Since he was young - would rather sit and watch people/dogs walk up to him. There are no issues in the yard or park - he can run and walk - on his terms. But a nice walk around the block is a tug of war. I have tried harness and collar (non-prong or non-choke). Do I need to go with one of those 2 or is this usual for a young (in-fixed) male? Thanks!
Hi Bryan and welcome. Definitely, you do not need a prong, choke, shock or anything-else-nasty collar. It sounds like he might be a bit overwhelmed by walking. You say it's a tug of war, so I assume you've tried to pull him? If you've tried that approach from a young age, then he's probably associated walking with something unpleasant, and that needs fixing. I would start in the yard, giving him lots of praise and treats for walking by your side. Make it into a game, with changes of pace and quick changes of direction. Then, you can try it in the park. And then, just outside your house. Don't go with the idea of getting anywhere, just use the same ten metres or so in front of the door, going backwards and forwards, but sometimes not all the way. Don't make it predictable. Then, extend that to a twenty metre span. Then more, and more. He should start associating walking with you as super fun, and, given time, that will replace whatever issue it was that caused him to not want to walk. Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Fantastic - thanks so much for this - I like the idea of not making it predictable and trying to go too far. He does head over the street with me, do his duty, then if I switch directions he will go a little further. I'll try these tips - may have freaked him out trying to replicate the exact walk I used to do with our 15 year old female - I might have started to early - will try this to correct. Appreciated!
Good point but I am up at 6Am and the only others out are joggers. Once he is fixed I will get him to the off-leash area in a park close-by ...
