking on loose leash. If it reaches 10ish minutes I say let's go, and back to loose leash it is.

I think this is a good solution to let your dog sniff and pee and poop, but also teaches them to pay attention to you.

 

[hanksimon]

I agree. A walk can be a balance between limited time, and his desire to sniff everything.
1. You can teach him to pee and poop before the walk, if desired.
2. You can decide on a reasonable amount of time to sniff ( 3 - 5 seconds or the time for a 6 - 10 foot leash to go from slack to tight, as you keep walking).
3. Like dagwall and Skitty56 suggested, you'd like a verbal cue to let him know that you're ready to walk... and then walk. For example, at home, you might click your tongue, then give him a treat when he looks at you. Do this about 10 min. for a few days to "load your tongue" similar to how you'd load a clicker. In this case, the tongue click is NOT precise, and it is a CUE, rather than a marker like a click from a clicker. Just as "Sit!" mean sit down, "click" means let's go... of course, you can simply train "let's go" as the verbal clue instead of the tongue click.
4. I have an unspoken agreement with my male dog, that he taught me. If he wants to mark, he has to do it quickly, while I continue walking. However, if he has to squat and pee, I will stop and wait... The first is simply a desire, but the second is an urgent need. It took him a couple of repetitions to teach me the difference He's big enough that if he stops, then I have to make a significant effort to move him... And, it is rare that he interrupts our walk, except for something urgent.

 

[melundie]

What a cute face! I trained my dogs to "go potty" before we leave for walks. I pretty much just pick one spot, say "go potty" and stand there until they go. After which I praise and say, "let's go!" They'll occasionally have to stop and go again during the walk, but I don't let them stop and sniff every blade of grass we pass (they gladly would!). I use "let's go" to indicate that we're going to be walking and then I walk briskly. Every once in a while I'll stop and say, "go ahead and smell" or "go sniff" to let them get it out of their system, but if they try to stop I just continue to walk and say "uh oh" followed by "let's go."

 

[Amaryllis]

What a cutie!

Don't worry so much about control. You're the human holding the leash, you're in control. There's nothing wrong with training during walks (after you've worked up to it by training without distractions first), but sniffing stuff is hugely important to dogs. 30% of a dog's brain is devoted to smell, dogs need to smell. And really 4-5 times? Kabota pees, or attempts to pee (he runs out but keeps lifting his leg), 4-5 times in 4-5 minutes. Most walks, his nose is on the ground sniffing from when we get outside till when we get back inside. If he finds something really interesting and stops to sniff, I'll allow it for up to a minute or so. After that, I give a very gentle pull on the leash (not a correction) and say "Kabota, come along now". That works most of the time.

Keep in mind, you just got this dog. It takes 6 weeks for adopted dogs to even begin settling in, so don't expect too much right now. Be gentle and patient and just work on building your relationship.

 

[workerant]

As for the peeing, every male dog I've had peed multiple times on walks and outside, its just a guy thing

FYI: my female (spayed) dog and all our female neighbordogfriends mark territory. I think it's a dog thing, not a guy thing.

Disclosure: the brindle boxer on the left of the photo is boy named Cletus. I don't have a picture of just the girls.