[MochiBear]

Hey everybody! :wave: We are trying to work on training our 13 week old shiba inu. He is getting sit, stay, come down pretty well (for being a puppy anyways, he has trouble doing those when there are distractions around, and when he doesn't want to). But we also want to teach him to heel now, so we can give him good walks and give him exercise. The problem is, in the house when we're triyng to train him, he doesn't like to just walk next to you on the lead, he just sits there. He'll come when you say come about 60% of the time, but that's it, he doesn't continue to walk next to you. Anyone had experience with leash training a shiba? Or just leash training a stubborn puppy in general?

 

[Flaming]

Manna is quite a bit bigger but with similar leash issues...she either sits/lies down and refuses to move or randomly pulls and jumps in odd directions. She's in obedience class and the instructor is actually impressed with how good she's doing with the exception of the leash.

for now I'm blaming it on puppy hyper/stubborn dog, but still working on it constantly

 

[Sibe]

At 13 weeks most puppies don't walk much on leash. They explore and hop around but most aren't really up for real walks.

Try having a bunch of treats in your hand next to him and being a Pez dispenser, walking slowly and having him take treats as you walk. It will help teach him that being next to you is a good place to be.

Are you looking for a formal heel where he's right next to you in a specific position (and even looking up at you) or a more casual loose-leash walk position that allows a little more wiggle room? For basic LLW position I don't put it on a cue really. I say "let's go" to inform my dogs that we are now walking and they are to keep the leash loose. The rest is up to them to keep the leash loose. I will give them a release ("ok!") to let them go sniff, potty, and check things out while I stand still to give them a break from the LLW. LLW takes quite a bit of mental effort and awareness for the dog which is mentally tiring and can get them frustrated if they don't get breaks. When we're ready to go again I say "let's go" and off we go.

If ever a leash goes tight, we stop. I wait for the dog to look back at me or ease the tension. At first I would click/reward that, but now it's a functional reward that we get to continue walking.

Emily Larlham (kikopup on youtube) has great videos about LLW.
http://dogmantics.com/leash-walking/

 

[petpeeve]

Have you tried walking him outside? Sometimes, the thought of getting left behind is enough to motivate a puppy to follow along. Use of a squeaky toy and/or treats as Sibe mentioned can also be helpful. Keep expectations fairly low, one or two steps confidently moving forward is a good beginning.

 

[sharpei]

At 13 weeks most puppies don't walk much on leash. They explore and hop around but most aren't really up for real walks.

Try having a bunch of treats in your hand next to him and being a Pez dispenser, walking slowly and having him take treats as you walk. It will help teach him that being next to you is a good place to be.

Are you looking for a formal heel where he's right next to you in a specific position (and even looking up at you) or a more casual loose-leash walk position that allows a little more wiggle room? For basic LLW position I don't put it on a cue really. I say "let's go" to inform my dogs that we are now walking and they are to keep the leash loose. The rest is up to them to keep the leash loose. I will give them a release ("ok!") to let them go sniff, potty, and check things out while I stand still to give them a break from the LLW. LLW takes quite a bit of mental effort and awareness for the dog which is mentally tiring and can get them frustrated if they don't get breaks. When we're ready to go again I say "let's go" and off we go.

If ever a leash goes tight, we stop. I wait for the dog to look back at me or ease the tension. At first I would click/reward that, but now it's a functional reward that we get to continue walking.

Emily Larlham (kikopup on youtube) has great videos about LLW.
http://dogmantics.com/leash-walking/

I agree this is some great advice.